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Was Windows CE really all that embarrassing?

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Posted 2 years ago | News | Chris Tilley 7 comments

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Did you WinCE the first time you heard Windows CE spoken aloud?

Microsoft aficionado, developer and tech enthusiast Raymond Chen did.

Chen, creator of the 'The Old New Thing' website and blog on Microsoft.com and author of the book 'Old New Thing, The: Practical Development Throughout the Evolution of Windows' has been letting slip stories from the annals of the development history of a plethora of Microsoft products and technologies.

In a recent blog post, Chen, a regular on MSDN Channel 9’s One Dev Minute recounts the circumstances (come happenstance) that led up to the naming of Windows CE.

View: Embarrassing product names created: Windows CE

Did you even consider the connotation of the name before reading it? Let us know down in the comments!
Posted on 13 January 2022 at 22:36By Chris Tilley (C:Amie)
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Comments on this article

C:Amie's Avatar C:Amie 13 January 2022 10:42:11 PM
It was certainly something that crossed my mind in the early days of seeing WinCE written down, however never really thought it was especially negative... Microsoft releasing an unfinished beta to market that wasn't ready or fit for purpose was negative enough an experience on its own.

Of course I'm talking about Windows 11, Windows 8, Windows Millennium, Windows CE 1.0 here... :P
cepsbow's Avatar cepsbow 17 January 2022 1:31:24 PM
I think there is a certain amount of "WinDoze" in all Microsoft "Prawducts".
archival36's Avatar archival36 17 January 2022 5:36:43 PM
You guys are hilarious.. and to think my Casio A-11 is a 1.0 WinCE :P
Karpour's Avatar Karpour 17 January 2022 7:00:00 PM
There's a typo in the title!
C:Amie's Avatar C:Amie 18 January 2022 11:09:23 AM
So there is :P
RJ99's Avatar RJ99 14 February 2022 5:52:48 PM
Definitely wasn't an issue for me - any dissonance wiped out by the delight and amazement at having useable Excel and Word functionality on a portable device with useable 'two handed typing' keyboard. Began with the NEC 750 - my delight compounded by NEC bundling in a small mouse at no extra charge; then the 790 and finally the 900c with CMONEX's superb updated OS. (Whatever happened to Monica/CMONEX? If still in touch, do pass on my appreciation for all the work she put in). By the way I still use the 900 - as my digital clock/alarm clock, albeit plugged into the mains - the battery having long since 'passed away'!
I dunk for bananas's Avatar I dunk for bananas 28 February 2022 11:45:44 PM
It wasn't embarrassing at all really, its earlier releases might have have been a little unpolished, but its later releases weren't really intended for consumer use anyway, but embedded use, so it makes sense that people would only really get into visible contact with the OS when something went wrong -- which probably contributed to its reputation later.
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