Motorola's Metrowerks software tools unit launched a “professional” integrated development environment (IDE) and tool suite for developing Linux-based application software targeting the latest Sharp Zaurus PDAs, including the SL-5600.

The tool suite, known as the “CodeWarrior Development Studio for Sharp Zaurus Application Development, Version 1,” is a cross-development environment. Developers write the apps using a standard desktop PC running Windows, and the tool suite deploys them on the XScale-based Zaurus PDA running Linux. The IDE is said to allow developers to create, compile, link, debug, and deploy the apps onto the Zaurus — all without exiting the CodeWarrior environment, Metrowerks said.

Example Codewarrior windows (shown clockwise):
Debugger, Qt Designer, Processes, Breakpoints

The Sharp Zaurus PDAs run a version of Linux which is derived from Metrowerks' OpenPDA embedded Linux platform.

Using the new IDE, applications can be developed in three basic ways: in Qt, a multi-platform C++ application framework; in Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME); or by means of various other standard programming languages.

According to Metrowerks, the tool suite includes a GNU compiler, linker, and assembler utilities within the Trolltech Qt Designer, the CodeWarrior Debugger for ARM architectures, and the Cygwin environment, which is compatible with the Linux OS and is hosted on the Windows OS. Other key features include a GUI user-interface designer, one-click navigation to browse code quickly, easy import and export of existing makefiles and .elf files, and command line adapters for the Linux GCC compiler to speed development time.

The CodeWarrior Development Studio for Sharp Zaurus Application Development is priced at $799, and is available from both Metrowerks and Sharp.

Support for Sharp's new SL-C7xx Series Linux PDAs is currently being finalized in Japan, a Metrowerks spokesperson said.

 
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