R – Hardware to begin .NET compact framework development

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I am interested in starting some development with the .NET compact framework.

What hardware devices would you recommend for all around testing?

I would like to get two devices, one that has a lot of features and another that is representative of the average device.

Best Answer

We can't really give you a definitive answer here. The Compact Framework runs on a whole lot of hardware. As a prime example, I work on CF apps on a nearly daily basis, and I rarely use a Windows Mobile device. In fact I just installed the WinMo 6.x SDK on my laptop, and I've been using it for development for probably 3 years. There simply is no "average" device.

The question you have to ask yourself is "what is a representative example of the type of device I plan on targeting?"

If you're going to target PDAs/phones, then I'd probably get a WinMo 5.0 phone for general usage since there is a large install base and 5.0 apps will run under 6.x.

If you plan on targeting embedded devices a good general-purpose CEPC like an eBox 3300 is nice because it comes already booting to Windows CE.

If you plan on using I/O, then you really need to look at a device that is much closer to the actual hardware you would target. In fact, you'd probably want it to be built on your target BSP, since I/O is very processor, and often OEM dependent.

Related Solutions

.net – Difference between decimal, float and double in .NET

float and double are floating binary point types. In other words, they represent a number like this:

10001.10010110011

The binary number and the location of the binary point are both encoded within the value.

decimal is a floating decimal point type. In other words, they represent a number like this:

12345.65789

Again, the number and the location of the decimal point are both encoded within the value – that's what makes decimal still a floating point type instead of a fixed point type.

The important thing to note is that humans are used to representing non-integers in a decimal form, and expect exact results in decimal representations; not all decimal numbers are exactly representable in binary floating point – 0.1, for example – so if you use a binary floating point value you'll actually get an approximation to 0.1. You'll still get approximations when using a floating decimal point as well – the result of dividing 1 by 3 can't be exactly represented, for example.

As for what to use when:

For values which are "naturally exact decimals" it's good to use decimal. This is usually suitable for any concepts invented by humans: financial values are the most obvious example, but there are others too. Consider the score given to divers or ice skaters, for example.
For values which are more artefacts of nature which can't really be measured exactly anyway, float/double are more appropriate. For example, scientific data would usually be represented in this form. Here, the original values won't be "decimally accurate" to start with, so it's not important for the expected results to maintain the "decimal accuracy". Floating binary point types are much faster to work with than decimals.

.net – Hardware for .NET Micro Framework

Please check following overviews:

Microsoft .NET Micro Framework Tools & Resources
Production Modules Comparison Table

I personally like the Thaoe-II and ChipworX most, for old .NET MF version I was really happy with the Digi ConnectME.

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Related Solutions

.net – Difference between decimal, float and double in .NET

.net – Hardware for .NET Micro Framework

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