| WHAT'S NEW−ARCHIVE 2001/October |
Report on the Holding of the Second "21st Century Microelectronics Seminar" |
| The TRON Association held the second "21st Century Microelectronics Seminar" at Gate City Hall in Ohsaki, Tokyo, for two days on October 9 and 10. At the seminar, following an overview by TRON Project Leader Ken Sakamura, the latest microprocessor technologies from three overseas makers, Intel Corp., Transmeta Corp., and ARM Ltd., were respectively introduced. Together with this, introductions to their latest technologies were respectively carried out by five major domestic LSI makers. On the first day of the seminar, there was simultaneous Japanese-English interpretation in both directions, and on both days of the seminar approximately 100 participants heard lectures. The majority of those who made presentations are also engaged in actual development, and at every lecture lively questioning and answering took place. |
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TRON Association Introduces "Next Generation Real-Time Infrastructure Group" |
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The TRON Association, in order to construct the next generation real-time system platform, has set up the following five working groups (WGs) under the "Next Generation Real-Time Infrastructure Group." We are planning to introduce the status of each group in the MST2001 TRON special lectures and at the TRONSHOW. We are recruiting member companies, so by all means please participate.
For further details, see: http://www.tron.org/tronproject/tp_p-02.html
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A.I. Corporation Introduces "TronTask!4.0" |
| TronTask!4.0 is a multitasking kernel for embedded use based on the μITRON4.0 Specification.
More than 95 percent of TronTask!4.0 is described with C language, and the product
comes with source code provided. Because of a scalable structure, it is possible
to link only the required functions, and thus a compact size has been realized. Also,
one year of support is included with the royalty free sheet license method, and a
Japanese-language manual comes attached. The kernel is compatible with the SH series
of CPUs, and there are also plans to make it compatible successively with other CPUs
for embedded use. A package that includes development tools has been prepared in the form of "TronForce!." TronForce! is also abundantly complete with middleware that can be combined with TronTask!4.0, such as a PC-compatible filing system, various type of flash memory card drivers, a TCP/IP protocol library, SNMP, an Internet access package, a VoIP protocol stack, a BlueTooth protocol stack, an IrDA protocol stack, a USB host protocol stack, a GUI for embedded use, and a flash file system. In addition, the maker accepts contracts to port to and develop on a customer's hardware. For further details, see: http://www.aicp.co.jp/ For inquiries, contact: A.I. Corporation |
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On the Organization of the Font Archive Center |
| As a result of progress in IT, opportunities for carrying out data exchange on line
are increasing. What becomes a problem at such times are user defined characters
that are not included in standard character code standards, such as JIS and Unicode.
Even if user defined characters are made public on the Internet, they cannot be transmitted
to a reader as they are characters that were intended for an original document. Moreover,
there are many cases of difficulty when one attempts to reutilize word processing
texts of the past saved on floppy disks and the like. Several things cause this,
such as differences in the floppy disk physical format, but character code differences
and user defined character problems are also causes. We consider it extremely regrettable that in contrast to it being possible to read even today after the passage of several thousand years Egyptian texts written on papyrus, we cannot even read a floppy disk from several years ago in these modern times when civilization has clearly progressed. In order to solve these character problems, the TRON Association is of the thinking that it would like to proceed with a plan in which it establishes a "Font Archive Center" (provisional name); gathers and arranges information on various types of word processors from the past to the present, word processor software on personal computers, makers' standard user defined character sets, user defined character font collections, document management and DTP-related systems--in particular, information about user defined characters and character codes; and then makes public what is possible. We request the cooperation of everyone in this undertaking. |
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On the Real-Time OS Trend Survey |
| At the MST2000 conference that ran from November 15 through 17, 2000, the TRON Association
conducted a questionnaire-based survey on embedded system technology and market trends
by using embedded system development technicians in the conference hall as a survey
target. This survey, which has been carried out every year since fiscal year 1996,
surveys such things as the present state of embedded system development technology,
real-time operating system problem points and selection criteria, and trends in ITRON-specification
operating system utilization. As for the real-time operating system API share for
this year, we obtained a result in which 40.9 percent of systems were ITRON-specification,
and thus it became clear that the ratio of ITRON-specification operating systems
is increasing year by year. We are planning to make the survey results public on
the ITRON Project Home Page. URL: http://www.itron.gr.jp/home-e.html |
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NEC Corp.'s "RX4000v4" Real-Time OS for Its VR Processor Series |
| NEC Corp. has developed and is now providing "RX4000v4," a real-time operating
system product based on the μITRON4.0 Specification that is intended for use with
the company's VR series of 64-bit microprocessors. RX4000v4 features support for
the full functions and expanded functions prescribed in the standard profile of a
μITRON4.0-specification operating system. Also, during implementation, in order
to make it possible to embed only the necessary functions, the code size can range
between 13 and 23 kilobytes. In addition, NEC is providing system development tools
and a task debugging environment for use with RX4000v4. URL: http://www.ic.nec.co.jp/micro/index_e.html |
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