SoftConsole Version 2.2: new version of embedded system SDE from Actel for FPGAs

Actel has released SoftConsole version 2.2, the new version of free development environment for embedded design using FPGAs. This new version includes enhanced capabilities for debug and the downloading of programs, including a new flash loader, and support for the Microsoft Vista operating system. SoftConsole aids software engineers to write and debug C and C++ programs targeted at Actel's portfolio of embedded processors, including ARM Cortex-M1 and Core8051s.

"System designers using the new SoftConsole version 2.2 with our embedded processor cores will directly benefit from improved usability and faster time-to-market," said Tom Moore, Actel's director of IP engineering. "Actel is the only FPGA provider to offer the ARM Cortex-M1 embedded processor free of licensing and royalties."

SoftConsole version 2.2 is based on familiar and widely used open-source tools, including the CodeSourcery ARM7 and Cortex-M1 GNU C Compilers (GCC) and GNU Debugger (GDB), Eclipse IDE, and 8051 Small Device C Compiler (SDCC).

SoftConsole is available for free via download from Actel's website at http://www.actel.com/products/software/softconsole/.