When Microsoft first announced that it would be releasing Windows 10 for the Raspberry Pi, it came with a wave of excitement that was quickly crushed by the discovery that the operating system would be a significantly pared-down edition dubbed IoT Core and focusing on embedded usage. Since then, Microsoft has been working hard to convince developers that Windows 10 IoT Core is a serious competitor to using GNU/Linux on the Raspberry Pi in a variety of embedded projects, and with its latest release the company has stumbled onto something promising by building on the great support Windows has for the latest third-party hardware.' explained Microsoft's director of programme management for Windows IOT Core, Billy Anders, in the announcement . 'The initial release of the example code, which is available to download and run on a Raspberry Pi 2 or Pi 3 now, includes support for '' 3D printers, including models from Ultimaker, Prusa, Printrbot, Makergear, and Lulzbot. Microsoft's goal with the release is clear, and nothing Anders is trying to hide: '' he explains.