The wraps are off Microsoft's Windows 2000 embedded operating system (OS). Whistler Embedded's modular design lets developers use Windows 2000's advanced features in embedded designs that now rely on Embedded Windows NT. This beta release's limited distribution will be followed by a wider distribution of beta 2. The beta 1 distribution followed the Whistler desktop and server beta release by only 48 days.
Whistler Embedded targets Mi-crosoft .NET client devices that work with .NET server-based applications. These include Windows-based terminals, advanced set-top boxes, and retail point-of-sale kiosks. The current Windows 2000 server platforms also support .NET. Whistler's new development and authoring tools consist of the Target Designer, Component Designer, Database Manager, and Target Analyzer.
Embedded developers can use the Target Designer to select components from a database of Windows components. These are added to the standard run-time configuration for a customized OS image. The Component Designer allows creation of new OS components that the Target Designer manages.
The Database Manager handles standard and custom OS components in a single "Whistler Embedded" repository. It can manage multiple platforms and repositories. And, the Target Analyzer processes custom configurations to determine dependencies and notify designers of critical device drivers.
For more, go to www.microsoft.com.
