Just wait till the day that you have to use fridge service packs. The fun will start rolling in...
Consumer electronics makers are set to come out with devices based on Microsoft"s latest operating system, but first they"ll have to learn how to keep viruses out of your VCR.
Microsoft"s release of a version of Windows XP that can squeeze into all sorts of devices, from slot machines to set-top boxes to cash registers, has a catch: If you"re not careful, you could find that a virus has crashed your video recorder, or a hacker has invaded your refrigerator.
With Windows XP Embedded, the software company is aiming to give makers of so-called "embedded" devices -- basically, any digital device that isn"t a PC -- an easy way of building machines that are compatible with the software of the PC world, while including only as much complexity as is needed. The software is to be used in cash machines from NCR, slot machines from Bally Gaming and Systems, in point-of-sale devices from Olivetti, and in a next-generation video set-top box from Fujitsu-Siemens. It will doubtless find other applications too.