(I could not find a forum specific to the Compact Framework so I'm trying
this.  If you have a better place to suggest please let me know.)

We did some test programming a while ago using the Compact Framework for
..NET 1.1 and a Windows CE PDA.  Would now like to use Compact Framework 2.0. 
Is "Windows Mobile" the new and latest name for Windows CE?  Will the Compace
Framework 2.0 SP 1 work on a Windows Mobile 5.0 (I think that's the latest
version) device?  Does a device with Windows Mobile come with the Framework
installed or do we have to load it?

I could find various articles dealing with pieces of this but nothing saying
it all worked together.  Or didin't.

I had the same question a few months ago.

In the same way as OEMs can customize Windows CE, Microsoft themselves
customized Windows CE to produce Windows Mobile, and further customized it
to produce Windows Mobile Smartphone and Windows Mobile Pocket PC.  If you
download the Smartphone SDK and Pocket PC SDK then you can compile
applications using some of the added features.  Of course Microsoft can
still do further customizations beyond these, and OEMs can do further
customizations beyond these, so it can be tough to get a full compilation
environment.

The Compact Framework is built into ROM in Smartphones and Pocket PCs, but I
think OEMs can select it into any Windows CE platform as well.

If you want to use the Compact Framework then you have to program in C# or
VB#.  Microsoft boasts about how VC++ has been made a first-class language
in Visual Studio 2005 and how C++/CLI is so usable, but Microsoft will not
let them work with the Compact Framework.  Microsoft has even already ruled
it a "won't fix" for the next version of Visual Studio.  They might think
about it for versions after next, but maybe not if people named Norman D
keep asking for it.


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Hi,

1. No, Windows Mobile is NOT the latest name for Windows CE. Windows Mobile
is consist of Pocket PC and Smartphone. They are developed based on Windows
CE. CE is the operating system used for embedded devices.

2. Yes, the Compact Framework 2.0 SP 1 will work on a Windows Mobile 5.0
device.

3. Since it's an operating system which can be customized, whether the
Compact Framework 2.0 has been included in the ROM depends on if OEM has
build it into the OS.

For compact framework issues, you will find more information in the
microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.compactframework newsgroup.

Kevin Yu
Microsoft Online Community Support

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Thank you, both, for your very helpful responses. 

It sounds confusing, that someone buying a phone, PDA, etc. would have a
touogh time telling what's in it from the name.  And the salespeople are
useless; imagine asking "Does this contain the Compact Framework version 2?"

Show quoteHide quote

You're welcome. Next time you have technical questions, please feel free to
post them in the community.

Kevin Yu
Microsoft Online Community Support
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(This posting is provided "AS IS", with no warranties, and confers no
rights.)

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