Microsoft Corp can’t be faulted for its determination, and while it may have failed dismally with Microsoft At Work, it has not turned its back on the concept of an embedded operating system that turns a familiar Windows face to the world, and it is seeking to do something very similar with Windows CE. Although to get the thing established, Microsoft initially promoted it for handheld computers and games machines, it was conceived for a much wider market, and the company is now ready to push it for a vast array of embedded applications – anything from controlling robots to adjusting your washing machine cycle. Microsoft is pitching CE to embedded systems with the promise that they will get a lightweight well lightweight compared with other Microsoft products – portable operating system that supports a subset of the Win32 application programming interface, opening up their products to hundreds of thousands of developers already familiar with programming for Windows. Microsoft sees the thing being used in anything from phones through handheld terminals for vertical applications, other types of terminals, industrial control, point-of-sale devices to automotive applications. Licensing for Windows CE code will be handled directly by Microsoft for large volume requirements, and will go through dedicated system distributors for people that want the thing in smaller volumes. And responding to the Microsoft pitch, Advanced Micro Devices Inc reminds anyone that missed its announcement a few days ago that Windows CE is up and running on its Am486- derived Elan SC400 microcontroller for use in a variety of embedded applications.
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