December 5, 2001
Apogee Software today announced that its port of Sun Microsystems' CDC (Connected Device Configuration) J2ME (Java2 Micro Edition) VM (Virtual Machine) and FP (Foundation Profile) for x86(TM) embedded processors running LynxOS real-time operating system was certified by Sun as CDC J2ME Platform compliant. This is the first and, thus far, the only compliance certification awarded by Sun for a port of CDC J2ME VM and FP.
The x86/LynxOS port of CDC J2ME VM and FP was developed by Apogee for deploying Java(TM) applications on embedded devices that need the capabilities of CDC VM and the Java APIs provided by CDC FP. For example, this certified port is being deployed by VeriFone, Inc., a worldwide leader in electronic payment solutions and a major provider of point-of-sale terminals, in its new line of "Java-powered" Sapphire(TM) site controllers, thus making the port the first production deployment of the certified CDC J2ME VM and FP in the industry.
Apogee Software also announced the release of x86/LynxOS targeted configuration of its Aphelion(TM), a comprehensive IDE for developing high performance Java and Java/C/C++ applications for many types of embedded systems, including the embedded systems used in consumer devices, process control, factory floor automation, and other industrial applications.
Designed specifically for developing embedded system applications, Aphelion removes the obstacles hindering the use of Java for embedded systems, such as: large run-time footprint, slow run-time execution, and non-deterministic behavior of Java applications when running on Virtual Machines. At the same time, Aphelion preserves and enhances the strengths that have contributed to Java Platform's remarkable success on desktops and servers, such as the "write once and run everywhere" paradigm. The result is an extensive IDE with features not available in other commercially available Java/C/C++ IDEs, and the tools of which together with performance-enhanced ports of Sun's Virtual Machines achieve outstanding run-time performance not only on various benchmarks but, more importantly, on "real life" applications.
For example, Aphelion includes the ahead-of-time space optimizer that can create compact bytecode zip files or ROMable images of deployment-ready applications. And, to accelerate the run-time execution of such applications, Aphelion includes the ahead-of-time and dynamic optimizers of run-time speed, capable of compiling performance critical bytecode methods of deployment-ready applications into optimized binary JNMs ("Java Native Methods"), each directly executable (after invoked by Apogee's port of CDC VM through a special fast interface) on a given target processor.
Aphelion also includes the Java/C/C++ project manager, syntax-driven Java/C/C++ editor, source code class browser, Java-to-bytecode optimizing compiler, C/C++-to-CNM optimizing compiler (CNM: JNI-compliant C/C++ Native Method), and the unique bytecode/JNM/CNM debugger, capable of remotely debugging bytecode methods executing on a VM and native methods (JNMs and CNMs) invoked by such bytecode methods while executing on the underlying processor. And, each of these tools is graphically invoked and controlled by a powerful GUI with a look-and-feel of Microsoft's Visual Studio.
"Aphelion and its ports of Sun's J2ME VMs offer a winning combination to application developers that want to enter a fast growing market for Java powered embedded devices," said George Malek, Chairman and CEO of Apogee. "Apogee is pleased to have not only the first certified port of CDC J2ME VM, but also the industry first production deployment of CDC J2ME VM and its FP."
"The Apogee CDC J2ME VM gives our development effort several important advantages," said Brad McGuinness, director of engineering at VeriFone Inc.'s petroleum division. "First, because it's scalable for different applications, it allows us to take greater advantage of the 'write once and run anywhere' characteristic of Java across a greater potential range of embedded platforms. Second, because Aphelion supports space-optimization and ahead-of-time compiling of bytecodes, we have greater assurance that applications targeted for a given platform will perform as required. Finally, because CDC J2ME tracks more closely to Sun's Java roadmap, our applications can take greater advantage of innovations from Sun, third-party vendors, and the Open Source community. We can now deliver better engineered software products to our customers faster, and those products will be more resistant to platform churn."
Aphelion is available in cross-development configurations (XDCs) currently hosted on x86/WinNT and x86/Win2k development platforms and targeted at x86 and PowerPC processors running LynxOS. More XDCs are being completed, including the XDCs targeted at x86, StrongARM and XScale processors running BlueCat Linux, MIPS processors running VxWorks, and MIPS processors running HardHat Linux. Each XDC comes with a port of CDC J2ME VM, enhanced by Apogee for high performance when running bytecode class files optimized with Aphelion optimizers, and a port of CDC J2ME FP. Each XDC will also come, shortly after released by Sun in early 2002, with the CDC Personal Basis Profile (PBP) providing various high level Java APIs, such as RMI, SQL, AWT, Applet and Beans.
Aphelion is also available in a "desktop" configuration hosted on and targeted at x86/WinNT and x86/Win2k development platforms. Comprised of the same tools as each XDC and of the WinNT/Win2K port of CDC J2ME VM, FP and (soon) BPB, the desktop configuration is used when a customer needs to start developing its applications prior to deciding on the type of embedded processors and/or RTOS to be used for production deployment of such applications.
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