Embedded OS Roadmap Shows Little Change

Embedded OS releases in 2004 aim to push Windows beyond PCs into digital media devices and other kinds of Windows-compatible custom hardware. The roadmap for Microsoft’s two embedded OSs, Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded, includes more liberal licensing terms to combat competition from Linux and tighter security based on lessons learned in the hostile world of the networked PC.

Microsoft released a new version of Windows CE in July 2004 and changed the Windows CE Shared Source license to make it simpler for a manufacturer to create unique devices. Microsoft also released Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) in Aug. 2004, which will trigger a refresh of Windows XP Embedded to take advantage of its hardened communications and tighter default security settings. The new releases will first affect OEMs and system integrators who create devices using the OSs, but they will eventually find their way into Microsoft’s own Windows Mobile platform for devices such as the Pocket PC, and will benefit companies that use such devices as part of IT solutions.