Windows XP Embedded

Embedded Geek writes: "Embedded Systems Programming has a piece about Microsoft organizing its employees to advocate their embedded products in online newsgroups (part of "a new culture at Microsoft" making "an effort to shed the company's reputation as an incommunicative giant.") This is coordinated with Microsoft's launch of Windows XP Embedded at their Embedded Developers' Conference (the countdown clock on their homepage says Wednesday but the launch party is Thursday)." News.com notes that this will be used in slot machines and ATMs. Insert obligatory free-money joke.

Comments

Re:How fun

[Craig Maloney]

I can just see the job description now:

Wanted: Internet browser. Microsoft is seeking qualified and motivated individuals to browse the net and read Usenet news. Must possess abilities with WWW and NNTP technologies as well as verbal and written communication skills.

Hell, I know some people who would probably jump at the opportunity to browse the net and get paid for it. (Well, at least have it as part of their job description. :) )

All the time.

[Perianwyr Stormcrow]

At least five times a week, I see some sort of windows based kiosk type device screwing up.

Recently:

The information terminals at MCI Center (they have never worked properly, to my knowledge- they are always off, talkatively crashed, or frozen.)

Newer Allfirst ATMs (which all use Windows 2000.)

The terminals at the Baltimore Convention Center (the OS keeps forgetting it has a touchscreen, oops.)

If I know what's running on something, that generally means I've seen it crash! The only Linux-based device I saw having problems was a group of web terminals at a New Jersey Turnpike rest area. But they were in a pretty deplorable state from all points, and those were just glorified PCs anyway (one was reporting a keyboard failure at the BIOS, no surprise since it seemed that someone had heavily worked it over with an ice pick)