Why are there no Q discussions anywhere?

[Rishicash]

My understanding is that Q was to launch in December but I see no mention of it anywhere on the Ceton site or here. Did I miss something?

[holidayboy]

Yep, I'm afraid so:

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=d8d ... c543e133b0

[adam1991]

Desmond Llewelyn died 13 years ago, that's why.

[Rishicash]

Thanks holidayboy. We will see Ceton Q eventually. It is a great product from a great company.

[JohnW248]

Thanks holidayboy. We will see Ceton Q eventually. It is a great product from a great company.

I think alot depends on MS and what they plan to do with Win8 embedded and with MC since you really need a commitment from MS before you want to bring a product to market. Since MS fired Steve I don't know what the plans are now for any of the Win8 embedded timelines.

[richard1980]

Microsoft made a 15 year commitment when they release WES7. Who cares what they do with W8?

[Rishicash]

According to Paul Thurott, MS will not be developing WMC any further and will rely on third parties like Ceton to do that and as we see with Q, a lot can be done and is why I care.

[richard1980]

1. Paul Thurott doesn't work for Microsoft, so he doesn't know what Microsoft will or won't do.
2. It doesn't matter what Microsoft does with Windows 8 or any future releases of Windows. They made a 15 year commitment to support WES7 when they released it. OEMs are allowed to install and distribute WES7 until July 27, 2025.

[Rishicash]

1. I know that, but he is very knowledgeable and is very often correct in his observances and conclusions.
2. There is a difference between "support" and "development". http://winsupersite.com/blog/supersite- ... s-8-142987

[foxwood]

I think you're missing the point. The arguement is being made that the Q could go ahead based on Windows 7 Embedded, because it's a product that will be supported by Microsoft for at least the foreseeable future of the Q (I think most people consider it unlikely that cable cards will be playing much of a role in 2025). "development" is irrelevant in that scenario - the product has already been developed.

Of course, it's probably safe to assume that the decision makers at Ceton are aware of that argument, and were not swayed by it. If Microsoft released Windows 8 Embedded with Media Center support 6 weeks after Ceton released a Windows 7 based Q, that could have been a big problem (especially if Windows 8 had been a big hit). Given the uncertainty over the future of Media Center support in Windows 8 Embedded, it makes sense to delay the Q (again).

[Rishicash]

Perhaps I'm not understanding the terminology correctly. Isn't W8Pro embedded with WMC or is that an "add on"?

[foxwood]

Isn't W8Pro embedded with WMC or is that an "add on"?

WMC isn't included in Windows 8Pro, so I wouldn't assume that it would be included in Windows 8 Pro Embedded. I haven't seen any confirmation that WMC will or will not be available for 8 Embedded (though I haven't spent much time looking).

Having said that, the major difference between Win8 "Home" and Win8 Pro are support for joining Domains, Group Policy and Encrypted File System. If the market for Win8 Pro embedded devices is going to be lightweight terminals for use in offices with virtualized applications served from central servers, then I can see that there won't be much demand for WMC in that market. I've see it suggested that in-car entertainment systems might need the Media pack add-ins, but I'm not really convinced.