Microsoft surprises with new embedded OS

By Jonathan Angel
2009-09-01

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Microsoft has unveiled two surprises, not only announcing a Windows 7-based embedded operating system (OS) before its desktop cousin ships, but also adding a digit to the product's name. Windows Embedded Standard 2011, previously "Quebec," is downloadable now as a Community Technology Preview (CTP), the company says.

Via a keynote at last year's Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) in Boston, Kevin Dallas, general manager of Microsoft's Windows Embedded business, told attendees the company would forsake Vista, using its forthcoming desktop OS, Windows 7, as a basis for its next x86 embedded operating system instead.

Like the existing Windows Embedded Standard (WES) 2009, the new OS -- codenamed Quebec -- will be "componentized," letting developers create an OS on their devices with only the drivers, services, and applications they need, Dallas promised. It also will be newly available in a 64-bit version, he added.

Microsoft provided no formal release date for Quebec, however, promising only that it would be available "within a number of quarters" after Windows 7's release -- the latter subsequently set for Oct. 22. As of today, however, the company is making "Windows Embedded Standard 2011" available as a downloadable beta (or CTP, as Redmond prefers to call it), in advance even of Windows 7's retail availability.

New capabilities and features

According to Microsoft, Windows Embedded Standard (WES) 2011 "delivers the power, familiarity and reliability of the Windows 7 operating system in a highly customizable and componentized form, enabling OEMs in industrial automation, entertainment, consumer electronics and other markets to focus on their core competencies and create product differentiation." Touting "familiar, easy-to-use development tools and embedded-enabling features," the company says the OS will reduce development costs and increase speed to market for thin-client, point-of-service (POS), kiosk, medical, multifunction printers, and other devices.

The Windows Embedded Standard 2011 installer should resemble that of WES 2009 (pictured)
(Click to enlarge)

Key WES 2011 features highlighted by the company include the following:

Advanced hardware support including 64-bit CPUs, the Windows Aero user interface, Windows Presentation Foundation, Windows Touch (multigesture touch interfaces and context-aware applications) and Windows Flip 3D navigation
Upgraded software including Internet Explorer 8, Windows Media Player 12, Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 7.0, and .NET Framework 3.5
Increased enterprise interoperability, including compatibility with Active Directory group policies, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager, and Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
Better ability to develop "green" solutions, with smart power management APIs that can reduce power consumption and improve CPU idle time

What's in a name?

As indicated earlier in this story, Windows Embedded Standard 2011 has been anticipated for some time, but most observers -- us included -- assumed that the operating system's name would actually be Windows Embedded Standard 2010. ESC Boston organizers TechInights leaked the revised moniker last week, however, via a press release promoting BYOES (build your own embedded system) kits that will be given away at the conference later this month. (For details, see our earlier coverage, here.)

Today, Microsoft confirmed that ESC Boston, scheduled for Sept. 21 to Sept. 24, will be something of a coming out party for WES 2011, noting that the new OS will be discussed during a keynote address on Sept. 22. In the keynote, Kevin Dallas "will detail how the Windows Embedded software-plus-services platform enables developers and OEMs to provide the unique value of Windows on specialized devices, as well as sharing a Windows Embedded product road map update," according to the company.

Availability

According to Microsoft, the CTP of WES 2011 should be downloadable now from the company's website, here, though it was not yet online at the time of writing. The company did not provide any immediate details about timeouts or other CTP limitations.

If history is any guide, it may be some time before the WES 2011 operating system goes on sale in finished embedded devices. After all, WES 2009, released to manufacturers in October 2008, is only now beginning to replace its predecessor, Windows XP Embedded, in thin clients and other products.

Microsoft says WES 2011 will be RTM'ed (released to manufacturing) during the second half of next year, after which time Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification, a preparation kit, and training courseware will become available.

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