Date: Sun, 26 Sep 1999 18:10:32 -0700
From: Sara Killingsworth <saralk@home.com>
To: saralk@home.com
Subject: Cygnus Migrates Linux To Embedded Systems

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE			
MEDIA CONTACTS:
 							
Becky Wood DiSorbo   	Sara Killingsworth
(408) 542-9667 		(480) 961-1515
bwood@cygnus.com       	saralk@home.com
	 
 
CYGNUS ANNOUNCES EMBEDDED LINUX OFFERING TO 
PRE-EMPT LINUX FRAGMENTATION 
  
New EL/IX API Enables Developers to Leverage Linux in 
Embedded Computing Environments  

 
EMBEDDED SYSTEMS CONFERENCE, San Jose, CA, September 27, 1999 -Cygnus
Solutions, the leader in open source software, today announced a major
step to pre-empt the fragmentation of embedded Linux in the embedded
computing segment.   Cygnus introduced the EL/IXÔ Application
Programming Interface (API), an open source, configurable API and
development environment for all pervasive, new computing platforms. 
EL/IX allows developers to develop Linux software or embedded software
on a desktop PC, and then deploy this software across embedded devices
running Linux or Cygnus' eCosÔ, a small, configurable open source
operating system.  

As Internet connectivity fuels the demand for embedded Linux in new
computing devices such as digital cameras, personal digital assistants,
and set-top boxes, Cygnus is taking a leadership role in establishing
standards to enable application scalability and portability.  
Establishing this software infrastructure is critical to improving the
efficiency of software development as applications are deployed in
today's pervasive, net-centric devices.  As has been validated by the
desktop PC environment, portability and standardization are essential
for the proliferation of applications on a common platform.

"Standards are extremely important for a community-developed operating
environment such as Linux," said Dan Kusnetzky, director, Operating
Environments and Serverware, International Data Corporation. "This is
doubly true for software for personal productivity and Internet
appliances being developed by a number of companies today. By
establishing a common, open API and working with members of the Linux
community, Cygnus is making it possible for embedded software companies
to build applications, which can serve a broader array of customer
requirements without resorting to special, one-off techniques. This
would lower their overall development costs and improve their time to
market."

Cygnus will offer the EL/IX API with a software development environment
based on Cygnus GNUPro that makes it possible to use this embedded API
to produce and validate software for any Linux based computing
appliance.  The operating system neutral EL/IX software technology will
be scalable across Linux, from the desktop to high end embedded Linux
environments ranging from Internet appliances to routers.  A subset of
the EL/IX API will target the needs of real-time(1) developers.  In the
first version, this subset will enable developers to run on Linux
(without real-time guarantees) or eCos with real-time response.    

"Pervasive computing continues to drive higher powered microprocessors
into a growing number of non-PC centric devices.  This shift is
amplified by the adoption of the Internet and the momentum behind open
source software," said Alex Daly, president and CEO, Cygnus Solutions.
"The EL/IX API affords companies delivering products to this
heterogeneous computing environment the promise of standardization such
as found in the more mature PC marketplace."

"An embedded Linux solution requires a (software tools) perspective that
focuses on the right configuration and development tools to enable Linux
to become embedded Linux," said Dr. Jerry Krasner, Research Editor,
Electronic Market Forecasters. "Cygnus' role in embedded computing, with
its emerging real-time operating system, eCos, and the widely used GNU
tools for both embedded and Linux development qualifies it to deliver an
API that will work both for Linux as an embedded operating system as
well as other real-time operating systems."

Scalable Embedded Software
Unlike current, customized versions of embedded Linux that target
specific vertical markets and run the risk of fragmentation (as happened
to Unix), Cygnus is offering an open source, POSIX-based approach that
supports all Linux distributions.  The EL/IX API is supported by an open
development environment that meets the requirements of desktop, embedded
Linux, and real-time developers alike.  By providing developers a common
set of development tools, a critical element for successful embedded
development, Cygnus makes it possible to use the EL/IX API with any
major Linux distribution to build properly configured versions of Linux
that are small enough to meet high end embedded requirements.   For
deeply embedded requirements, developers can also use the EL/IX API for
eCos, the open source, high configurable, royalty free, embedded Cygnus
operating system.

"Today's announcement is an industry first.  A whole spectrum of
embedded development can be achieved using a single API that is already
well-known, accepted, and scalable from high-end to deeply embedded
applications," said Michael Tiemann, founder of Cygnus Solutions.  "By
maintaining the EL/IX API as open source software, Cygnus can help
prevent the fragmentation that might occur in embedded Linux."

Cygnus Meets the Needs of the Embedded Industry with EL/IX  
"Linux is becoming an established operating system for
Internet-connected appliances," said Dave Dannenberg, director of
platform software and architecture within Intel's Applied Computing
Products Division. "We are pleased with Cygnus' level of commitment to
leading Linux into the embedded community as they demonstrate
development tools that maximize the performance of Intel's processors
while creating an API that enables a common embedded development
platform."

"Cygnus further demonstrates its leadership in providing an open source
POSIX API framework, EL/IX, to help structure the diverse Linux code
base onto a common foundation for the development of commercial embedded
applications," said Greg Stoner, manager of applications at MIPS
Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: MIPS). "EL/IX shows Cygnus' strong role in
providing predictable tools and enabling an application base to help
embedded developers promote the rapid development of new projects onto
the MIPS® architecture."

"Cygnus has consistently delivered innovative, open source technologies
that are embraced by many development teams, including many Toshiba
customers," said Dr. Kiichiro Tamaru, chief specialist, Technology
Planning Division, Toshiba Corporation.  "Toshiba, who already offers
GNUPro tools on our TX-MIPS line of microprocessors, also welcomes
Cygnus' introduction of EL/IX because we recognize the power of open
source software running on more and more embedded devices."

"Pacific Softworks has already ported Fusion, a fully portable suite of
Internet protocols and applications, to eCos" said Glenn Russell,
President and CEO, Pacific Softworks. "EL/IX API is an exciting
development in embedded software and a big step forward for our
customers who are looking for an industry standard operating system and
support for embedded applications and networking. For users of Linux,
using EL/IX with the Fusion suite will provide a total solution."

EL/IX Welcomed by Linux Community
"EL/IX looks like a totally awesome project," said Miguel de Icaza,
creator of GNOME.  "There are some people who are trying to port GNOME
to some embedded devices, and they really need an operating system like
eCos, not Linux, to meet their requirements. Obviously there's quite a
bit of work to do, but the approach is promising. GNOME has made the
right technical decision to permit reuse of the applications core while
allowing different user interfaces for different setups. Now EL/IX makes
it possible to continue this development by building a bridge that
supports both Linux and eCos for embedded development. Cygnus has done
it right again."

"I am pleased to see Cygnus bringing its leadership in embedded systems
to the Linux community through an open source, technically sound
approach based on POSIX," said Ulrich Drepper, GLIBC maintainer for the
Linux operating system.  "The POSIX spec was used when Linux was
created, and it seems only appropriate to use that specification to
extend Linux into the embedded world. In particular, if done right, it
means that there can be many different technical implementations with
one common interface, which in turn means that developers have the
freedom to be different while reducing the risk of fragmentation."
The Role of APIs
An API is a set of conventions and rules that provide a documented way
for software, such as an application, to interface to other software,
such as an operating system.  An API will be required to create an
industry-standard embedded Linux.  Cygnus expects EL/IX API to meet the
needs of embedded Linux, because it is fully available and based on
POSIX 1003.1, the most widely accepted API for portable operating
systems.  

Availability
Cygnus is demonstrating an initial version of the EL/IX API this week at
ESC in the Cygnus booth #1220 running on an Intel Pentium II processor
based platform. Developers can review the EL/IX API and contribute to
its development by registering to join the EL/IX API consortium at
http://sourceware.cygnus.com/elix/.  

Cygnus Solutions, the leader in open-source software and an innovating
force in Internet software infrastructure, offers development tools and
operating systems based on an open source model, as well as custom
engineering services and developer support services. Founded in 1989,
with headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, Cygnus has sales and
engineering offices throughout North America, Japan, and the United
Kingdom. 
###

(1) Real-time is characteristic of embedded applications such as
anti-lock braking systems which cannot queue in a task such as stopping
the automobile at a later time.

Cygnus and GNUPro are registered trademarks, and Code Fusion, Insight,
Sourceware, EL/IX, and eCos are trademarks of Cygnus Solutions.   All
other company and product names are trademarks of their respective
owners.