back to article Pi-eyed: Microsoft ships slimmed-down Windows 10 IoT Core for gizmos

Microsoft has shipped the public release of Windows 10 IoT Core, the pared-down version of Windows 10 for embedded devices, including the Intel MinnowBoard Max and the Raspberry Pi 2. Unlike ordinary Windows 10, the IoT Core flavor doesn't offer a traditional desktop as such. It's intended for devices that may or may not have …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Awfully decent of you Microsoft, but ...

    I would expect the OS for an embedded device to be slick and unobtrusive. This thing looks anything but.

    Universal Windows Platform? Not impressed from the PC experience. The clincher for me, though, is that the privacy statement implies the same level of unavoidable monitoring and telemetry as the PC previews.

    Those two things alone would make trying this out a pointless exercise. So thanks, but no thanks Microsoft - you're not getting a slice of my Pi.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Awfully decent of you Microsoft, but ...

      Indeed, and in addition to being "slick and unobtrusive" I'd also expect it to be robust, and not suffering from the sort of problems, such as mouse & KB issues (wtf? - mouse & KB is hardly rocket science) mentioned in the article.

      As for: "Developers are also liable to encounter a variety of other glitches, ranging from video crashes to networking issues, but that's pretty much par for the course for an OS that's designed for custom hardware tinkering."

      Sounds more like an excuse for poor design and implementation, rather than an intrinsic reason.

      The only people I can think of who would chose W10 IoT for embedded are those who are phobic about Linux, and that's really their problem.

      1. Warm Braw

        Re: Awfully decent of you Microsoft, but ...

        >mouse & KB is hardly rocket science

        USB is hardly rocket science, but it's been a bugbear of the Pi from day 1. Early releases of Linux for the device had a lot of mouse/keyboard/network/storage/youNameIt problems with USB peripherals as the driver must implement in software functions that would on other platforms be implemented in hardware - this means certain types of USB transaction are very vulnerable to slight delays in interrupt servicing. It took quite a while (and a platform-specific "fast interrupt" mode) for the Linux dwc_otg driver to become reasonably reliable*.

        I'm hardly surprised that Microsoft is experiencing similar problems porting Windows.

        *See here,

  2. hplasm
    Meh

    Look!

    A hippopotamus riding a bicycle!

    How useful...

  3. Extra spicey vindaloo

    I'll take a look.

    I've got an unused raspberry pi 2 sitting in it's box I'll give it a try over the weekend.

    1. TheProf
      Happy

      Re: I'll take a look.

      I almost down-voted you for your shocking lack of invective.

      However you're a 'let's try it first' kind of chap so, up-vote!

      1. Extra spicey vindaloo

        Re: I'll take a look.

        I'm a try it first kind of chap, only on hardware that will be reformatted with something usable when I have a use for my spare pi.

    2. Jim 59

      Re: I'll take a look.

      I've got an unused raspberry pi 2 sitting in it's box I'll give it a try over the weekend.

      I upvoted you for being rich. Buy me a boat.

  4. mi pen

    No thanks. Pi is lower spec. its already well supported Linux wise for building stuff.

    No thanks. Linux already has PI covered and got good community support. No one that uses low spec devices wants Windows Bloatware. Its not an office machine and Arduino IDE and hardware modules already supports Raspberry Pi for Linux.

    1. Named coward

      Re: No thanks. Pi is lower spec. its already well supported Linux wise for building stuff.

      Actually; if it had the typical windows GUI it would be a good, cheap "media device", usable even by non-enthusiasts. As it is, I'm not sure what use case it's supposed to cover.

      1. Richard Plinston

        Re: No thanks. Pi is lower spec. its already well supported Linux wise for building stuff.

        > Actually; if it had the typical windows GUI

        MS don't have a 'typical windows GUI" for ARM. They do have RT or WP 'Metro' touch GUI, but who would want that?

        > it would be a good, cheap "media device",

        It is a $40 device. Add a case, touch screen and the cost of the real price of Windows 10 and their media player then a cheap laptop would be cheaper.

        > usable even by non-enthusiasts.

        There are simple HDMI stick "media devices" that just plug into a TV. Windows not required.

        > As it is, I'm not sure what use case it's supposed to cover.

        The IoT development system _requires_ a full Windows 10 PC. The purpose is to sell Windows 10 and attempt to kill Linux in schools.

        As only an IoT device the Pi2 is overkill, with various Linux systems the Pi2 is all that is needed for developing IoT programs that can later be deployed on cheaper Pi1A or compute modules.

  5. druck Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    Why? Just why?

    When you have lovely Linux.

    1. Will Godfrey Silver badge
      Happy

      Re: Why? Just why?

      Wacky Windows World

      Arrogant Apple Arena

      Lovely Linux Land

      Thought I'd add a little 'bloat' to your comment

  6. moxberg

    Painful gap finally filled

    Who of us had a go with a Pi and hasn't developed a feeling of emptiness over the course, eventually putting that useless gadget aside? I mean, honestly, what good can come from a computer that isn't equipped with a virus scanner, has nothing to offer in the defragmentation camp and, lowest of all lows, doesn't even automatically create a restore point when a mouse is attached?

    Clearly something had to be done and, praise the Lord, Microsoft went in at full throttle.

    1. Hans 1
      Coffee/keyboard

      Re: Painful gap finally filled

      >lowest of all lows, doesn't even automatically create a restore point when a mouse is attached?

      Thanks for the laugh!

      Can anybody confirm this is actually the case in Windows 7/8/10? I doubt it, they are not THAT dumb, are they ?

      1. moxberg

        Re: Painful gap finally filled

        You're welcome!

        Re. the mouse thing: yes it's true. Happened to me the other day at the "kid's gaming computer". They tend to unplug the mouse and use it for their MacBook. I wanted to have a quick look for updates, so I started the machine and went for some other business. Coming back, I wanted to log in, but noticed the mouse wasn't attached. Rather than crawling around on the floor, I quickly plugged it into one of the front USBs.

        Now, you know, Windows installs its drivers for every USB port separately, and the particular one had apparently never seen a mouse. So Windows did what it always does when it installs a driver: create a restore point. This way they made me wait a couple of minutes before I could continue.

        A rare use case, sure, but funny to compare with e.g. attaching a USB printer to Linux for the first time. 30 secs tops and you're asked if you want to print a test page ... Attaching a mouse is instant.

  7. Hans 1

    What is the hd footprint of this monster, considering you will not be able to enjoy solitaire, write, calc, pinball, or clock ? Certainly 100 or 1000 times more than linux with BIND, dhcpd, Samba, PostgreSQL, OpenLDAP, and ... and ..., and ..., and you name it.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Get your MSFT hate on

    Hitler would use Windows 10

  9. Cirdan
    Devil

    Godwin

    I claim my free whale and petunia!

    ...Cirdan...

  10. Dwarf
    Coat

    Zero

    I wonder if it runs on the newest member of the family, the pi zero ?

    Or is that just how many installs they will get ?

    Pi x 0

    1. Richard Plinston

      Re: Zero

      > I wonder if it runs on the newest member of the family, the pi zero ?

      No it doesn't. Win10IoT only runs on ARMv7 which Pi2 has. Pi1 and Pi0 has ARMv6.

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