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Why do people hate Windows CE?

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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-05-20 1:10 PM
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Hey guys and gals
Recently my cousin bought a digital picture frame with WinCE 5.0. As a CE veteran (yep, I've been working with it longer than you may think ) I noticed this by the lil sticker on the back. After I told him, he returned it. Not kidding. He returned his brand new, perfectly working DPF, just because it runs on WinCE.
I asked him why, and he told me he didn't want Microsoft seeing all his pictures (which is rediculous, as the frame didn't even have a network interface.).

Another example: People ranting about what a bad decision it was to get a CE sat nav, and that they would've much rather bought a Garmin or a TomTom, which both run on Linux. Why do people do that? I mean, some people do it because they assume WinCE is a stoneage, closed source OS, which is both false (MS shares its source code with developers).
And then again, the Linux versions used on Garmins and TomToms are highly proprietry.

And then again, there's the people who refer Windows CE as Windows Crap Edition. God I'm SO fed up about that "joke".
Whenever somebody starts talking about WinCE, after about two mins at least one person has made it.

Next case: A model of set top box (I'm typing on it right now) runs Windows CE 5.0. As usual, when it boots, it launches an OEM interface. I was able to get past this by editing a firmware upgrade file. So, now this STB serves as my multimedia PC!
Back on track: This set top box has two USB ports, which can only be used to flash a new firmware onto the system. However, billions of user are rediculously infuriated that they can't record TV onto it. On a german forum a proper rant thread has been opened about this STB. Everybody seems to assume that Windows CE is based on Windows 95 (which makes most of us on this forum cringe) and doesn't support USB, which is false!

What do you think why very many people hate Windows CE? (Let's put the kids aside who try running minecraft on it. . .)
I''d be very glad to hear your opinions!
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2016-05-20 1:59 PM
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WinCE is something I do everytime I try to work with Linux..give a slight involuntary grimace or shrinking movement of my body out of or in anticipation of pain or distress.

I'm sure one day we will be thinking of CE in the same way we now think of OS/2.
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-05-20 2:52 PM
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Haha yeah That's a good one!

What do you mean by "thinking of CE in the same way we now think of OS/2"?

Edited by SwizzleDude 2016-05-20 2:52 PM
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2016-05-20 4:24 PM
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Something with great promise dying a slow inglorious death!
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-05-20 6:37 PM
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And CE could have done more than it does already if even Microsoft had enough of a commitment to it, and if OEMs hadn't lost interest. (That's my big gripe.) It's a stable OS that runs well on low-power devices. While I like what Android can do these days, I don't consider it better or worse. It's a somewhat confusing interface that's also far more closed than CE - in that latter regard it's not very different from Palm OS. And, like the Pocket PC/Windows Mobile GUI, it doesn't have a simple mechanism for closing or switching between apps. (Geez, how hard is it to include an "X" button and/or a menu with an "Exit" selection?) My Android 4.4 tablet is actually kinda slow, even to wake from sleep after I press the power button.

I read a review the other day about the Cowon Q5W media player, and I couldn't believe how the device was being trashed. My P5 (a nearly identical device, just missing built-in WiFi and a couple of other features) is an incredible device IMHO - it's fast, the sound quality and battery life are fantastic, and there are tons of useful (and mostly free) apps that I can run on it. It's designed to be a music and video player - the core CE interface is supposed to be a side feature, but that side feature lets one do so much more with it. The same is true with CE-based PNDs - nice proprietary interface, but easy access to the core CE interface is a huge bonus. Like you, SD, I've lately taken interest in converting CE-based GPS devices into little CE tablets. (I'm kind hoping some newer ones will eventually migrate from CE 6 to WEC 7 and retain synchronizability.).

My only gripe with CE is the scrolling Programs menu that it automatically adopts once you have too many (!) apps on it. That's a really clumsy way to navigate with a touchscreen, requiring one to hold the stylus on the same spot on the screen for several seconds. But even in the absence of a keyboard to shorten the process, there are lots of tools available to make that easier, including free third-party menu and service tray apps.

After all these years, I'm still using CE devices on the road far more than any other computing devices. They still do just about everything I need.
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Rich Hawley Page Icon Posted 2016-05-20 7:01 PM
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Hmmm, that last CE6 7" GPS I bought is a great working GPS...under CE6, so I can't think of why any manufacturer would want to install WEC 7 on it, since the OS is probably one of a million pirated versions anyways. Anyways, I bought it, turned it on, and have really never used it except for one 20 minute trip around town to see how it worked.

Like all the others, it still has the resistive touch screen and only 840x400 resolution. But worst of all...no wifi, so other than using it for a GPS...what good is it really?
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CE Geek Page Icon Posted 2016-05-21 3:58 AM
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It's not all about using the Web, Rich. As for WEC 7, I'm talking about choosing it over CE 6 to build the platform on in the first place. I'm just looking for a WEC 7 device that has both touchscreen capability and support for synchronization.
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-05-22 6:17 PM
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts and opinions
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Jake Page Icon Posted 2016-05-23 7:38 PM
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I was actually a big fan of the Zune. Wifi syncing long before any other brand, remarkable loyalty to Zune 1.0 (mine) as MS tried to double down on Z 2.0 (Z 1.0 was upgraded constantly).

People laughed it out of the market, but I thought it did a pretty good job. I have two of them, with extended batteries, even. That said, they do live in my basement these days...

Jake
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-05-27 6:44 PM
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I had a Zune once, but I didn't even know it ran on Windows CE. I found that out about a week after I sold it on ebay. . .
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stingraze Page Icon Posted 2016-05-30 5:31 AM
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Zune had been something I've always wanted, but it wasn't sold in Japan.

I didn't know that Windows CE ran on it. Around that time, I used to have an iPod mini / nano....
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SwizzleDude
SwizzleDude Page Icon Posted 2016-05-30 5:58 AM
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Yeah, the Zune wasn't sold in Germany either, but I managed to find one on Ebay.
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Alt Bass Page Icon Posted 2016-05-30 7:52 AM
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SwizzleDude, as you see, those people do not have exceptional clue in operating systems and software in general, it is not reasonable to expect good judgement from them. As for satnavs, they probably know that specific TomTom and Garmin do not have some specific problems which they experienced.

Desktop Windows OS has been the source of many problems and limitations for years and remains, to a lower degree.

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SwizzleDude - 2016-05-20 4:10 PM

Recently my cousin bought a digital picture frame with WinCE 5.0. As a CE veteran (yep, I've been working with it longer than you may think ) I noticed this by the lil sticker on the back. After I told him, he returned it. Not kidding. He returned his brand new, perfectly working DPF, just because it runs on WinCE.
I asked him why, and he told me he didn't want Microsoft seeing all his pictures (which is rediculous, as the frame didn't even have a network interface.).


As long as you take the cousin being not informed into account it makes perfect sense if one knows how many new survelliance features Windows 10 has introduced. You may know from license agreement that Microsoft may give out any data which they retain from your PC if they find that legally reasonable.

Edited by Alt Bass 2016-05-30 7:54 AM
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HPC:Fan Page Icon Posted 2017-02-10 12:37 PM
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Rich Hawley - 2016-05-20 8:59 AM

WinCE is something I do everytime I try to work with Linux..


True true!

As for (some) peoples dislike for WinCE, I surmise it is due to ignorance. That and the fact that some WinCE handhelds in the later 90's could be a pain in the rear end. Once I find out a device is running a version of Windows CE I instantly love it more.
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mikeschn Page Icon Posted 2017-02-18 12:42 AM
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I don't think Microsoft marketed it correctly.

As soon as people heard the word "Windows" they assumed that all their existing software would run on it. When it didn't, they didn't want any part of it.

Had Microsoft come out with a brand new name, they could have made CE work.

Apple proved it. No one thinks an apple iPhone with ios is going to run a macos program, or what ever it was called then.

Heck, even when Microsoft came out with the Surface Tablet, they had 2 versions. One running windows, and one running windows ce. People bought the windows ce version cause it was affordable. They returned it when they couldn't load their favorite applications on it.

Maybe if instead of calling it Windows CE, if they had called it Zune OS... you get the idea.

So here it is. The Zune OS Pocket PC!!! Don't try to run your favorite PC applications on it!!!



Edited by mikeschn 2017-02-18 12:54 AM
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