Microsoft just released a version of the Windows XP operating system designed for devicesWindows XP Embedded. Its a component-based operating system for set-top devices, automatic teller machines, slot machines, point of sale systems, and whatever other devices we can dream up. Should you care? What possible use will an embedded operating system have in the insurance industry, much less one from Microsoft? Read on.

Lets step into the Wayback Machine. The IBM PC was announced in 1981, running DOS. Microsoft released Windows 1.0 in November 1985. Since that time, weve been caught in a steady progression of enhanced Microsoft operating systems that we have more or less been forced to use.

What options are there? Apple had a chance to become a significant player in the business desktop field, but it blew that opportunity when it got greedy with licensing its operating systems. IBMs OS/2 looked like it might pose a real challenge to Microsoft, but Big Blue quit when it was ahead. The last major OS/2 version that had a chance to threaten Windows, OS/2 Warp, was an advanced (in its day) 32-bit operating system with true pre-emptive multitasking. Ironically, OS/2 Warp included a 16-bit Windows virtual machine for compatibility with existing standard business applications (Microsoft Office was already the standard).