Sysgo has achieved a major new release of its ELinOS embedded Linux development tool suite. ELinOS v3.0 provides a single, seamless, Linux-hosted, Eclipse-based development tool that can be used to develop low-level, hardware-related embedded Linux system software, as well as higher level Linux application software, according to Sysgo.

Sysgo is not the first embedded Linux tools provider to market tools for the entire software development cycle. Metrowerks announced a version of its tools last month that supports the entire Linux development cycle — including hardwre debugging. In November 2003, TimeSys launched an Eclipse-based tool suite that it marketed as the first to support the entire embedded Linux development cycle.

New in the latest Sysgo release is Codeo, an Eclipse-based IDE (integrated development environment) that provides plugins for project management and target communication. Codeo “substantially improves the ease of development of applications with ELinOS,” according to Sysgo. Also new is Cognito, a graphical system browser for run-time performance analysis. Cognito permits the collection, recording, and display of all system information, the company says.

Additional new features in ELinOS 3.0 include the latest GNU toolchains (gcc 3.2.3, glibc2.3.2, gdb 6.0), a stable 2.4.25 Linux kernel (a 2.6-series kernel is available for x86), and integrated Java and RTAI 3.0 real-time extensions. Additionally, ELinOS v3.0 supports Carrier Grade Extensions that include IPv6, IPSec, and SNMP, and can be used to develop Linux systems for the telecommunications market, according to Sysgo.

Returning in ELinOS is the ELK graphical configuration tool, with ready-made boot loaders and cross development environments for “all current CPUs.” ELinOS also includes preconfigured versions of a number of common Linux packages, such as Kaffe and GTK+.

“ELinOS v3.0 represents a quantum transition for the development of embedded Linux,” according to CEO Knut Degen. “In addition to the well-known 'internal' strengths of Linux, today we bring a completely integrated application suite for professional software development. Based on this platform we will provide further developments later this year that will also make Linux interesting for use in safety-critical, certifiable applications.”

ELinOS v3.0 will be available on May 24th, 2004, with support options that include on-site and telephone support. An English version of ELinOS has been available since August, 2001.

Sysgo has four offices in Germany, and a subsidiary in Stockholm, Sweden. It has grown from three employees in 1991 to “more than 50” today. In addition to Linux tools and services, Sysgo distributes LynxOS, a proprietary RTOS from LynuxWorks.

Sysgo claims ELinOS is the “best selling” embedded Linux development environment in Europe. In LinuxDevices.com's most recent annual Market Survey, ELinOS ranked fifth among embedded-specific Linux distributions, just behind the free German embedded Linux toolkit from Denx.

The previous ELinOS release, v2.2, was selected as the top embedded Linux development system for 2003 by readers of the German magazine Elektronik in an annual reader survey.

More details about ELinOS v3.0 are available in a PDF datasheet from Sysgo.

 
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