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Be Inc. Selects Cygnus Solutions GNUPro Tools 80

Posted by CmdrTaco from the open-source-is-good dept.
Sara Killingsworth wrote in with a press release from Be saying that they have selected Cygnus's GNUPro to be the compiler on their OS. I've attached the full press release below if you're curious. It mentions that Cygnus's compiler solution perfored 20% faster.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Becky Wood DiSorbo (408) 542-9667 bwood@cygnus.com Sara Killingsworth

(602) 961-1515 saralk@home.com

CYGNUS GNUPRO TOOLS POWER BE OPERATING SYSTEM

Cygnus Solutions Delivers Software Development Tools that Increase Stability and Performance of Be, Inc.'s Media Operating Systems

SUNNYVALE, Calif., January 19, 1999 - Cygnus( Solutions today announced that Be(, Inc. selected Cygnus GNUPro software development tools for the recently shipped Release 4 of the Be Operating System (BeOS*). GNUPro(, the leading compiler and debugger toolchain for native and embedded development, provides BeOS developers with the software development power to work at maximum efficiency, and an open-source code base for greatest flexibility during the design cycle. According to recent tests conducted by Be, GNUPro tools performed 20 percent faster than other software development tools. More detailed information can be found at link "An operating system is nothing without good development tools. Giving our developers the best possible tools to work with helps them to create the fastest, most groundbreaking applications," said Scott Paterson, director of Marketing at Be. "As a leader in open-source software development technologies, Cygnus GNUPro enables Be developers to benefit from improved performance and a broader tool chain, which results in rapid innovation and high quality software." GNUPro provides a single-source toolchain for easy portability and maximum code reuse, and supports more than 125 host-target cross-development environments, covering the vast majority of the most popular host-target platforms. "Providing Be with Cygnus' GNUPro tools is further evidence of the increasing platform success of GNUPro and of open source technologies," said Scott Petry, vice president of marketing at Cygnus. "Cygnus ensures that open standard software development technologies, including GNUPro, are the most powerful resources available for commercial development."

About GNUPro
GNUPro includes ANSI-conforming C/C++ compilers, a macro-assembler, the Cygnus Insight( visual debugger, binary utilities, libraries, and broad support for Windows NT/95 and UNIX hosted toolkits. Users benefit from Cygnus' premier software engineering, availability of tools for a wide range of processors, stringent testing (more than five million controlled and documented tests against each host-target combination) and custom enhancements. Cygnus delivers GNUPro through an innovative subscription model that includes regular software upgrades, featuring the latest innovations in GNU technology, as well as mission-critical support services for rapid response and resolution of technical questions or problems. Pricing for a five-user team starts at $7,495 and includes a one-year subscription. For more information on GNUPro pricing and the more than 125 host-target cross-development environments supported by Cygnus GNUPro, contact Cygnus corporate headquarters in Sunnyvale, Calif. at 1-408-542-9600, 1-800-CYGNUS-1, info@cygnus.com, or visit the Web site at link

About Be
Be, Inc., founded in 1990 by Jean-Louis Gassée, is a software company focusing on building new foundations for the next generation of digital content and media design tools. With a team of industry-leading engineers and business executives in the United States and Europe, the company is dedicated to removing the limitations of existing computer architectures and delivering a new level of price performance. In December 1998, Be published Release 4 of the Be Operating System (BeOS), the core product of this strategy. Additional information on Be and the BeOS is available online at link Be, Inc. is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

About Cygnus Solutions
The market leader in software development technologies for computing applications, Cygnus( Solutions offers build-time and run-time solutions based on an open-source model. From GNUPro( Toolkit to eCos(, the Embedded Cygnus Operating System, Cygnus' open-source and royalty-free software benefits system developers in a wide variety of market segments, including consumer electronics, Internet, telecommunications, office automation, networking, aerospace and automotive. Cygnus' products, custom engineering services, and world-class support services enable developers to bring products to market faster at reduced system development costs. Founded in 1989, with headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, Cygnus has sales and engineering offices throughout North America, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

Cygnus GNUPro Powers BeOS Page 2

*Cygnus and GNUPro are registered trademarks, and Sourceware and eCos are trademarks of Cygnus Solutions. Open Source is a Certification Mark of the Open Source Initiative. All other company and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. "
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Be Inc. Selects Cygnus Solutions GNUPro Tools More

Be Inc. Selects Cygnus Solutions GNUPro Tools

Comments Filter:
  • Uhm, what the fuck are you talking about? There was never a time without a non-commercial UNIX: ever heard of AT&T letting universities have UNIX? And the BSD project?
  • GNUPro is still Open Source. Users pay for Cygnus support, NOT the tools. The tools can be had from ftp.cygnus.com.

    What version of gcc is this based on? I remember working with GNUPro a couple of years ago. It was great because all of the most recent C++ improvements were incorporated into the tools LONG before the official gcc team was able to make a release. It let me get my work done. This was pre-egcs and was one of the triggers for the egcs project.
  • Amen, the more competitors we have, the better. That's capitalism -- may the best product win. .. And I have faith that the best product will win, and if it should fall behind, then people will not use it. simple as that.
  • The GNU tools sold by Cygnus are free software. (I do thing they produce some proprietary things now, but it is a very small part of their portfolio). The money is to pay for support and upgrades.

    Apparently you are not aware that the majority of the GNU development tools (egcs, glibc, etc) are largely developed by Cygnus and/or its employees. They have donated a huge amount of code to the free software community.
  • No. He's right. One hundred percent. If you want Linux to succeed, and to supplant Windows (the wrong thing to shoot for IMO) then this guy's needs have to be addressed. While your two statements regarding Linux are true, they don't address the issue. If his needs are very different than yours, then don't bother offering your opinion: it's irrelevent.

    As for whining not accomplishing anything, you are absolutely right. Unfortunately you were the one who was whining.

    If you want people to move from Windows to Linux, you have to offer them alternatives to the software they're using now. Asking them to just quit doing those activities won't hack it. It should go without saying, but calling them names really won't hack it.

    I think this whole war against Microsoft attitude people have is a mistake, but that's just my opinion. I'm sure you have your own. Keep this in mind, though. If your only response to someone who points out your weaknesses and the opponents strengths is personal attacks, you've already lost.

  • and if they are not other brands which provide
    the same functionality exist.

    That's not the point. People are not going to go out and spend money replacing hardware just because Linux doesn't support it. If my video card doesn't work in Linux, I'm not going to buy a new one, I'll just wait until Linux supports it, or else not use Linux at all.

    No I haven't tinkered (config files) with my Desktop at all since installing KDE.

    So how exactly did you get Linux installed, or get a kernel compiled? Hell, XF86Setup doesn't even auto-detect my video card or monitor specs.

    I have tinkered with some free programs like
    The Gimp that cost suckers like you hundreds
    of dollars in Windows land.

    I've tinkered with some free programs like The GIMP on Windows too. Apparently you're new here, or you would've heard about the Win32 port of GIMP.
  • I find this becoming an ironic, and unfortunately all too common, event on Slashdot recently - the troll who yells "troll!!!" at everything he sees.
  • Posted by Soco:

    Does that sound familiar... Haven't we heard this one before?
  • Posted by Pepi:

    DDD is an excellent debugger if you don't want to be bothered with the details of gdb.

    I can highly recommend Slickedit as an IDE, very very nice product. It's fast, stable, loads of features, etc.
  • Posted by Wayne Steele:

    I've been using/following Linux for years. One thing that's starting to bother me is how its advocates are sounding more like Microsofties all the time.

    The fact is that Linux is a great OS and does a lot of things (especially in server space) very well. But it is not and never will be all things to all people.

    The recent arguments I've seen used against BeOS are EXACTLY the same ones the Windows crowd has been using against Linux for years.

    Guess what? The Windows crowd was/is wrong!

    Linux fans all over the world ignored the FUD and in a very short period of time have turned Linux into a stellar platform. I think Be, Inc. and its developer community deserve the same chance with BeOS despite its commercial origins.

    I also think BeOS DOES bring some fresh meat to the table. Start with a solid client/server architecture, SMP that works, a clean set of OO API's, a very nice 64-bit File System, a consistent GUI, and free development tools. I concede that none of these ideas are new, but rarely do you find them all in one place, implimented so well, with an easy installation process to boot.

    So give Be a chance. If it doesn't interest you, then simply ignore it. I, for one, am a Linux advocate who thinks this small company in Menlo Park, CA is doing a GoodThing(tm).
  • Posted by Wayne Steele:

    Hardware support will come in time. Don't forget that Linux went through the same growing pains at one point.

    The fact is that hardware makers cater only to Windows these days. That means it takes time for any of the "alternative" operating systems to incorporate support.

    Besides, a lot of the hardware support in Windows is nothing more than a bad joke. It often takes just as long to get a STABLE driver on Windows (if such a thing exists) as it does on anything else. The only difference is that the Windows users had to go through a bunch of updates (and maybe a FORMAT C:) before they had the support they needed. We just had to be patient and wait a little longer.
  • Have you looked in gIDE or Code Crusader? Look for 'em on Freshmeat.
  • I tried Linux, and FreeBSD and Solaris, and HP/UX (at work) and I've come to one inescapable (sp?) conclusion: I HATE Unix.


    I hate all flavors of Unix.


    I like Be. It is fast and stable (its GUI kicks the snot out of XFree86, that's for damned sure).

  • Flaming them doesn't help things along either.

  • Look, BeOS is interesting, and commercial. You even contridicted yourself in your first sentance, "it's good...it's crap"

    Personally, I would love to try out BeOS, and for that matter, QNX. But I can't afford it, so I won't be trying it.

    Which brings me to my point, opinions are like a^H^H^H^, everyone has one. What will really matter is how the market treats the OS. Is price a factor? You bettcha. You think Linux would be this popular if it were say, $400 a pop, with $25 per user licence tacked on?

    If it's worth the price, someone will pay it, if it's not, it will die. Then, there will always be people like me that just go with what they can afford and try to make the best of it... ;-)

    BTW, your troll is sooo far off base. You ever really benchmarked preformance of apps with open source versus commercial compilers? I have seen quite a few comparisons between open source and commercial C and Fortan compilers, and believe me, some people out there pay the money, and are glad to do it for good reason.

  • Anybody know which version of EGCS this refers to? I'm particularly impressed since graph-colouring for register allocation is patented by IBM and therefore cannot be used in EGCS, while Metroworks might have a license for it. It's important for register poor architectures such as the x86. How does EGCS get around this?
  • I bet YOU haven't even tried GNOME and/or KDE lately... Go away troll!

    Replys like this are the reason why /. has become so bad lately. I wish that people could learn to control their mouths (fingers) a little better sometimes. It would make the world a better place.
  • Cygnus is probably the oldest provider of *Open Source* commercial software. They maintain egcs and release it under GPL. What that $7000 buys is the sort of support that makes PHBs feel all warm and fuzzy inside - better than the support you'd get from most vendors, i might add. The pricing reflects Cygnus' primary market, which is commercial Unix developers. In that rarified world, compilers always cost that much. And, given the effort involved versus the size of the market, it makes sense. Microsoft charges what, two grand for a copy of Visual Studio Enterprise? And they'll move hundreds of thousands of copies.

    Don't worry about that $7000. If you're not selling your software for money, you can get the tools for free. And if you want to run quality Open Source development tools at work, it's a lot easier to convince the PHB to pay $7000 than it is to convince him that free tools could possibly be as good as the $7000 stuff!
  • If Cygnus is scum because they use GPL software to make money, it means also Sendmail and Red Hat is scum too.

    Besides, BeOS Release 4 comes with a full-featured, free compiler called EGCS (Pentium-optimizing GCC). This port was developed by Cygnus for Be, Inc., AFAIK.
  • I hate to say it, but idiotic generalizations and misinformation are crap.
    First of all, the compiler *is* open source. It's based on gcc and therefore *must* be. It's the development environment that may not be. However, as was previously mentioned, Be has included an IDE based on Metrowerks product bundled with R4, and it uses gcc for compiling.
    Second, didn't you just contradict yourself? You called BeOS both "good" and "crap" in the same sentence. I'd love to hear justification for the crap statement, but I fear that you might have trouble sorting out some personal issues on your own opinions.
    Just because there are many non-OSS projects that aren't overly great doesn't mean that all OSS is crap. Every company or individual should have the right to choose what license or terms to release their product under, otherwise you lose another freedom.
  • If you don't have some moral\social\personal problem against using a product that is based on Motif (but works excellently under LessTif), I'd suggest checking out Data Display Debugger (DDD) for a debugging solution. I've found it fairly useful while sorting out problems.
  • Scary for a home user bu nothing in the corporate scheme of things. ;-)

  • Hey look all of you slashdot guys.
    Write code.
    Linux is a great OSS OS with a lot of kewl features and lots of great plans ahead. I have been using Linux for years, but it for the average user at home with Win95, it is still easier to use the programs they know under that and install programs than under Linux.

    Do your part. BeOS is easy to install and is simple to use. Help out with GNOME or other projects like KDE and make Linux worth using for not just yourself, but for other users out there who know less than you.

    -Alan

  • WTG Gnu (Score:1)

    by ink ( 4325 )
    Now, if we could only have GCC performance with Metrowerk's IDE.

    The wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.

  • What he said sounded like a troll, but think about it. Commercialisation of any OS surely will lead to a monopoly. Whether the monopoly will necessarily be as evil as Microsoft is an open question, but there's no reason for it not to be.

    The only hope for the future of computing is for proprietary OSs (libraries, basically) not to exist. Any standalone product is probably OK, but as long as you can wield monopoly power, someone will.

  • heheh... there is no Banshee PCI cards just AGP.
    Let me guess... this is a troll.
  • It would be great if there was a C/C++ IDE for linux out there. I work with Visual C++ 6 alot, and the IDE is actually quite good. IMHO it is one of the few solid products that M$ offers. XEmacs with gdb just doesn't cut it for me.
  • ...therefore YOU must be crap.
  • Well, I'd just like to say I haven't seen anything like the BeOS since the Amiga days with its crowd.

    People find developing for the BeOS to be very euphoric. Out of all the C++ APIs out there, its probably got the least amount of "base class fragility" in it. The whole API is threaded out the wazoo, and the "responsiveness" of the system is testament to how well the light processes work when used with a proper process model. I know that they are the first to bring to market a system with as much evolution in the OS. And I really don't have to know jack about deadlocks/staravation to make a multithreaded app.

    And it doesn't stop just there. The file system is actually designed to not just store files, but also metadata about those files for the user to use.

    And what about the BeOS developer community? They are an active bunch who do things like write drivers, port Mozilla, and write all sorts of software to make their experience better. And Be is thier in their cathedral, taking the BeOS in the direction of their vision, while being actively involved in assisting the developer community and incorporating their needs into that vision.

    BeOS developers don't fuss about not having the source for their software. They know that, right now, they are the ones who make the BeOS a success. And Be treats them like gold as a sign of that respect.

    That's the situation right now, and that's the only thing that really matters. All else is speculation. I use GNU/Linux and feel like information should be free, but I repsect the autonomy of Be Inc. to choose whatever liscense they please.
  • It amazes me how so many people can comment
    on Be who have not run it.

    My initial introduction to Be was at a macworld
    a few years back. Being the weenie I am, I like
    to break demo systems by pushing them a bit.

    So I walk up to the BeBox (dual 603e at the time)
    and go, "well this looks nice, but does it really suck less?", and start up a few demo apps.

    I eventually find a movie and start it up.
    Plays nice at full screen, but im wondering if
    this new OS can deal with memory management and
    scheduling.

    So I start up 10 more windowed ones.
    To my amazement they all run simultaneously
    with NO slowdown.

    At this point the demo guy walks over and scoffs
    "Thats ALL you can do?" and proceeds to start
    up about 40 more.

    Observe my evil grin as they not only run
    but run fast! I swear if I had the money to
    fork out for one of those boxes I would have
    singned up on the spot.

    Try that in windows, or Linux (heh xanim),
    or anything other then a highend SGI and tell
    me what happens. (As if you dont already know)

    Moral? Dont knock it till youve tried it.

    Chris
  • this 31337 abbreviation used around? (I'm not a native English speaker. Guess it some slang?)
  • Their main product is completely incompatible with Windows.

    .... is INCORRECT! Thank you for contributing. R4 has read and write access to FAT/FAT32 partitions. You can even run Windows apps (painfully slowly so far) using BOCHS.

    But it is not Free Software.

    Well, yes and no. The OS is (as has been exhaustively researched) not Open Source, nor Free as in Beer. But there are many apps that have been made and are being made for Be that are both Speech and Beer. And the demo CD is pretty cheap as far as Beer goes.

    All Linux has to do is get *good enough*...

    Ah, the clarion call of the mediocre. Now THAT'S a standard to strive for. I understand your point that "Even though Linux rocks ass, it wouldn't even need to, to beat Windows, since it's free" but you seem to be giving Linux the short end of the stick with your point.

    And I laugh out loud thinking of my next trolling response (in this forum) to:
    Most people won't spend extra money for software that's a *little* better than what they already have.

    Response: Good thing Linux is free, then.

    And it's also the reason that BeOS will explode beyond its niche. Because it easily beats Windows for price/performance. Hardware support is coming along nicely (it's The Big Priority), and apps are beginning to pop up all over the place. It's a fun place. And we'd love to have you stop by sometime.

  • Is this what we'll see in the future for client/server apps and corporate LANs?

    Maybe that's what the folks at Be have in mind.
  • The gIDE project for GNOME looks very promising. I think the url is http://gide.pn.org

  • The real question is: Why would any Windows users want to use the Gimp when they can use Photoshop 5, which makes the Gimp look like a bad joke? I guess it's nice that Windows users actually have that choice, though.

    Cheers,
    ZicoKnows@hotmail.com

  • I have to say this:

    BeOS is *mainly* free, compared to other OSes (besides linux), has saved me and many others quite a bit of money. Be isn't dead and Linux isn't dead. I'm willing to shell out $10,000 instead of $50,000.

    Just a little logic.
  • I have to say this:

    BeOS is *mainly* free, compared to other OSes (besides linux), has saved me and many others quite a bit of money. Be isn't dead and Linux isn't dead. I'm willing to shell out $10,000 instead of $50,000.

    Think about it, people make GOOD products because THEY can invest money in new technology, THEY can find a better use of intelligence. Just a reminder, parallel ports came out in the 70s. Linux still can't handle USB. Thats OSS for you.

    Just a little logic.
  • CodeWarrior is still the toolset that Be includes for doing development on PowerPC BeOS machines.

    Of course, the way things are currently heading, it looks like the PowerPC machines will be a declining percentage of BeOS machines.

    I would've like to see Be use a more recent version of CodeWarrior's x86 compilers for the BeOS, but then again, I'm biased.

    Mark
  • didnt you get, hes got everything he wants in windows ?
    im sure youre one of those windows users, who realized theres something out there called linux
    which is kewler than windows and are now bashing on windows in favor of linux without knowing anything of it. are you a developping hero ?
    or just a downloader ?

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