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Comment by runjake | Hacker News Reader

> No need to update the entire os

You're wrong.

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/how-to/wp8/basics/windows-...

> Maybe its something the Android Team needs to look into.

How Windows Phone updates actually work is exactly the same as how Android updates work: the OS is updated, and these days, the apps (even Google's) are broken out into separate updates. Google was doing this before Microsoft, so Google would not need to learn anything from Microsoft, in this regard.

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Microsoft actually ended up learning from Google and Apple by coming in late. I think they went for an intermediary between Apple's cohesive ecosystem and Google's open ecosystem. Agreed, they had their own Windows PC OS distribution as a model as well.

If Windows Phone ever takes off, it would ideally offer the best of both worlds. Differentiation in terms of hardware and apps while core functionality remains the same.

Before you attack me, maybe you should try owning a Windows Phone.

I am speaking from experience. You are just speaking from things you found on the internet.

I wasn't attacking you, I was saying you were wrong -- and you were wrong.

And I actually do own two Windows Phones (one is a developer "HTC Mazaa" unit given to me by Microsoft after being one of the winners of a Windows Phone development competition, and the other is a WP8 Lumia) and I develop for Windows Phone. Has Microsoft given you a developer phone lately?

Seriously though, don't presume to know my experience level.

Not to toot my own horn, but yes actually. I was given a windows 6.0, 6.5 CE, 7.0, and I'm actually currently using the phone the gave me from their developer conference. 8.0.

seems like there is a lot of presuming going around. I'll apologize now and say I am sorry to have offended you.

runjake was impolitic, but correct. The Google GMS app suite is distinct from the OS image and can be updated independently via the Play Store. It's no different in practice from what you see on Windows Phone -- a core OS image must be updated (rarely, and with hardware OEM and carrier approval) via firmware, but almost everything user-facing is an app from the market.

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