More announcements. Looks like good news to me.
Ray
Tuesday November 3, 4:30 pm Eastern Time
Company Press Release
SOURCE: Insignia Solutions, Inc.
Insignia Delivers JENE, Java Environment for
Embedded Systems, to First Beta Customers
Small, Fast and Predictable Embedded Virtual Machine Makes Java Viable For the
Embedded Systems Market
SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Insignia Solutions(R) (Nasdaq: INSGY - news), a leading provider
of virtual machine technology, today publicly unveiled JENE(TM), its implementation of Java(TM) for embedded
systems at the Embedded Systems Conference in San Jose, California. The company kicked off a beta program
to allow developers to begin using JENE, as well as the Embedded Virtual Machine(TM) (EVM(TM)), a key
component of JENE. Insignia believes that JENE and its EVM truly address the specific requirements of
embedded developers, making Java viable for the embedded systems market for the first time.
Many multi-billion dollar companies build numerous embedded products for various markets. A few examples
include, AT&T, Eastman Kodak, Fujitsu, HP, Hitachi, IBM, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Philips Electronics,
Samsung and Toshiba. Insignia has met privately with many of these companies and the response to JENE has
been overwhelmingly positive. All of these companies have expressed a commitment to use Java.
''A viable implementation of Java for embedded systems has been highly anticipated since the first introduction of
Java a few years ago. So far, suitable implementations have been elusive because of the barriers associated with
optimizing system performance with limited memory,'' said Richard Noling, President and Chief Executive Officer
of Insignia Solutions. ''There is a huge interest among developers for an implementation of Java that is suitable for
embedded applications. Because of our heritage over the last 10 years as a provider of resource-efficient virtual
machines, we were in a unique position to overcome these barriers and take advantage of this pent-up demand.
We believe JENE and its Embedded Virtual Machine enable a new era in Java development and that they will
make a profound contribution to the embedded systems market.''
''Fueled by the tremendous growth of the Internet and the demand for Internet-connected devices, Java has
become the software language and platform of choice, and its specification is well-suited for embedded systems,''
said Ronald C. Workman, Insignia's senior vice president of marketing and an expert in the embedded systems
market. ''But current implementations of Java have not been suitable for development of embedded systems. The
EVM's unique technologies, like its concurrent garbage collector, and adaptive optimizing dynamic compiler result
in a Java virtual machine with a small memory footprint, fast execution and predictable behavior. These attributes
make Java viable for embedded systems for the first time.''
''Java virtual machines and clones have had to wrestle with the problems of garbage collection and efficient
dynamic compilation within suitable memory constraints,'' said Paul Zorfass, principal embedded analyst with
International Data Corporation/First Technology Inc. ''If Insignia's implementation of Java for embedded systems
can overcome these drawbacks and is truly small, fast and predictable, it will make the benefits of Java a reality
for embedded developers. If beta customers validate Insignia's technology, it could fuel a whole new level of Java
development activity for the embedded marketplace.''
JENE SPECIFICATIONS
JENE is designed to comply with the industry specification for EmbeddedJava(TM) and is comprised of two
primary and complementary components: JENE(TM)Runtime and JENE(TM)Suite. JENERuntime consists of the
highly configurable and tunable Embedded Virtual Machine (EVM) and JENE(TM)Class, embedded class
libraries. JENESuite consists of JENE(TM)Build, build-time tools for editing, compiling and browsing Java
applications, and JENE(TM)Debug, runtime debug utilities, including an event monitor, memory use analyzer,
code coverage analyzer and performance profiler.
EVM SPECIFICATIONS
EVM is Small
Embedded systems developers wish to minimize the amount of memory that is
needed for their applications to run. However, they are not prepared to
compromise performance in order to achieve this. Insignia's EVM can be
configured to include or exclude certain components in the EVM, and individual
components may be tuned to provide the optimal use of memory on the embedded
device. Also, Insignia's adaptive optimizing dynamic compiler adapts its
execution to the amount of memory that is available. For example, it can
generate multiple versions of a code fragment for optimal performance when
memory is plentiful, or a single version may be generated when memory is
limited.
EVM is Fast
Insignia's EVM is based on technology and algorithms developed, refined and matured through four generations
of Insignia's virtual machine products. Bytecode execution is based on a sophisticated combination of
interpretation and dynamic compilation. The compilation and optimization strategies adapt themselves to the
behavior of the embedded application and to the resources that are available. The adaptive optimizing dynamic
compilation is designed to optimize the critical trade-offs: what to compile, when to compile, how to compile and
what to optimize. Individual settings for the components of the EVM may be tuned for optimal execution of the
Java application on a given embedded system platform. For example, the number and size of code buffers can be
tuned for best performance.
EVM is Predictable
Java requires the automatic recycling of memory. However, this ''garbage collection'' procedure is extremely
difficult to implement on embedded devices where resources are limited and predictable behavior is paramount.
Insignia has solved this problem with a unique concurrent garbage collector that recycles memory incrementally.
Rather than pausing the device for large blocks of time, the concurrent garbage collector runs in parallel with the
main application and performs its service in tiny, incremental steps, allowing the embedded device to perform its
primary function between the almost imperceptible pauses.
Availability
JENE is initially available on VxWorks, Windows NT and Windows CE, and for Hitachi SH, Intel x86 and
MIPS, with more planned to follow. Insignia also offers various services and technology licensing arrangements to
port JENE to other platforms to help developers migrate their applications to future platforms more easily.
Insignia Solutions
Insignia Solutions is a leading provider of virtual machine technology that dynamically optimizes the use of
available system resources. JENE, Insignia's implementation of Java specifically designed for embedded systems,
allows developers to create reliable, efficient and predictable embedded devices that are enabled by the
Company's Embedded Virtual Machine. The Company's PC virtual machines, SoftWindows and RealPC(TM),
enable Windows(R) and DOS applications to run on Macintosh and UNIX desktops. The publicly held
Company's U.S. headquarters are in Fremont, California, and its main R&D facilities are in High Wycombe,
England. Sales and Marketing departments are located in Fremont and High Wycombe. For additional
information on Insignia and its products, call 800-848-7677 in the United States and 44-1429-855-020 in
Europe, or visit the Company's Web site at insignia.com.
NOTE: Insignia Solutions and Insignia are registered trademarks of Insignia Solutions Inc. Embedded Virtual
Machine, EVM, JENE, JENEBuild, JENEClass, JENEDebug, JENERuntime, JENESuite, and RealPC are
trademarks of Insignia Solutions Inc. SoftWindows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and other countries, and is used by Insignia under license from owner. Java and EmbeddedJava are trademarks
of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Java and Embedded Java are trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. Windows is a
registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Mac and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple
Computer, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. All other
brand names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this press release relating to matters that are not historical are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements include the anticipated timing of product
releases, the expected customer demand for existing and new products, the expected revenue from product sales,
the growth of the market for the Company's products, and the market demand for JENE. Actual results could
differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to define,
develop, design, market and support an Embedded Virtual Machine (EVM) product or that such product will be
accepted by customers. The Company's business is subject to a variety of other risks and uncertainties that
include, but are not limited to, rapid technological changes in the industry, increased competition, and timely
introduction and customer acceptance of the Company's products. These and other risks and uncertainties are
further described in the Company's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1997 and will be described
from time to time in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. |
