The Windows CE Technology Tutorial: Solutions for the Developer Book

In the opening chapter of The Windows CE Technology Tutorial, author Chris Muench writes "Developing applications and systems for Windows CE has a lot in common with the art of creating and taking care of bonsai trees". Like cultivators of bonsai trees, Muench says, Windows CE programmers try to create compact versions of something large and frequently expend extra effort in the process. He then proceeds to reveal the bonsai-like elegance and compactness of Windows CE code, while simultaneously showing you how to pack your handheld applications with loads of functionality. Muench provides a strategy for choosing between embedded Visual C++ and embedded Visual Basic, then proceeds to explain how to use each. His coverage of software development under Windows CE--both for desktop applications and those that lack graphical user interfaces--reflects a great deal of practical experience, and on more than one occasion includes references to undocumented aspects of Windows CE and its development tools. Muench is careful to document potential pitfalls in certain palm-size PC hardware platforms. Throughout this book, he guides the reader through the development of an application called the Pocket-CD-Manager, which includes: ActiveX Controls; database access via ActiveX Data Objects for Windows CE(ADO for CE); ActiveSync; bitmapping tricks; Winsock over IrDA; a help file; an installation script; and an assortment of other features you'll want to include in various production applications. It's an effective teaching strategy that turns a fine tutorial into an excellent one. --David Wall, amazon.comTopics covered: Developing software for palm-size PCs that run Microsoft Windows CE. Development platforms; and integrated development environments (simulators, and languages are all compared). Pretty much the entire Windows CE capability set receives attention, including: Component Object Model (COM) for Windows CE; graphical user interface (GUI) design; connectivity via TCP/IP and IrDA; bitmaps; sounds; and installation routines. There's also a lot of information on the Windows CE hardware specification and Microsoft's Windows CE logo requirements.Read More