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Windows CE 5.0
Version of the Windows CE operating system
Developer	Microsoft
Working state	Discontinued
Source model	Closed-source Source-available (throughShared Source Initiative)
Released to manufacturing	July 9, 2004
Latest release	CE 5.2.19202
Kernel type	Hybrid kernel Monolithic kernel
License	Proprietarycommercial software
Preceded by	Windows CE 4.2
Succeeded by	Windows Embedded CE 6.0
Official website	https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms905511.aspx
Support status
Mainstream support ended on October 13, 2009.[1] Extended support ended on October 14, 2014.[1]

Windows CE 5.0 (codenamed "Macallan")^[2] is a successor toWindows CE 4.2, the third release in the Windows CE.NET family. It was first released on July 9, 2004. Like its predecessors, Windows CE 5.0 is marketed towards the embedded device market and independent device vendors. Windows CE 5.0 is billed as a low-cost, compact, fast-to-market,real-time operating system available forx86,ARM,MIPS, andSuperHmicroprocessor-based systems.

Windows CE 5.0 builds on previous Windows CE releases in its adoption ofshared source. Since 2001, Microsoft has been steadily expanding the available Windows CE source tree with embedded system developers. Windows CE 5.0 is the most open Microsoft operating system to date, though not all of the system is available under shared source agreements. Developers have the freedom to modify down to the kernel level, without the need to share their changes with Microsoft or competitors.

Windows CE 5.x is the base OS for Windows Mobile 6.0, 6.1 and 6.5. On the x86 platform, Windows CE 5.0 competes against Microsoft's other embedded operating systems,Windows XP Embedded and its predecessorWindows NT Embedded.

Platform Builder IDE for Windows CE 5.0 is the last builder tool available as standalone product.

According to Microsoft, Windows CE is preferable toWindows XP Embedded in situations where demanding wireless and multimedia requirements need to be met. The following are the primary considerations for “choosing the right version”:

• CPU architecture: Windows CE supports an extensive array of architectures, includingx86, whereas Windows XP Embedded only supports the x86 architecture.
• Real-time applications: Windows CE is areal-time operating system, while Windows XP Embedded is not by default.
• Existing Win32 applications: Windows CE cannot use Win32 binaries, libraries, and drivers without modification.
• Memory footprint: The minimum footprint of Windows CE is 350 kilobytes. The minimum footprint of Windows XP Embedded is 8 megabytes, making it over 23 times larger.

There is also a difference in cost.

• Handheld PC
• Pocket PC
• Personal Digital Assistant
• Windows Mobile

• "Which to Choose: Evaluating Microsoft Windows CE .NET and Windows XP Embedded". Microsoft Corporation. September 2003. Archived fromthe original on 2005-10-01. Retrieved2005-08-21.
• "Portable CE 5.0".

• Windows CE
• MIPS operating systems
• Microsoft Windows
• Products and services discontinued in 2014

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