SYDNEY, Australia - June 11, 2003 - Altium Limited (ASX: ALU), a leading developer of Windows-based electronic design and development software, today announced a significantly enhanced new version of the TASKING C166/ST10 embedded software development toolset. Building on TASKING's 12-year history as a leading software development toolset brand for the 16-bit C166 and ST10 architectures, version 8.0 of this toolset features a host of major enhancements and new and unique features. Improved code optimization, the addition of flash memory programming, major enhancements to the Embedded Development Environment (EDE), extended ROM monitor support, and a Standard Template Library are just some of the highlights of this new release.

Increased optimization
A new optimization process has been added to the compiler that gives C166/ST10 developers an average of 2.5% increase in code compression compared with the previous version of the toolset. The powerful Data Flow Analysis Peephole (DFAP) optimization increases both code execution speed and code compaction. In addition, packed structure support and memory usage improvements allow developers to further optimize applications to suit their specific needs.

Integrated flash memory programming
With version 8.0 of the C166/ST10 toolset, developers no longer need to purchase a separate flash utility. The new version delivers flash memory programming for both on-chip or external flash devices integrated into the CrossView Pro debugger. Developers can now specify the flash types and memory ranges in the EDE, and the debugger will manage the downloading and programming.

 
Major EDE enhancements
Version 8.0 builds on TASKING's industry-leading depth of control of the microcontroller, the application, and the code generation tools with dramatic enhancements to its award-winning EDE. It gives the developer better control over the initialization of applications while at the same time making significant improvements to ease of use. The new treeview menu makes project navigation much easier, enabling developers to easily configure their projects, and have full control over the setup of all the tools, including the compiler. Support for context sensitive help has been extended to the tool configuration menus.

The EDE allows in situ editing of register values by enabling the developer to set the values at a symbolic level, rather than at the individual bitfield level. The result is a more flexible and intuitive method of setting registers. Another new feature is the automatic customization of the control panel of the EDE according to the particular device derivative selected. This makes it easier to remember all necessary settings required for the specific chip as only the relevant controls for each derivative are shown.

Once all the edits and settings have been made, the EDE can now automatically generate the correct startup code for the application.

Addition of ROM monitor support
Responding to customer feedback, Altium has added full ROM monitor support for all derivatives, including the XC16x family. This adds development flexibility where on-chip debugging is not the ideal solution.

First Standard Template Library (STLport) for C166/ST10 toolsets
Version 8.0 of the TASKING toolset is the first and only C166/ST10 toolset in the industry to offer a Standard Template Library (STLport), provided with the C++ compiler package. SLTport is regarded as one of the de facto industry standards by the C++ community and enables C++ developers to avoid C++ conformance traps and portability issues.

Pricing and availability
The TASKING C166/ST10 toolset is a complete, integrated embedded software development toolset consisting of the TASKING EDE, C/C++/EC++ compiler, assembler, linker/locator and CrossView Pro OCDS, ROM monitor and simulator debugger.

The product is available for PC/Windows, PC/Linux, SUN/Solaris, and HP9000/UX platforms. Prices start at US$2,650 for the C compiler and simulator debugger package for PC/Windows.