s popular Visual C++ environment, so Windows programmers will feel r
ight at home.
All this is part of Microsoft's limited version of the Java "write once, run anywhere" credo. Applications designed for Windows 95 should be portable (after some reworking) to CE, a strict subset of the standard Windows API. Almost all the calls in the Windows CE API are the same as the basic Win32 interfaces. The only additions are routines for power control, stylus control, and communications.
Ideally, you would create a copy of your source code, look for Win32 routines that didn't make the trip, and replace them with the simpler routines. It is rarely so easy. Memory and screen space are in short supply. Complicated GUIs need a redesign to fit on the screen. And if you like to use assembly code for speed, think again. Windows CE runs on chips from Mips, Hitachi, and Philips, so you must code for each.
Still, the SDK makes porting as easy as can be expected. The best approach is to start from scratch, plugging in code as you need it. The main job is designi
ng an interface that works on small black-and-white screens. (CE 2.0 also supports color screens such as the one on Sharp's new Mobilon HPC.)
There are two emulators for the Gryphon and Mercury configurations. Mercury (
see the screen
) is the 320- by 240-pixel display on most CE machines. Gryphon adopts the vertical alignment of the PalmPilot or Apple Newton. Once the code is running, you can simulate it in a window, where the process becomes like developing code for a PC. The Visual C++ debugger, like the integrated development environment (IDE), is well integrated into the CE environment.
Documentation is extensive but not as helpful as it could be, and I struggled to get everything up and running. But overall, this new Windows CE SDK is a credible vehicle for spreading Windows to places it's never been before.
Where to Find
Microsoft Windows CE Free...............Version 2.0 Platform SDK beta 3
Microsof
t Corp.
Redmond, WA
Phone: 206-882-8080
Fax: 206-936-7329
Internet:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsce/
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