Microsoft on Tuesday gave developers another test drive of its new Windows XP Embedded operating system.
The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant debuted the second beta of the component-based version of the operating system that is used for building connections between client devices such as terminals, retail point-of-sale devices, kiosks and set-top boxes.
The beta version of the operating system was developed in partnership with Bally"s video casino-game organization, Fujitsu-Siemens" set-top box group and Siemens" factory robot group.
Microsoft has been working for years to get its software into the embedded market, competing with technology from numerous smaller companies and more recently with Linux and Sun Microsystems" Java. Embedded computers are systems that are not PCs, such as set-top boxes and point-of-sale devices like cash registers.