Under the program, called the Windows CE Shared Source Premium Licensing Program, or CEP, device makers have access to virtually all of the operating system’s source code and can modify it for ...

Windows CE employs identical programming tools, including C++ and Visual Basic. Windows CE applications implement the same Win32 APIs found on the other Windows platforms.

The program is another attempt by Microsoft to make one of its operating systems more competitive with open-source software such as Linux. Changes to the software core, or kernel, of Linux are ...

Microsoft's response is its shared-source program, which gives developers, governments and educational institutions access to Windows XP and Windows CE source code.