PRODUCT HOW-TO: Doing embedded design with an Eclipse-based IDE

Step-by-step, Express Logic's John Carbone describes how to use the Ecipse-based BenchX Integrated Development Environment to do embedded systems design.

By John Carbone, Express Logic
Embedded.com (12/16/08, 12:30:00 AM EST)

The open-source Eclipse movement has become a major factor in the software industry largely because it offers developers a free comprehensive Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and the ability to take advantage of a large number of free or inexpensive add-in productivity tools.

Thanks to the broad provisions of the Eclipse framework, it is possible to create an optimized-for-embedded Eclipse IDE at a price point in line with the open-source philosophy.

By combining Eclipse, the GNU C/C++ toolchain, and a host-target debug probe in a complete, integrated, and commercially supported package, Express Logic has delivered BenchX, an enhanced, embedded-optimized, Eclipse-based IDE, which can be licensed for only $1,000 per developer seat.

As shown in Figure 1 below, this IDE combines an embedded optimized Eclipse IDE, GNU C/C++ compiler and toolchain, and a host-target debug probe in a complete, integrated, and commercially supported package.

Figure 1. Combining Eclipse with GNU and a host debug probe

To simplify the multiple perspectives found in Eclipse/CDT, a single "Embedded Perspective" provides all the necessary view windows relevant to embedded system development. This greatly reduces the complexity of using Eclipse for embedded systems.