systems integrators full access to Windows CE source code. All licensees will be able to modify the code, and OEMs now can commercially distribute those modifications in Windows CE-based devices.

Many industry-leading companies such as ARM, BSQUARE, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, MIPS Technologies, and Samsung Electronics have already joined the program and are developing innovative and differentiated embedded products. Companies such as Hitachi already have begun shipping devices based on Windows CE with modifications under the CEP.

"The Shared Source Initiative is about learning from our customers and the community to provide enhanced source-code transparency plus the ability to do more with your Microsoft-based solution," said Craig Mundie, senior vice president and chief technical officer of Advanced Strategies and Policy at Microsoft Corp. "We continue to see tremendous growth and interest in Windows CE Shared Source offerings, and the new CEP is designed to meet the needs of our customers and their desire to innovate and expand on the Windows CE platform to deliver new business and industry opportunities."

Full access to the source code, including rights to modify and ship the code commercially, enables licensees to build on top of the rich Windows CE foundation to create new and innovative devices. Shared Source Premium code empowers licensees to optimize and differentiate software and hardware for Windows CE. CEP also includes a customer feedback program, which enables customer collaboration and community contribution to ongoing improvements to Windows CE products. More information about CEP can be found here.

CEP builds on the successful Windows CE Shared Source Licensing Program, from which more than 160,000 lines of Windows CE Shared Source code have been downloaded. The program allows developers, researchers, students and other interested parties to use the Windows CE Shared Source code for any noncommercial purpose, including creating and distributing derivatives. In addition, for commercial purposes, the source code enables customers to develop, debug and support their own commercial software and hardware for the Windows CE platform. More information on this program and the new Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program can be found here.

About the Shared Source Initiative

The Microsoft Shared Source Initiative is a balanced approach that makes source code more broadly available while preserving the intellectual property rights that sustain a strong software business. The Shared Source Initiative framework supports a spectrum of programs and licenses offered by Microsoft to customers, partners, developers, academicians and other interested individuals.

Each source-licensing program under the Shared Source Initiative is tailored to the needs of a particular Microsoft constituent community and can be applied as a model for increasing code transparency throughout commercial software. Shared Source is an evolving framework that will support additional source-code access programs and licenses involving many Microsoft product groups. Currently, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows CE 3.0, Windows CE .NET, Microsoft Passport Manager, and components of Visual Studio .NET and ASP.NET have source code available through the Shared Source Initiative.