Microsoft renames Windows CE, sets CE 6.0 launch date |
Sep. 22, 2006
Microsoft will provide a free, "comprehensive introduction" to version 6 of Windows CE in a Virtual Launch Event on November 1, starting with an 8 AM PST keynote by Craig Mundie. Interestingly, the company has quietly renamed Windows CE to "Windows Embedded CE."
Mundie's keynote will be followed by a set of "on demand" technical sessions, delivered by technical luminaries from both inside the company and from its eMVP community, including Doug Bolling, Shabnam Erfani, Mike Hall, John Hatch, Sean Liming, Jonathan Lyons, Steve Maillet, Andreas Penna, Nic Sagez, and Paul Yao.
Think of it as an online MEDC! Sessions will cover: - Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Overview
- Kernel and Memory Architecture
- Tools
- Application Development for Windows Embedded CE 6.0
- Access Windows Embedded CE Source Code
- Understanding the Windows Embedded Advantage
- Developing Device Drivers
- Windows Embedded CE 6.0 Real-Time
Two sessions will be offered on the recently released Windows XP Embedded SP 2 Feature Pack 2007: - Introduction to Windows XP Embedded
- What's New in Feature Pack 2007
In addition to the technical sessions, a pair of virtual labs will be available covering Windows CE 6.0 and Windows XP Embedded Feature Pack 2007, as well as the following Windows XP Embedded sessions:- Windows XP Embedded V1.1 Overview, by Shabnam Erfani
- Windows XP Embedded V1.1 Features, Sean Liming
What's CE 6.0?
As its version implies, CE 6.0 is the sixth generation of Windows CE, which debuted at version 1.0 in 1996 (a list of Windows CE releases over the years appears here). According to Windows CE product manager Mike Hall, Version 6.0 implements the following key enhancements:- Operating System architecture:
- CE 6.0 now supports up to 32k processes with 2 GB virtual memory per process. CE 5.0 supported a maximum of 32 processes with 32 MB Virtual Memory per process.
- Operating system processes are moved to kernel space. GWES, Device driver manager, file system manager are all in kernel space for improved performance.
- New Kernel mode and user mode driver model. CE 5.0 only supported user mode drivers. Kernel mode drivers offer performance, user mode drivers provide stability. There can be multiple instances of the user mode driver manager
- Strict partitioning of user mode and kernel mode.
- Tools:
- The CE 6.0 development tools are integrated with Visual Studio 2005 providing one tool to configure, build, download, debug, and test the operating system and the same tool to write native (Win32, MFC, ATL, WTL, STL) or managed (C#/VB) applications.
- Technologies
- More information on supported operating system technologies will be made available at launch.
Microsoft demonstrated CE 6.0 at the MEDC 2006 (Mobile & Embedded Developer's Conference) held in Las Vegas last May, and MEDC attendees received free CDs containing a preview beta of the new OS version.
Freebees to early launch event registrants
According to Microsoft, the first 200 registered attendees will get: - Windows Embedded CE 6.0 180-day Evaluation
- Quick Start Kit
- Visual Studio 2005 Evaluation
- Windows XP Embedded 120-day Evaluation
- Virtual Launch T-shirt
Further details are on the CE 6.0 launch event website. To register, click here. A "Windows Live" ID is required.
The event aims to "shift your device development into high gear," Microsoft says.
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