While Microsoft Corp is targeting its cut-down Windows CE operating system for use in Windows terminals and other embedded applications such as set-top browser boxes, NEC Corp says CE’s ideal for running on network computers built using its Mips VR4300 RISC chip in addition to these other applications. Microsoft is pitting its Windows Terminal concept against Java- based thin-client NC network computer designs supported by IBM Corp, Sun Microsystems Inc, Oracle Corp and others. NEC thinks a forthcoming 2.0 version of CE reportedly supporting Java and due in October will be ideal for NCs, where it could be run in ROM. The 133MHz, 64-bit VR4300 costs $30 in quantities of 100,000-up.
