Why  buy GNU X-Tools™
-- Isn't GNU Free?

 


The GNU C/C++ compiler toolchain is the most open, rehostable, retargetable software development system in the world. Native variants have been ported to virtually every commercially viable computer system. Because of its modular open architecture, GNU compilers have been ported to 30+ cross-target CPUs over the past decade. GNU's longevity, maturity, and robustness, make this compiler toolchain the most viable candidate for an open architecture supporting embedded software development. To further validate these statements, Microcross built the GNU  X-Tools™ product and a test suite across all supported target CPUs (22 in all), including native host, with zero source code changes! With hundreds of source patches applied to the source tree and over four years experience as a company building and releasing GNU X-Tools™, Microcross is eminently qualified to support professional embedded software developers on any scale of project.  We support thousands of customers across the world in 40 countries.

Microcross' commercially branded, GNU X-Tools™, is basically the same tools that commercial vendors like Red Hat and Wind River distribute and charge more than $10,000 for customers to get started. If you want low-cost, commercially supported and branded GNU tools -- shrink-wrapped, ready-to-run -- then give us a try!  Our prices are very reasonable.  The alternatives are high cost or to download the GNU sources and build the tools yourself -- or find unbranded, untested and unsupported binaries ("GNU this", "GNU that"). If your time is worth nothing, then GNU is Free.  GNU is akin to Freedom of Speech not Free Lunch. Proprietary tool vendors are using their FUD tactics to say that GNU is only for 'Cost Sensitive' projects.  We say GNU is for cost sensible engineers.  Everybody is trying to save money these days -- aren't you?  Your job may depend on it.

Microcross provides customers a value-add product service of building, debugging, and testing binaries for use in professional embedded development projects.  Our business model is simple: provide developers a low-cost alternative to high cost or to bootstrapping and building and testing their own tools. Furthermore, we bring customers other value-adds with integrated products from one source that provide end-to-end development solutions consisting of development boards, JTAG/BDM Debug Connections, OS/RTOSs, and professional tools with an award-winning IDE we call Visual X-Tools™, which is powered by GNU X-Tools™ and SlickEdit®.   See Microcross' Competitive Analysis to see how Microcross' products stack up against competing solutions in cost and capability.

See Microcross White Paper for more information: "The Compelling Case for Open Source Embedded Tools"
 


Visual X-Tools™ IDE

 

About half of all embedded developers are using an integrated development environment these days, and the number of IDE users is increasing due to the complexity of today's projects, which requires a lot of time in building and maintaining makefiles. Visual X-Tools™ was crafted from the award winning Visual SlickEdit® and tailored to work with GNU X-Tools™ for embedded development on Windows and Linux host platforms. Whether you are a GNU Emacs user or a another IDE user, converting to Visual X-Tools™ is an easy switch, and you will be glad you did. Tryout Visual X-Tools IDE and GNU X-Tools ARM Toolsuite for free!


Visual X-Tools™ Project Manager and Integrated Development Environment

  • Full project management support using auto-generated, auto-maintained makefiles and SlickEdit™ Build System.
  • Code organization and configuration features supporting workspaces and projects.
  • Full integration of GNU X-Tools™, including Visual GDB and command line GDB for direct invocation from either the 'Build' menu or the mini toolbar above the 'Build' Window to achieve Compile, Clean, Build, Rebuild, Debug with command line GDB, Debug with Visual GDB, start Cygwin Shell, start Windows Shell, or Clean the 'Build' Window.
  • Customized 'GNU X-Tools Options' dialogs with nearly a thousand different machine dependent compiler switches with comments, which allows the developer to point-and-click on compiler switches for any one of the 20 GNU X-Tools™ target toolsuites.
  • A project wizard for all 20 GNU X-Tools™ target toolsuites. Building a project for GNU has never been easier. Go through this short example to see for yourself, or download a fully featured demo version with a Native GNU toolsuite for Windows. Click here for a short example setup of a project.
  • Version control interface: ClearCase, CVS, GNU RCS, MKS RCS, PVCS, SourceSafe, and TLIB.

Visual X-Tools™ Source Code Editor Features

  • SmartPaste™
  • Symbol lookup
  • Code navigation
  • Color coding
  • Code Beautifier
  • Multiple clipboards
  • Argument completion
  • Multi-file find and replace
  • Automatic symbol listing and replacement
  • C/C++ language-specific color coding and code beautification
  • Automatic completion: syntax expansion, aliases, path and filename completion
  • Multiple editor Views: Hex, Line Hex, Special Chars, Tab Chars, New Line Chars, Spaces, Tab Chars, Line Numbers
  • Provides keystroke emulations for Brief, CUA, CodeWarrior, Epsilon, GNU Emacs, ISPF, vi, Visual C++, and custom user defined key settings
     


Latest GNU Improvements

 
  • The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) C/C++ compilers are fully ANSI compliant to the latest standards.
  • Newlib comes prebuilt  and is a nonrestrictive, fully reentrant ANSI C library (source code with no GPL bindings).
  • The GCC has improved optimization performance for most CPU families using the Haifa scheduler.
  • Many bugs in prior releases have been fixed (either by Microcross or the FSF organization).
  • XScale and ARM toolsuites both have built-in Thumb (16-bit) support in ELF format.
  • GNU Debugger has the latest debugging features to debug the newest family of microprocessors via JTAG/BDM and parallel port debug agents.
  • Most target processors now have the popular ELF object file format.
  • GNU cross-compilers perform very well in all EEMBC bench marks; although not always the top perform, across the board they are middle of the road. The main benefits are GNU's standard interfaces across all of the target processors; no other toolchain has the depth and breadth of GNU tools.
     


Debugger & Connection Support

 

Microcross now offers Visual GDB graphical debugger (a.k.a. Insight) with support for EPI Tools MAJIC on ARM, XScale, and MIPS embedded CPUs.  Also, GNU X-Tools provides support for Abatron's BDI-2000 on ARM, M68k/CPU32/Coldfire, MIPS, M-Core, MPC/PowerPC, and XScale.

  • Visual GDB Features / Capabilities:
    • View Stack
    • View Memory
    • View Registers
    • View Thread List
    • View Local Variables
    • View Function Browser
    • Set Watch on Expressions
    • Visually Set Breakpoints and Step
    • View Variable Values with Mouse Pointer
    • Command line and GUI options with built-in simulator
    • View Source Code and/or Assembly Code while Debugging
    • and more...
       

GNU Documentation

 
  • Get Microcross' updated User Guide.
  • Over 3,500 pages of Adobe Acrobat GNU documentation -- 12 volumes on the distribution CD
     


RTOS Support

 

For those desiring to use GNU X-Tools with one of the popular OSs/RTOSs, e.g., LynxOS, MicroC/OS-II, RTEMS, Nucleus, OS-9, pSOS, QNX, RTEMS, SMX, ThreadX, VRTX, or VxWorks, we will port your RTOS, on a per target basis, to the GNU X-Tools environment under a custom services contract.  Some OSs/RTOSs have been ported already (MicroC/OS-II and RTEMS has been ported to ARM7/9, Au1100/1500 and Coldfire 5272); check with sales@microcross.com
 


Copying & Rights
 

© 1996 - 2008 Microcross, Inc. All rights reserved.