Windows CE 4.0
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Windows Embedded Compact running in a media server configuration.
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| Developer | Microsoft |
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| Written in | C |
| Source model | Closed source (shared source kernel) |
| Initial release | 16 November 1996 |
| Latest release | 8.0 (Embedded Compact 2013) / 13 June 2013 |
| Platforms | x86, 32-bit ARM, (SuperH up to 6.0 R2, MIPS and PowerPC were also supported) |
| Kernel type | Hybrid |
| License | Commercial proprietary software (volume licensing) |
| Official website | microsoft |
Windows Embedded Compact, formerly Windows Embedded CE and Windows CE, is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products. Unlike Windows Embedded Standard, which is based on Windows NT, Windows Embedded Compact uses a different hybrid kernel. Microsoft licenses Windows CE to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), who can modify and create their own user interfaces and experiences, with Windows CE providing the technical foundation to do so.
The current version of Windows Embedded Compact supports x86 and ARM processors with board support package (BSP) directly. The MIPS and SHx architectures had support prior to version 7.0.
Windows CE is optimized for devices that have minimal memory; a Windows CE kernel may run with one megabyte of memory. Devices are often configured without disk storage, and may be configured as a "closed" system that does not allow for end-user extension (for instance, it can be burned into ROM). Windows CE conforms to the definition of a real-time operating system, with a deterministic interrupt latency. From Version 3 and onward, the system supports 256 priority levels and uses priority inheritance for dealing with priority inversion. The fundamental unit of execution is the thread. This helps to simplify the interface and improve execution time.
The first version – known during development under the code name "Pegasus" – featured a Windows-like GUI and a number of Microsoft's popular apps, all trimmed down for smaller storage, memory, and speed of the palmtops of the day. Since then, Windows CE has evolved into a component-based, embedded, real-time operating system. It is no longer targeted solely at hand-held computers. Many platforms have been based on the core Windows CE operating system, including Microsoft's AutoPC, Pocket PC 2000, Pocket PC 2002, Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 2003 SE, Windows Mobile 5, Windows Mobile 6, Smartphone 2002, Smartphone 2003, Portable Media Center, Zune, Windows Phone and many industrial devices and embedded systems. Windows CE even powered select games for the Dreamcast, was the operating system of the Gizmondo handheld, and can partially run on modified Xbox game consoles.
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