Accelerated Technology Upgrades Eclipse-Based Nucleus EDGE Environment for Embedded Developers.

MOBILE, Ala. -- Accelerated Technology, a Mentor Graphics division (Nasdaq:MENT), today announced new features and capabilities added to its Eclipse-powered Nucleus(R) EDGE software development environment. Features such as extended kernel awareness, a new debug channel and closer integration with the Nucleus UML suite and the Nucleus Profiler software give embedded developers more versatility for designing, building, debugging and deploying embedded applications.

The Nucleus EDGE environment version 1.1 now includes an extended kernel awareness package, which includes support for micro-ITRON developers and also opens the kernel awareness application programming interface (API) to our RTOS users via extension points. This capability allows users building with a non-Nucleus operating system such as Linux or a proprietary kernel to add kernel awareness to the OS they are currently using, taking advantage of all the features that the Nucleus EDGE software has to offer without purchasing additional software.

A new debug channel feature allows users to simulate I/O as well as streaming audio, video, text and many other types of data through a channel to the graphical user interface (GUI). From this, handlers know how to manipulate the code such as how to play the audio, display the video or output the text. This gives the user a more intuitive view into their system, taking advantage of other Eclipse plug-ins to at last connect the embedded code to the desktop world.

Another feature of the new Nucleus EDGE software release is the close integration of tools in the environment, including the Nucleus BridgePoint UML suite and the Nucleus Profiler software. This gives embedded developers a complete and unique "design to deployment" solution without having to leave the Eclipse environment.

"Accelerated Technology is helping to lead the way for Eclipse-based embedded products," said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. "We are excited to see their continued commitment to Eclipse through their Nucleus EDGE product line -- and the extensions made in this upgrade help to promote the Eclipse fundamentals of openness and interoperability."

"This new release of the Nucleus EDGE environment makes it easy for users of either proprietary or other commercial RTOSs to use the power of our new development tools," said Robert Day, director of marketing, Accelerated Technology Division, Mentor Graphics. "We have also taken advantage of other Eclipse plug-ins by linking through our new debug channel architecture."

The Nucleus EDGE software contains an advanced project manager, complete with an editor and builder, that helps users automate their build process. Developers can now set up one or more build environments by specifying the compiler and build options, giving total control over multiple projects and allowing for quick and easy revisions of their embedded systems.

Adhering to the Eclipse platform debug paradigm, and hence offering ultimate openness, the Nucleus debugger provides developers with a number of debugging environments. For example, using host-based debugging, software developers can experiment by running an application on the host machine before the final hardware is available or even decided upon. This allows the software developer to start coding earlier in the development cycle. Instruction set simulation and on-chip debugging via JTAG then allows users to run their "real" optimized embedded code from the same environment.

Pricing and Availability

Licenses for the complete Nucleus EDGE development suite begin at U.S. $3,000 per seat. For more information, please contact Accelerated Technology at 800-468-6853 or [e-mail].

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq:MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues over the last 12 months of over $700 million and employs approximately 3,850 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777; Silicon Valley headquarters are located at 1001 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, California 95131-2314. World Wide Web site: http://www.mentor.com/.

Accelerated Technology, a division of Mentor Graphics Corporation, is located in Mobile, Alabama, and has engineering sites, sales offices and distributors worldwide. As a leading provider of royalty-free, embedded real-time operating system (RTOS) software, Accelerated Technology helps developers accelerate product time-to-market in a wide range of embedded device applications. Its comprehensive Nucleus RTOS includes a high-level design UML suite, graphical prototyping tools, kernels, middleware and Eclipse-based development tools. For more information, please visit www.acceleratedtechnology.com or e-mail us at [e-mail].

Mentor Graphics, Accelerated Technology and Nucleus are registered trademarks of Mentor Graphics Corporation. All other company or product names are the registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective owners.