Microsoft has set Nov. 28 as the release date for Windows XP Embedded, the next version of the company"s software designed for devices such as slot machines, cash registers and set-top boxes.
The company will release the product at its Windows Embedded Developers Conference in Las Vegas, said Kelly Meagher, a product manager for Microsoft"s Embedded Platform Group.
The software is one of a host of "embedded" operating systems for use in special-purpose devices, with three for sale now and another three in development. But Microsoft says there"s a plan to this profusion.
"We do have some areas of overlap, but we"d rather have overlap than gaping holes," Meagher said.
Microsoft"s rival Linux is used in all these areas, though backers such as Red Hat haven"t won over many mainstream companies. In the embedded market, companies such as Wind River are the better-established competitors.