E

ECB: See Electronic Codebook.
eccentricity: A value that specifies how much the shape of the elliptical orbit of a satellite deviates from a circular path. Eccentricity equals the distance between the foci of the orbital ellipse divided by one-half the length of the major axis of the orbital ellipse. The eccentricity must be between 0 and 1. Values closer to 0 indicate that the orbit is closer to a circular path. See also focus and major axis.
edit control: A rectangular window in which a user can enter and edit text from the keyboard. An edit control is also referred to as a text box.
EEPROM: See Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM): A nonvolatile storage device that uses a technique similar to the floating gates in EPROMs but with the capability to discharge the floating gate electrically. Usually bytes or words can be erased and reprogrammed individually during system operation.
Electronic Codebook (ECB): A cipher mode in which each plain text block is encrypted individually. ECB uses no feedback. This means that blocks of plaintext that are identical, either in the same message or in a different message encrypted with the same key, are transformed into identical cipher blocks. Initialization vectors cannot be used with the ECB cipher mode. If a single bit of the cipher block is garbled, then the entire corresponding plain text block is also garbled.
embedded: Software code or commands built into their carriers. For example, applications insert embedded printing commands into a document to control printing and formatting. Low-level assembly is embedded in higher-level languages, such as C, to provide more capabilities or better efficiency.
encryption: The process of transforming data into a form unreadable by anyone without a secret key.
encryption, 128-bit: A high level of encryption. Uses a 128-bit key to scramble the contents of a file or data packet to make the data unreadable without the decryption key.
encryption, 40-bit: A medium level of encryption. Uses a 40-bit key to scramble the contents of a file or data packet to make the data unreadable without the decryption key.
end-of-interrupt (EOI) signal: A message sent by the hardware interrupt manager indicating that the current interrupt has finished. Functions that process EOIs generally perform any hardware actions needed to facilitate the next interrupt.
engine: 1. A section of an application that determines how that application manages and manipulates a type of data. 2. An application or module with an open API to which an application passes data in order to access the engine's processing capabilities.
environment variable: An element of the operating system environment, such as a path, a directory name, or a configuration string. Environment variables are typically set within batch files.
Epsilon: A text editor by Lugaru.
Ethernet: A widely used LAN developed by Xerox, Digital, and Intel. Ethernet networks connect up to 1,024 nodes at 10 megabits per second over twisted pair, coaxial cable, and optical fiber.
Ethernet debugging: A method of connecting a development workstation to a target device using a standard Ethernet network for the purpose of debugging the target device.
event: An event is an occurrence that triggers a notification. Windows CE supports timer and system events.
event-driven operating system: An operating system that constantly evaluates and responds to sets of events, such as keystrokes or mouse movements.
event object: A synchronization object that enables one thread to notify another that an event has occurred. Event objects are useful when a thread needs to know when to perform its task. For example, a thread that copies data to an archive needs to be notified when new data is available. By using an event object to notify the copying thread of the availability of new data, the thread can perform its task as soon as possible.
exception handling: The process of dealing with exceptions, or errors, as they arise during application execution. Exceptions occur when an application executes abnormally due to conditions outside the application's control. Windows CE does not support C++ exception handling.
execute in place (XIP): The process of executing code directly from read-only memory (ROM), rather than loading it from random access memory (RAM) first. Executing the code in place, instead of copying the code into RAM for execution, saves system resources. Applications in other file systems, such as on a PC Card storage device, cannot be executed in this way.
Exit button: A hardware navigation control that functions as the ESC key on a keyboard.
Expand button: Enlarges a window in docked mode to fill all of the space available within a larger window or on the screen. See Contract button.
Export SDK tool: Exports a custom software development kit (SDK). Application developers can import an SDK into a Windows CE toolkit and write applications for a custom platform.
extension key: An entry in the registry, corresponding to the extension of a given file, that specifies which file filter will handle conversions for that file type.