A Comparative Analysis of VxWorks OS and Windows CE in Embedded Real-Time Applications

Abstract

Real-time operating systems (RTOS) play a pivotal role in critical applications such as aerospace,
industrial automation, and healthcare. Among the widely used platforms, VxWorks and Windows
CE stand out for their versatility and real-time capabilities. This paper provides a comparative
analysis of VxWorks and Windows CE, focusing on their architectures, scheduling mechanisms,
and suitability for real-time applications. The study examines each operating system’s core
features, real-time performance metrics, and application-specific implementations using data from
documented benchmarks and case studies. The analysis reveals that VxWorks excels in hard realtime
environments due to its deterministic scheduling, while Windows CE offers greater flexibility
and integration capabilities for soft real-time tasks. This study provides valuable insights for
developers and engineers in selecting the appropriate RTOS based on application-specific
requirements.