Timesys® Announces LinuxLink for Rich Multimedia User Interface Development

Developing embedded Linux based multimedia applications by using free open source tools is extremely complex and time consuming. Simply accessing all the different pieces of software needed and ensuring they work together require Linux expertise and can take months of work. The LinuxLink Rich MUI offering significantly shortens the time spent configuring and compiling distributions by:

* Providing application developers a drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG tool for designing the GUI and cross-building the code to run on the target,
* Offering a library of well-documented, working demos utilizing OpenGL ES, GStreamer, and many Qt Widget and API calls to save weeks of trial and error, and
* Gathering, integrating and testing all the necessary drivers, codecs and API libraries, and reconciling version compatibility. A platform developer can simply select from one of the Rich MUI templates and all the components are already cross-built and linked. LinuxLink generates a bootable platform and complete toolchain.

The LinuxLink Rich MUI solution includes all the software components and tools required to build 2D, 3D, audio- and video-accelerated systems. The offering includes 2D/3D Graphics software development kits (SDKs), Qt framework, drivers for HW accelerated components and GStreamer plugins for audio and video. In addition, the LinuxLink Rich MUI solution includes Timesys TimeStorm — an Eclipse-based IDE that includes Timesys plug-ins for debug and deployment and Qt Designer plug-ins for WYSIWYG GUI design.

Unmetered, expert Linux support from Timesys is included in every subscription of LinuxLink Rich MUI solution to further reduce development time and risk.

Timesys has worked diligently to provide an easy-to-use solution for developing Rich MUI applications for customers utilizing Texas Instruments’ (TI) Sitara™ ARM® microprocessors and DaVinci™ video processors. By taking full advantage of the pre-integrated video and graphics components, developers can shorten development time and focus on building differentiated products by leveraging the rich multimedia capabilities provided by our processors, said Jithu Niruthambath, ARM MPU software and tools marketing manager, TI.

Our longstanding relationship with Timesys has resulted in satisfied customers building graphics-based products on our System on Modules. The new Rich MUI offering from Timesys will allow our customers to easily create new multimedia-capable products and get to market faster, said Eric Harnisch, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Logic PD.

The LinuxLink edition for Rich MUI gives our i.MX customers an easy-to-use Linux development environment that provides the commercial quality tools and support they need to speed and simplify development, said Bernd Lienhard, vice president and general manager of Freescale Semiconductor’s Multimedia Applications Division. The introduction of Timesys’ new LinuxLink product to the broad ecosystem of enablement tools means more options and fast time to market for i.MX customers.

The Rich MUI version of LinuxLink continues our focus on providing easy to use tools for embedded Linux developers, said Atul Bansal, CEO of Timesys. Rich user interfaces are fast becoming pervasive and necessary to maintain differentiation. Manufacturers continue to experience time-to-market and cost pressures while requiring increasingly sophisticated features be added to their devices. Timesys helps cut down the time, risk and cost involved in building these new devices.

The LinuxLink Rich MUI edition will be available starting in October 2010.