Embedded Glossary

White-box testing examines software with full knowledge of its internal structure. Unlike Black-box testing, test design uses source code, program structure and implementation details. It enables targeted execution of paths, branches and conditions, while measuring code coverage. For hardware-oriented Firmware, it reliably reveals internal logic faults.

Windows CE was a compact, modular Operating System from Microsoft for resource-constrained devices with fixed timing requirements. As an early foundation of Windows Embedded, it supported operator terminals, handhelds and industrial controllers. Microsoft has ended support; legacy devices receive no security updates. Embedded Linux offers a maintainable migration path for such systems.

Windows Embedded refers to specially tailored versions of the Microsoft operating system for embedded devices such as operator terminals, point-of-sale systems, or industrial control systems. Unlike the classic desktop version, it can be reduced modularly to the required components and thus adapted to limited memory and defined functions. Historically, the series ranges from Windows CE via Windows Embedded Compact to variants based on Windows for stationary devices. Compared with a leanly built Embedded Linux, it offers a closed ecosystem with versions maintained over the long term.