<operating system> /C E/ A version of the Microsoft Windows
operating system that is being used in a variety of
embedded products, from handheld PCs to specialised
industrial controllers and consumer electronic devices.
Programming for Windows CE is similar to programming for other
Win32 platforms.
Windows CE was developed to be a customisable operating system
for embedded applications. Its kernel borrows much from
other Microsoft 32-bit operating systems, while eliminating
(or replacing) those operating system features that are not
needed for typical Windows CE-based applications. For
example, as on Windows NT, all applications running on
Windows CE run in a fully preemptive multitasking
environment, in fully protected memory spaces.
The Win32 (API) for Windows CE is smaller than the Win32 API
for the other 32-bit Windows operating systems. It includes
approximately half the interface methods of the Windows NT
version of the API. But the Win32 API for Windows CE also
includes features found in no other Microsoft operating
system. The notification API, for example, makes it possible
to handle user or application notification events (such as
timer events) at the operating-system level, rather than in a
running application. The touch screen API and the built-in
support for the Windows CE database are not found in other
Windows operating systems. The touch screen API makes it easy
to manage screen calibration and user interactions for
touch-sensitive displays, while the database API provides
access to a data storage facility.
Nearby terms:
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