PREFACE

This book, in concept and design, grew out of the book Win32 System Services, written by Marshall Brain (1995, Prentice Hall PTR). There are many similarities between Win32 programming on Windows NT/98/2000 and Windows CE programming, such as file I/O, processes, and threads. There are many differences, too—Windows CE uses a smaller API (Application Programming Interface) and has fewer security functions and no services. Also, each type of programming emphasizes different issues. Windows CE devices, such as Pocket PC, need to communicate using a wide variety of techniques. These devices also must store data locally so that users can manipulate data when not connected to enterprise networks. This data (or more specifically, changes to this data) then has to be communicated back to the databases located on enterprise servers. The importance of this process is rejected in this book's content, and draws on my experiences in writing enterprise solutions using Windows CE.

Like Brain's original book, this book, for three main reasons, does not cover user interface programming. First, Windows CE user interface programming is very similar to Win32, albeit with some differences in the shell and the form factor (the size of the screen). Second, many embedded devices using Windows CE do not have a display, making user interface development irrelevant to a significant number of programmers. Third, in more and more cases Pocket Internet Explorer is used to present the user interface, with some amount of Windows CE code to allow disconnected access to data.

I hope this book helps you to overcome the challenges in writing applications for mobile, wireless, and embedded devices using Windows CE, and to gain from the tremendous opportunities in this area.