| Windows CE takes on Linux in low-end netbooks |
Sep. 18, 2008
 [Updated, Sep. 22] -- Quarta Mobile has announced a version of Windows CE 6.0 tailored for netbooks and MIDs (mobile internet devices). The open-source "MID-Shell for Windows Embedded CE 6.0" will be an alternative to Linux for low-end devices with SSDs (solid state disks), says Quarta.
(Click here for a larger view of Quarta's MID-Shell running on the Acer Aspire One)
As Quarta notes on its website, netbooks such as the Acer Aspire One and Lenovo Ideapad S9 usually ship with SSD storage and the Linux operating system in low-end configurations, or else with hard drives and Windows XP Home at the higher end of the market. Therefore, customers who want a "Windows experience" have no choice but to shell out for extra RAM and disk storage, potentially impacting battery life.
The MID-Shell for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 project can provide a new alternative, "able to compete with Linux and win," claims Quarta. An initial beta of MID-Shell for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 will be available in October, the company adds.
Where CE is today, and Quarta's MID-Shell plans
In the portable arena, Windows CE is most frequently associated with devices using ARM, MIPS, and SH4 processors. However, it also easily runs on x86 CPUs, such as the Intel Atom N270 and Z5xx processors commonly found in netbooks and MIDs, respectively. Windows CE is said to fit within a footprint as small as 300KB, and would have ample room to run on even the lowest-end netbook or MID. For example, a sample BSP (board support package) already supplied to developers by Microsoft, and intended for creation of thin clients, runs on 800MHz Via Eden devices with just 128MB of RAM and 64MB of disk storage.
Quarta says it will build on CE's small-footprint capabilities by creating specific device drivers for popular MIDs and netbooks, starting with the Acer Aspire One and Lenovo Ideapad S9 mentioned earlier. Also envisaged as part of the project are additional applications, supplementing those already included with Windows CE, plus an alternative user interface for MIDs.
MID-Shell for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 will be available not just to computer manufacturers, but also to computer enthusiasts, says Quarta. "All system components, device drivers, operating system shell, and applications, excluding those already contained in the Windows Embedded CE Platform Builder, will be accessible in the form of source code, with licenses permitting their free usage, modification, and distribution of derivative versions," the company adds.
However, says Quarta CEO Maxim Donchencko, "we don't have any plans to distribute complete binary images at this stage, [because] this is the business of device manufacturers." The initial beta of the product will include source code, libraries, and project files, with which developers can build MID-Shell for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 binaries themselves using Microsoft's Platform Builder tool, he added.
Quarta Mobile, apparently an offshot of Russia's Quarta Technologies, describes itself as a developer "of programs for mobile and embedded web-enabled devices with a focus on information design, information collection, transformation and delivery services." Adds the company, "Many of our applications have been licensed to various device manufacturers under their own brands."
Further information
According to Quarta Mobile, source code, libraries, and project files for MID-Shell for Windows Embedded CE 6.0 will be downloadable around the end of October. More information may be available from the company's website, here.
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