OS / Device Compatibility with Visual Studio 2003 / 2005 / 2008

We have developed applications for Symbol scanners in the past in VS2003, and updated the program to use VS2008. Our customer has (without consulting us) bought a variety of different mobile scanners - Intermec, Symbol, with Windows CE 4.2, 5.0 and 6.0. They would like us to make the application compatible with all the different vendors and all the Windows CE versions (and preferably making it compatible with Windows Mobile). After some initial research, and a gut feeling, I have concluded that this will not be a simple change to the code.

So, my questions are as follows:

1.) What versions of Windows CE are compatible with VS2008? If they are not compatible - what is the latest version of Visual Studio that they can be developed on. In that same vein - what versions of the Compact Framework are compatible with the various versions of Windows CE?

2.) Is the typical application difficult to make it compatible between different versions of Windows CE, assuming it is with the same vendor? Will it be close to being compatible with a different vendor's mobile device? (i.e. Windows CE 5.0 with Symbol being compatible (or close to it) with Windows CE 5.0 with Intermec).

Thank you for your help!

-Laura

Hi,
are you asking about Windows CE - or Windows Mobile, they are different.
Windows Mobile is built on top of Windows CE - I run Windows Mobile 6.1 which is built on Windows CE 5.2, but you can get Symbol systems that will run on Windows CE or Windows Mobile.

If you are talking about Windows Mobile (pocket pc) then you should have few problems running your app on different manufacturers boxes, although the the scanning would probably be different for them all. Additionally, some call the Storage Card different names.

If you are talking about an app that will run on Windows CE AND Windows Mobile - you COULD do it, but with more difficulty

Does this help, or just confuse you more?

Thanks for writing back. I'm actually referring to both Windows CE and Windows Mobile - but I could consider them separate issues.

We currently have a Symbol scanner with Windows CE - which we have made a customized kiosk version of the OS platform. We likely will stick with Windows CE - so for this section of my post - assume that I'm only referring to Windows CE versions.

To clarify:

1.) Are there many problems compatibility wise between Symbol scanners that run different versions of Windows CE? (i.e. Symbol Windows CE 4.2 vs Symbol Windows 5.0 or 6.0). I am aware that Windows CE 4.2 has a different storage card than Windows CE 5.0. I'm assuming that we can set a variable for the storage card name based on the version of Windows CE on each respective device.

2.) Are there many problems compatibility wise between scanners running Windows CE with different manufacturers (i.e. Symbol Windows CE 6.0 vs Intermec Windows CE 6.0)

3.) Will there be issues with different versions of Windows CE with the .NET Compact Framework version? Are certain versions of Windows CE required to use a specific Compact Framework version (i.e. 2.0 vs 3.5)?

It'd be nice to have both Windows CE and Windows Mobile work with the same application - but if it's difficult to do that - having compatibility between different models that all have Windows CE would be a great start.

Thanks for your help!

Hi,
sorry - outside my scope of experience - I am more Windows Mobile but here goes.

You have more chance of compatibility on WM than on CE I think.

1) Symbol should use the the same library - so you SHOULD Be OK
2) You would have to write your own intermediate library for ease.
3) 3.5 should be backwards compatible - should

HTH