How to download Platform Builder for Windows CE 5.0? [closed]

Question

I'm developing an application on a device that has Windows CE 5.0. I need to change the OS, e.g. language installation & ... , and it seems that i need an IDE named Microsoft Platform Builder. But how can i get it? is there any free release for download? i googled the web, but got nothing!

Answer 1

There is an evaluation version of Platform Builder that is downloadable. I think it's a 30-day, though it may be more. If you have MSDN, the full version is also part of that. Otherwise you have to buy it from one of the distributors that sell it.

You'll also need a BSP (board support package) for your specific device. That comes from the device OEM, and without it you can't really do anything at all, so make sure you have access to that. If you don't have a BSP, installing Platform Builder is purely a waste of time (well unless you're after the shared source, which I recommend for any app dev).

Note: Microsoft moves things around a lot, plus Windows CE is effectively dead, so the links above may well go stale or just be completely lost to the ether. It's also getting harder to find a distributor for licenses.