Cross-platform tools

Hello.

I'm the author of py2sisng, which is a cross-platform version of the Nokia
Python for S60 packager: http://www.nbl.fi/jussi.ylanen/py2sisng.html

Now that Nokia has released a preview version of Python for S60 3rd.
Edition, I have looked into adding support for it as well. By checking out
the S60 3rd. Edition SDK, I found out that several tools would be needed in
source form for this to be possible:

  makesis, version 4 (version 2 is already open-source)
  signsis
  mifconv (not critical, I think I already figured out the format)


Are there any plans to open up these tools (and possibly others: elf2e32,
makekeys...), like it has been already done once?

-- 

Jussi Ylänen wrote:

> Hello.
> 
> I'm the author of py2sisng, which is a cross-platform version of the Nokia
> Python for S60 packager: http://www.nbl.fi/jussi.ylanen/py2sisng.html

Replying to myself (is everyone on holiday or something?)...

I found this whitepaper, written by Symbian's Security team. It is a
specification for the new SIS file format:

http://www.symbian.com/developer/techlib/papers/SymbianOSv91/softwareinstallsis.
pdf


By following this paper, I have created a Python script to unpack the new
SIS files. Using it I have verified that OpenSSL is capable of handling the
creation of certificates and header signatures/digests. Therefore makesis
and signsis are no longer absolutely necessary for making valid SIS files.

Thank you for releasing the specification!

-- 
Jussi Ylänen

No, sadly we're not all on holiday(!), it's just that publicly releasing
information that is security-related takes a fairly long time - that SIS
specification took months!

I have already requested that we publish makesis and signsis, so will
continue to press for this.

Mark
Symbian Developer Network

Well, it's good to know that someone in Symbian is on the case. Thanks!

A somewhat related question: Do you by any chance happen to know how the
e32image compression (deflate method) works? I have compared a compressed
image with an uncompressed one and do not see the RFC 1951 deflate data
structures anywhere (let alone RFC
1950 zlib headers). Is this something
Symbian wishes to keep secret?

-- 

>> Is this something Symbian wishes to keep secret?
No, but there is no good documentation on how the deflate routine differs
from the RFC and the source code which might be used to determine this may
only be released to DevKit licensees.

I'm hoping that eventually the latest version of source for PETRAN/ELFTRAN
and friends will be released as it includes this code. Mark Shackman (who
replied to your previous posting) may have a view whether that will happen
and the timeframes.

Regards
Hamish

"Jussi Ylänen" <jethro@verkkokauppazeus.fi> wrote in message
news:Shny6XJwGHA.1384@UKCOL01WWEB01.symbian.intra...
>
> Well, it's good to know that someone in Symbian is on the case. Thanks!
>
> A somewhat related question: Do you by any chance happen to know how the
> e32image compression (deflate method) works? I have compared a compressed
> image with an uncompressed one and do not see the RFC 1951 deflate data
> structures anywhere (let alone RFC
1950 zlib headers). Is this something
> Symbian wishes to keep secret?
>
> -- 
> Jussi Ylänen