Abstract :
Open PC based architectures are presenting unprecedented opportunities for positive change in the nature of dedicated systems in the fields of industrial automation, telecommunications, point-of-sale and others. The opportunity for Windows/NT and /CE to become the dominant operating systems for open PC based architectures in these markets will be examined. Extensions to Windows/NT and /CE are now available to increase the speed and extent of their market penetration and acceptance. VenturCom has concluded that some hard real-time, scalability, and embedded operation extensions are required to be made to Windows/NT and /CE in order to achieve deterministic sub-millisecond response times, and to reduce hardware resource requirements while maintaining full compatibility with the enormous range of software written for Windows/NT and /CE. VenturCom, with over 17 years experience in providing real-time and embedded systems technology for builders of dedicated systems, has signed marketing and technical agreements with Microsoft to produce and sell the development tools and extensions required