Microsoft to Share Windows CE Source Code

The software giant will include expanded source licensing in Windows CE 5.0, due out July 9.

Microsoft Corp. will release the next version of its Windows CE operating system to device manufacturers on July 9, company officials announced this week. Windows CE 5.0 will include expanded source licensing, said officials at the Redmond, Wash., software giant. This means that for the first time, licensees will be able to ship commercial products based on modified Windows CE source code. Click here to read more about Microsofts CE licensing terms. "Any licensee of Windows CE 5.0 can ship a derivative, and there is no obligation of that OEM [original equipment manufacturer] to notify Microsoft of that change or to share the modified IP with the developer community," said John Starkweather, a product manager at Microsoft. "This will give OEMs more options in terms of development. The untapped market is companies that are doing proprietary operating systems." Previously known under the code name Macallan, Windows CE 5.0 will include several new drivers that improve network performance, data processing speeds, battery management and graphics capabilities, officials said. Check out eWEEK.coms Windows Center at http://windows.eweek.com for Microsoft and Windows news, views and analysis.

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