CHICAGO, IL. — (company press release) — I-Logix, Inc., a provider of enterprise solutions for embedded applications development, today unveiled its plans to launch a strategic initiative designed to drive the advancement of the Linux market and support the growing demand for Linux-based embedded applications.

As part of this initiative, I-Logix will partner its market leading Rhapsody application development platform with a variety of offerings from “best-in-class” Linux RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) software and tools providers, as well as with providers of non-embedded Linux operating systems, to capture this expanding new market. The company will also offer Rhapsody on a host system running Linux. This will result in a number of near-term options for existing and potential developer-customers who want to take advantage of the highly scalable, cost-effective and rapidly evolving Linux open source environment.

In a related announcement, I-Logix today also announced the formation of a strategic partnership with MontaVista Software, a leading supplier of Linux-based software development tools and services for the embedded computing market and developer of the Hard Hat Linux embedded operating system. (See related announcement “I-Logix and MontaVista Software Launch Strategic Partnership to Provide First Application Development Platform that Supports an Embedded Linux OS”) The first output of I-Logix' strategic commitment to the Linux movement, this partnership calls for a variety of cross-company development, sales and marketing activities.

Industry-watchers worldwide have identified embedded Linux as a significant growth area. According to a February 2000 report from leading research firm, Booz Allen & Hamilton entitled “Linux: Fad or Future?” the market opportunity for Linux in embedded systems is large. “In these segments, Linux offers low cost, stability, connectivity, easy to modify code and improved security and support features. In addition, by adopting Linux, embedded system developers gain access to the large and growing Linux developer base.” They also project that the total Linux server market will exceed $5 billion by 2003.

Paul Zorfass, senior analyst with IDC/FTI adds, “The Linux movement has taken the traditional computing marketplace by storm and is now moving rapidly to establish a presence in the embedded market for selective deployments. Linux offers a very compelling model for embedded applications to allow developers to produce highly connected and reliable devices at lower costs without the run-time royalties associated with traditional RTOS' or any other embedded OS. The scarcity of tools for this market means that application development platforms like I-Logix' Rhapsody have the potential to accelerate product development by allowing developers to build in greater complexity, in significantly less time, than previously possible.”

“Our move into the Linux arena is a logical addition to our existing business focus,” said Gene Robinson, president and CEO of I-Logix. “The market opportunity created as Linux extends beyond traditional desktop applications into the embedded world is truly expansive. That, combined with the power of Rhapsody to accommodate and support a new universe of Linux customers, makes this initiative a natural next step for us. Our recently forged partnership with MontaVista is a perfect example of just how well we-as the leader in embedded applications development-can work with the industry's best Linux partners to provide developers with the most complete solutions available.”

Rhapsody is the first application development platform to provide software engineers with the framework and flexibility to generate production quality code quickly in a more logical and planned manner, specifically for embedded Linux. This platform reduces the application development cycle time by at least 30 percent, increases design reuse and improves collaboration among team members through greater communication — resulting in higher quality products.

“From our perspective, I-Logix' entrance into the Linux world is quite complementary to our own vision as a leading player in the Linux development space,” adds Jim Ready, MontaVista Software's founder and CEO. “And because Linux is open source, there are more developers contributing to the advancement of product than all other operating systems combined. For companies like I-Logix, this will represent a sizable market opportunity.”

About I-Logix, Inc.

Founded in 1987, I-Logix is a venture-backed software company that provides enterprise solutions for real-time embedded applications development. I-Logix' solutions significantly compress software development cycles while improving product quality. These products allow engineers to graphically model the behavior and functionality of their embedded systems, analyze and validate the system and automatically generate production quality code in a variety of languages. I-Logix uniquely integrates and associates the entire design flow from concept to code across an enterprise using both conventional and collaborative Web-enabled technology.

I-Logix is a member of The Object Management Group (OMG) and a founder of the Unified Modeling Language (UML). The company is headquartered in Andover, Mass., and has sales offices and distributors throughout the USA, Europe and the Far East.

 
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