TASKING M16C Tool Suite Optimizes Compiler to Reduce Code Size

Graphical Browsing in Enhanced EDE and MISRA C Error-Checking Reduce Errors, Easing Support

Dedham, MA, February 1, 2001 — TASKING, The Embedded Communications Company, delivers advanced compilation and error-checking capabilities with the latest release of the M16C Tool Suite V2.0, regarded as one of the leading software development solutions by developers using the 16-bit M16C microcontroller architecture from Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. This integrated tool suite, complete with upgraded EDE, optimized ANSI C and MISRA C compiler, CrossView Pro debugger and ROM monitor, eases development by delivering a rapid edit-compile-debug cycle with superior project management resources and graphical capabilities with multiview windows and easy tracking of source code. Compiler optimizations streamline code and instruction sequences as well as maximizing memory resources to deliver superior code execution speed and reduced application and data footprint. These improvements, along with the MISRA C enhancements, enable developers to create highly functional embedded applications more efficiently and error free.

With the tight time-to-market cycle of the computer, communications, and Internet-enabled sectors targeted by Mitsubishi Electric's M16C microcontroller, the M16C Tool Suite offers many ease-of-use features to speed the development process. Using project spaces, TASKING groups multiple projects in one view to provide improved project management capabilities better able to handle increasingly large and complex applications. Through advanced graphical browsing, developers can immediately overview the application's cross references as well as easily navigate through application variables and functions. Advanced coding assistance displays function parameters as you type, and code templates easily insert frequently occurring lines of code, greatly improving developer efficiency. With these enhancements integrated throughout the entire embedded development environment, TASKING extends the M16C Tool Suite's superior solution, easing the development process and promoting faster time-to-market.

"With the growing demand for communications and Internet connectivity in consumer, industrial, and automotive applications, TASKING, with its focus on embedded communications, brings an important ease-of-use perspective to the high-performance, integrated features of Mitsubishi Electric's M16C family," said Richard Sessions, Director of Embedded Systems for Mitsubishi Electric & Electronics USA, Inc. "TASKING has optimized its tool suite to exploit the strengths of the M16C's architecture and reduce development time for our customers."

"Mitsubishi Electric has packed high-level functionality into the M16C without compromising its power consumption or programming efficiency," points out Brian Mulcahey, TASKING's Vice President of Worldwide Corporate Marketing. "TASKING complements the strengths that Mitsubishi Electric brings to the table, offering ease-of-use functionality, error-checking capabilities and superior memory resources that enable customers to deliver complex applications on time and within budget. I am confident that continued cooperation between Mitsubishi Electric and TASKING will expand the M16C's hold on the market."

With innovations like MISRA C, TASKING helps developers quickly locate and resolve programming errors. Using a set of configurable C language error-checks, developers can enforce a more stringent level of coding through a system of strict error checking that helps prevent the use of error-prone C-constructs. With improved error-identification features in the CrossView Pro debugger, TASKING gives developers the tools they need to develop robust, error-free code. Through these improvements, TASKING enables companies to reduce the amount of time they spend in product testing and eliminate considerable after-sales support.

Availability:

The TASKING M16C Tool Suite, V2.0, is available now on MS-Windows, Sun/Solaris, HP/UX and PC/Linux. M16C customers with an active maintenance contract may upgrade to this release free of charge. A demo version of the Tool Suite is available from www.tasking.com/M16C or on CD-ROM from any of the TASKING offices or distributors. Release notes and manual files can be downloaded from the technical support area at www.tasking.com/support/M16C.

About TASKING

TASKING, The Embedded Communications Company, brings together the software technology needed to compete in the embedded communications era. TASKING's award-winning integrated development environment, compiler, debugger, embedded Internet and RTOS offerings support a wide range of DSPs and 8-, 16- and 32-bit microprocessors and microcontrollers for all areas of embedded communications. TASKING, founded in 1974, is a privately held company with headquarters in Dedham, Massachusetts, and engineering, sales and support offices in California, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and the UK. TASKING's 100,000 licensed users include the world's leading telecom, datacom, wireless and peripheral manufacturers. More information about TASKING can be found at www.tasking.com and www.embeddedcommunications.com.

TASKING, the TASKING logo, and The Embedded Communications Company are trademarks of TASKING. All other trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.