Salt Lake City, UT — (press release) — Century Software Embedded Technologies today announced an enhanced version of it's Microwindows-based applications toolkit and PDA operating environment for the new Compaq iPAQ handheld computer. The commercially supported product provides a fully functional screentop, web browser, terminal emulator, popup keyboard and handwriting recognition as the basis for… development and execution of other customer-designed Linux-based applications for the iPAQ. In addition, the iPAQ's iRDA hardware is fully supported with provided file transfer software, allowing users to transfer files between iPAQs by merely pointing them at each other.

The PDA operating environment is available for evaluation as two freely redistributable binary distributions, one for the iPAQ, and another for the x86 Linux desktop. The desktop distribution provides a complete graphical emulation of the 240×320 iPAQ display, allowing visual execution of most programs without requiring iPAQ hardware. This unique feature allows big productivity gains by allowing developers to write and test most applications code on the desktop. “The ability to completely emulate the iPAQ flatpanel display and all it's running applications within a single window on the desktop has saved our own programmers hundreds of man hours of time during development of this product itself,” said Gregory Haerr, CEO of Century Software.

The PDA applications toolkit and operating environment includes the well-known Microwindows graphical windowing system for embedded Linux, along with the ViewML Embedded Internet Browser, and the new FLNX Fast Light Tool Kit applications framework ported directly to Microwindows. This architecture, along with many enhancements provided by Century Software, allows customers to build custom applications for the iPAQ while taking direct advantage of it's hardware features. Source code to all applications is provided in the commercial version, allowing extreme ease for customer enhancements to provided technology.

A specialized “ScreenTop” window manager, developed by Century Software, handles the look and feel of the operating environment for the PDA. The ScreenTop is customizable with a configuration file that allows various directories to be searched and displayed as icons, as well as specifying custom titles and icons for various applications. In addition, the ScreenTop handles the PDA taskbar and controls the appearance of the applications on the display. This architecture allows applications to be designed that run on the 240×320 iPAQ display, but also run unmodified on larger 640×480 embedded flatpanel displays, for instance.

The ViewML Internet Browser is a small memory footprint, high-quality web browser targeting the needs of the rapidly growing embedded Linux market. Requiring only 800k ROM and 2Mb RAM, ViewML is the first open source, royalty free browser targeted for embedded Linux systems. The Microwindows Project, created in June 1999, is the leading open source graphical windowing environment designed for small embedded systems. Both projects were created by Century Software CEO Gregory Haerr.

Availability

The commercially supported applications toolkit and operating environment with full source code will be available November 22, 2000 for $5000 per developer workstation. The freely available binary distribution, evaluation downloads, and screenshots are available now from embedded.centurysoftware.com. The full environment, including iPAQ runtime demonstrations as well as x86 desktop hosting, will be shown during Comdex next week in Red Hat's booth #P601 at the Sands Convention Center. In addition, Haerr will be giving daily presentations on developing embedded graphical applications on Linux. The ViewML Project's source code, as well as screen shots and frequently asked questions are available now from www.viewml.com. Microwindows is available from www.microwindows.org.

Century Software forms new division

Century Software Embedded Technologies, a newly created division of Century Software, Inc. will develop core applications technologies for the worldwide embedded Linux applications market. These technologies will include: graphical windowing system development and runtime environments; customized Internet browsers and HTML viewers; embedded multimedia technologies, including MP3 audio and MPEG video players and recorders; and PDA runtime and development suites. These core technologies will be designed specifically to allow chip manufacturers, hardware board vendors, and their customers to build embedded applications on x86, PowerPC, StrongARM, MIPS and other microprocessor architectures running on either the Microwindows or X Window System. Based in Salt Lake City, Century Software was founded in 1985 and is privately held. Century Software's CEO, Gregory Haerr, is the founder and chief maintainer of the Microwindows Project and founder of the ViewML Project.

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