Hello, all! Martin here and welcome to the February edition of Martin’s Corner! This month I wanted to touch on Microsoft Operating Systems.
Lately there has been a lot of confusion with Microsoft releasing VISTA and threatening to stop supporting Windows XP. Is there really a compelling reason to switch Operating Systems? Why change something that is not broken?
What they don’t tell you is that there is an alternative! Microsoft will still support several of the “older” Operating systems for quite a while! Windows XP will be supported until 2016… That takes some of the edge of validating VISTA, doesn’t it?
You can even still license DOS6.22 (don’t tell anybody, but I still use it in the lab…)
There are several ways for you to get your Operating system:
The Embedded Channel, serving OEMs that build dedicated-purpose devices (e.g., a telephony server for VoIP applications).
The System Builder Channel, serving OEMs that build general-purpose devices (e.g., a general-purpose file or print server for internal use within an enterprise)
The Embedded Channel is the only Microsoft channel for buying certain products—Windows XP Embedded®, Windows CE®, Windows Embedded for Point of Service® (WEPOS), and MS-DOS®. Other operating system products can be purchased from either the Embedded Channel or the System Builder Channel. But, while products available from both channels are identical regardless of the channel through which you buy them, the licensing provisions and pricing are different.
Products available through the Embedded Channel fall into three categories:
Desktop Operating Systems
- Windows XP Professional with Embedded Restrictions(32- and 64-bit versions)
- Windows 2000 with Embedded Restrictions
Server Operating Systems
- Windows Server™ 2003 R2 for Embedded Systems (32- and 64-bit versions)
- Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 for Embedded Systems (32- and 64-bit versions)
- Windows Server™ for Embedded Systems with the Server Appliance Software Version 3.0
- Windows Server 2003 for Telecommunications Systems with the Server Appliance Software Version 3.0
- Windows Server™ 2003 for Embedded Systems with Internet Security and Acceleration Server
- Data Protection Manager 2006 for Embedded Systems
- SQL Server™ 2005 for Embedded Systems
- Windows Server 2000 for Embedded Systems
Embedded Operating Systems
- Windows XP Embedded (XPe)
In order of complexity of implementation we have:
Windows Embedded CE integrates reliable real-time capabilities with advanced Windows technologies to help you rapidly build a wide range of innovative, small-footprint devices. Windows Embedded CE can run on multiple CPUs and is used in a broad range of device types including: mobile handhelds, thin clients, gateways, IP telephones, and automated industrial devices.
Windows XP Embedded (XPe) delivers the complete power of Microsoft Windows in componentized form to rapidly build reliable and advanced embedded devices based on the x86 processor and PC architecture hardware. Examples of Windows XP Embedded devices include retail point-of-service (POS) devices, ATMs, Windows-based thin clients, and advanced set-top boxes. Windows XP Embedded is a specialized operating system, consisting of componentized Windows XP Professional features and an end-to-end set of development tools, for use in non-personal computer (non-desktop) devices. Windows XP Embedded is typically used by embedded developers, system integrators, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).
WEPOS is a product specifically designed for POS (Point of Sale) applications. It is a product positioned between Windows XP Pro and XPe, and also adds support for typical POS devices.
Windows XP Pro with Embedded Restrictions is basically the same Windows XP that everybody already uses. Compatible with all the drivers and software
WEPOS is a product specifically designed for POS (Point of Sale) applications. It is a product positioned between Windows XP Pro and XPe, and also adds support for typical POS devices.
Make no mistake. Windows XP will not be available later this year unless you get the embedded version. Corvalent is proud to offer Windows XP Embedded and all the products above on our platforms!
Thanks for checking in and see you next month!
Martin
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