Microsoft Corp. has announced that early next year it will ship a "professional" version of its Windows-based Terminal line of thin-client software.
The professional version, which will be based on Windows NT 4.0 Embedded, is a leaner version of the company's network operating system and runs on only 12M bytes of memory. Windows-based terminals are intended for single-task workers and niche applications such as retail cash registers. Current versions of the terminals run on Windows CE, which has more limited functionality than Windows NT. The NT-based terminals will run streaming media and a full version of Internet Explorer 5.0, the company said.
Windows NT Embedded isn't widely used by companies but has established a beachhead in corporate IT. A survey earlier this month by Computerworld found that of 103 IT managers, 12% reported using NT Embedded somewhere in their organizations.
At the Embedded Systems Conference West in San Jose, Calif., this week, Microsoft is touting 20 commercial systems based on NT 4.0 Embedded, released earlier this summer.
Compaq, meanwhile, announced that it will begin shipping a new line of Windows-based terminals beginning next month.
For more enterprise computing news, visit Computerworld online. Story copyright © 1999 All rights reserved.
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