REDMOND, Wash., April 9, 2003 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the latest addition to its Shared Source Initiative, the Windows®
CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program (CEP), available to companies that are bringing Windows CE-based devices and solutions to market. CEP is the first Windows CE program under the Shared Source Initiative to allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), silicon vendors and 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 Ltd., BSQUARE Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corp., MIPS Technologies Inc. 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.
“Premium source code access is vital to enabling our long-standing optimization efforts around Windows CE .NET on the ARM architecture,”
said Mike Muller, chief technology officer at ARM.
“The results enabled by this program directly translate into competitive advantage delivered to the entire ARM partnership. Premium source access, along with our on-site people in Redmond, has increased the effectiveness of our collaborative efforts. We have had an excellent experience and fully support Microsoft’s efforts in this area.”
“The Microsoft® Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program enabled Hitachi to work directly with the Windows CE .NET source code and modify certain aspects of the operating system to create a truly enhanced user experience, specifically for one of our new mobile devices,”
said Shigeru Matsuoka, general manager of the Mobile Information & Communication Appliance Division, Ubiquitous Platform Systems, Hitachi Ltd.
“Having the rights to modify the Windows CE .NET source code allows us to bring optimized and differentiated devices to market quickly.”
“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.”
CEP Designed for Innovation, Empowerment and Community
Full access to the source code and rights to modify and ship the code commercially enable 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 at http://www.microsoft.com/resources/sharedsource/licensing/windowsce_announcement.mspx .
Windows CE Shared Source Licensing Program
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 at http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/sharedsource/ .
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 (TM) 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.
About the Microsoft Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group
Microsoft Windows Embedded operating systems and tools provide comprehensive software platforms for building the next generation of intelligent, 32-bit connected Windows Powered devices that demand rich applications and Internet services for a wide range of flexible solutions. In addition, Microsoft offers a wide range of programs and services designed to meet the specific needs of Windows Embedded customers, industry partners and developers. The Windows Embedded operating systems currently include Windows CE and Windows XP Embedded. The Server Appliance Kit for Windows 2000 helps OEMs build Windows Powered server appliances, including network attached storage (NAS) and Web servers. Windows CE was honored at the 2003 International Consumer Electronics Show for innovations in the category of Software/Embedded Technologies. The Embedded and Appliance Platforms Group also delivers Windows CE for Smart Displays software technology, which powers a wide range of Smart Displays that extend the Windows XP experience to any room in the home. Currently in development is “Media2Go,” which is the code name for a new device platform for powering the next generation of portable media player devices that enable consumers to enjoy their videos, music and pictures on the go.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.
Microsoft, Windows, Windows Server and Visual Studio are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .
Windows CE Shared Source PremiumIndustry Quotes
“Microsoft’s Windows CE Premium Source offering allows our software engineers to closely examine the interaction between their code and the operating system, and to generate various derivatives of the operating system components for testing purposes. These capabilities help them develop better drivers and applications, and better support our customers’ Windows CE-based product development and troubleshooting efforts.”
Tom Gensel
Chief Software Architect
Accelent Systems Inc.
“Premium source gives our developers the ability to understand the interactions between the Windows CE operating system and the custom code that we develop. Using premium source, we can develop code much faster and at a higher level of quality, which allows us to get our products to market much faster.”
Brian Crowley
Vice President of Product Development
BSQUARE
“As a gold level Windows Embedded systems integrator, we have used the Windows CE Shared Source Premium source code to better understand the Windows CE Kernel and device drivers. With this source code knowledge, we were able to develop more stable and reliable device drivers including those for the CDMA EVDO Wireless Modem and CDC (Communication Device Class) wireless modem.”
Bejay Ahn
CTO
DST Corp.
“Participation in the Microsoft Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program has provided Intel with a unique opportunity to enhance Windows CE .NET-based solutions based on the Intel XScale technology. The program will help provide significant improvements to leading-edge solutions that showcase our respective technologies.”
Hans Geyer
Vice President and General Manager
PCA Components Group
Intel Corp.
“Intrinsyc’s participation in the Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program provides important company and customer benefits. Because our development team has access to Windows CE .NET premium source code, it can test ideas and speed the debugging and systems integration processes. This results in intelligent devices that are ready for market faster and optimized for performance.”
Neil McDonnell
President and CEO
Intrinsyc Software Inc., a Microsoft Gold Level Embedded Partner
“The announcement of Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program provides new opportunities for MEI to use Windows CE .NET in fields such as digital consumer electronics products, where rapid growth is expected. We believe that the advanced network and multimedia functionalities of Windows CE will bring more enhanced value-add to our semiconductor products.”
Masashi Deguchi
Director, Software Development Center
Corporate Development Division
Semiconductor Company
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
“An important part of the MIPS Alliance for Windows CE is the opportunity for MIPS Technologies and many of the world’s leading semiconductor companies to work closely with Microsoft to optimize Windows CE .NET for the industry standard MIPS architecture. By expanding the availability of Windows CE .NET through the Shared Source Premium program, Microsoft will broaden the base of designers using its technology as the RTOS of choice in next-generation digital consumer and networking applications.”
Brad Holtzinger
Director of System Solutions
MIPS Technologies
“As technology for mobile and high-performance network devices advances, Mitsubishi Electric combines its technology and expertise with Microsoft’s Windows CE .NET embedded operating system to more rapidly bring products to market. Mitsubishi Electric views the Windows CE .NET Shared Source Premium Licensing Program as an outstanding offering that can advantageously profit the companies that use it.”
Satoshi Tanaka
Manager, Internet Media Systems Dept.
Information Technology R & D Center
Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
“The Premium Source Licensing program, coupled with an emphasis on collaborative development within the Windows Embedded Group, has provided significant benefit to both National Semiconductor’s Information Appliance Division and Microsoft. The level of expertise for our engineers in developing optimized silicon and software for Windows CE has increased dramatically. Our visibility into the source has enabled us to effectively collaborate with Microsoft to greatly improve performance and stability on our platforms.”
Jeff Lavin
Director of Engineering
National Semiconductor Corp.
“With technological innovation accelerating the advancement of mobile devices and high-performance network devices in the marketplace, timely product development is very important in order to keep up with market needs. Realizing that software and the operating system play a key role, NEC AccessTechnica highly appreciates Microsoft Windows CE .NET and subsequently has adopted it for its advanced features and functionality. NEC AccessTechnica also highly appreciates the superior advantages of Microsoft’s Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program. Combined with NEC AccessTechnica’s technology and expertise, it enables us to rapidly bring a product with enhanced value to the market. It has the merit of being open source, while protecting the software’s intellectual property. It is seen as an outstanding offering that provides advantages to the companies that use it. NEC AccessTechnica plans to continually extend this offering to future product development on an ongoing basis.”
Katsuaki Ohwada
General Manager
Solutions Product Development Division
NEC AccessTechnica Ltd.
“Providing optimized and timely solutions at low cost while responding to user needs and using the latest technologies is a significant differentiating factor in the industrial device industry. At NEC Infrontia, Windows CE .NET’s cutting-edge technology develops i-Communication Systems, i-Appliances, and i-Solutions systems. Microsoft’s recently announced Windows CE .NET Shared Source Premium Licensing Program has enabled NEC Infrontia to take an industry lead and quickly bring to market business terminals, such as the Pocket@i with built-in wireless LAN, PHS, and laser scanner. NEC Infrontia is eager to continue aggressively using Windows CE .NET and its shared source program in our company’s core enterprise areas.”
Eiichi Kumagai
Associate Senior Vice President and General Manager
Second Operations Unit
NEC Infrontia Corp.
“With access to the Windows CE Shared Source Premium code, Samsung is able to easily incorporate customer requests into devices, create even more innovative products, and decrease the development cycle and time to market for Digital Home devices.”
Young Koo
Director, Digital Media R & D Team
Samsung Electronics
“The Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program allows us to quickly react to our customers’ requests for development. The program enhances our ability to develop innovative wireless and wired projects utilizing Microsoft Windows CE technologies.”
Kevin Wixom
Vice President of Embedded Product Development Group
Stellcom Inc.
“3SOFT views the Microsoft Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program as a positive initiative. With access to Windows CE .NET source code, we now are able to quickly support our customers with operating system questions or debugging issues on the highest-possible technical level.”
Martin Schleicher
Head of the Man Machine Interfaces Division
3SOFT GmbH
“The Premium Source Program enables Toshiba to work with Microsoft and MIPS Technologies to optimize and enhance the Windows CE .NET kernel and tool chain. These activities will provide more powerful and flexible MIPS-based solutions for OEMs and customers in emerging digital consumer markets.”
Masayasu Odani
Chief Specialist, System Platform Development Department, System & Software Division
Semiconductor Company
Toshiba Corp.
“As a gold-level system integrator for Windows Powered solutions, having access to the Windows CE source code allows us to help customers to market faster and for less cost. The Windows CE Shared Source Program allows developers to open the proverbial ‘black box.’ The ability to watch how the system code is interacting with and manipulating user code and data is an extremely powerful and time-saving tool during test and development.”
Daron Underwood
Principal Engineer and Consultant
VenturCom Inc., and Microsoft eMVP
“We are delighted to be participating in the Microsoft Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program. By giving us timely and convenient access to the source code, it enables us to optimize our embedded platforms and speed up our time to market.”
Richard Brown Associate Vice President of Marketing VIA Technologies Inc.
“As a gold-level Windows Embedded Partner (WEP) and Shared Source Premium partner, Vibren now will be able to develop and distribute innovative, customizable enhancements of Windows CE source code to our customers. This increases our value-add and helps us expand our business.”
Dave LeClair
Vice President of Technology
Vibren Technologies Inc.
