Microchip unveils open-source integrated development environment with cross-platform support for Linux, Mac OS and Windows users

The designers of today's leading-edge embedded applications are demanding an IDE that provides a solid foundation for high-performance, user-friendly and flexible development. They also want it to be compatible with a wide range of development tools for a broad and reliable microcontroller portfolio with easy migration, to decrease the learning curve and protect their tool and code investments. MPLAB X provides a single, unified graphical interface for Microchip and third-party tools, including the MPLAB ICD 3, PICkit 3 and MPLAB REAL ICE debugger/programmers.

By combining the feature-rich MPLAB X IDE with the high-performance and migration-friendly PIC® MCU portfolio, Microchip is taking its industry-leading development support to the next level, said Derek Carlson, Microchip's vice president of Development Systems. Now more than ever, Microchip provides embedded designers with the world's most universal, flexible and easy to use microcontroller development platform.

MPLAB X is based on the Oracle-sponsored open-source NetBeans platform, which has an active user community that can contribute a wide range of enhancements and third-party plug-ins. In fact, Microchip customers can take advantage of a host of free NetBeans software components and plug-ins that exist today. Additionally, the NetBeans platform allows MPLAB X users to customize the IDE to suit their individual development needs.

Microchip has built upon the flexible and open-source NetBeans platform to significantly advance their MPLAB X IDE, said Duncan Mills, senior director Product Management, Oracle. MPLAB X maintains the core benefits of NetBeans, enabling developers to quickly and easily deploy optimized embedded applications.

Microchip is once again living up to its well-earned reputation for providing low-cost yet powerful embedded development platforms for its highly functional and peripheral-rich PIC microcontrollers, said Harold Foster, chief engineer, Accompli Electronic Controls. In fact, Microchip provides the kind of support that is unattainable for its competitors. By moving to an open-source, cross-platform environment with the new MPLAB X IDE, Microchip has raised the bar even higher.

Additional features of the new MPLAB X IDE include:

· Import utility for quick and easy migration of projects from old MPLAB IDE platform

· Code completion and context menus via advanced editor

· Configurable watch window

· Supports multiple compiler versions, simultaneously

· Team collaboration tools for bug tracking and source-code control