Stephanie Miles writes, at CNET News.com . . .

“Microsoft is considering giving away parts or all of the source code to Windows CE, sources said today, in a bid to spur hardware manufacturers to use the floundering software.”

“Windows CE is a scaled-down operating system used in devices ranging from handheld computers to Internet appliances and smart cash registers. What Microsoft is considering, sources said, is removing the licensing fees hardware and software makers pay the company to use the operating system in products such as bar-code scanners and 'smart' gas pumps, for example.”

” . . . Since its launch two years ago, Windows CE has been dogged by customer complaints that it is buggy, bloated and ill-suited for the small and inexpensive devices and appliances it was intended to power . . .”

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