Tomorrow's embedded systems will be access points for a growing array of network services, according to executives at Microsoft Corp. who are rolling out Wednesday (Nov. 14) software to help enable the shift. The Windows giant is also launching a new initiative to reach out more broadly to hardware developers as it competes with Linux to command a rising share of the embedded software market. In Microsoft's vision, embedded devices will troll networks automatically seeking relevant services. They will also report their capabilities to networks to help spawn a market for new services.
The release of Windows CE 6.0 R2 is the first big step in that direction. The code now supports the so-called Devices Profile for Web Services defined by Microsoft along with Canon, Ricoh, Intel, and Lexmark. The spec defines ways to describe, discover and communicate securely with Web services. The new version of CE also supports the Web Services for Devices interface in Windows Vista.
