TASKING ADDS UNIQUE FEATURES TO ITS DEBUGGER THAT SHORTEN DEBUGGING TIME

Dedham, Mass. — September 27 1999 — TASKING Inc., today announced that it has added a number of new and unique features to the core of its debugger CrossView Pro. The additions make the debugger easier to use and learn, and provide advanced features for the power user. Unique additions include: Data analysis window with scripts to transform the data into graphical output, multiple processor debugging and a new register window that enables SFRs to be configured on the 'fly'. Other new features include improved overall look and feel, and functionality, file system simulation and enhanced breakpoint capability.

"Customers are spending an increasing amount of time in the debug phase of their software development", said Clarke Esler, Product Marketing Manager for TASKING Core Products. "These new additions to CrossView Pro will help to keep that time to a minimum and make the debug phase as fruitful as possible".

The new Graphical Data Analysis feature of the CrossView Pro debugger reduces large sets of data into meaningful visual diagrams to enable quick detection of gross errors in the input signal. The CrossView Pro debugger analyzes the data, according to pre-defined or user-defined specifications, and then displays the data the way you need it. This eliminates the need for the developer to review large files of raw data. Four different analyses are now available: x-t plotting, x-y plotting, FFT power spectrum, and Eye diagram.

With a focus on shortening the time of a debugging session TASKING has added several new features, including:

• Grouping registers into register sets for ease of review with the new register window, eg., floating point registers only or UART register only. Multiple instances of the register window can be displayed. Using symbolic editing the developer can: enter a register value by specifying the meaning of the bits in the register and configure SFRs. The state of the register window can be saved between debug sessions.

• Additional breakpoint capability: A simple mouse click enables or disables breakpoints. Complex breakpoints can be executed on number of cycles or clock ticks. This feature allows the developer to test for example the interrupt response behavior of their program and to identify performance issues.

File System Simulation: File I/O is now performed on the target and simulated on the host. With the regular I/O functions like fopen() and fprintf(), the developer can use files on the host system and the keyboard and screen I/O are redirected to windows in CrossView Pro. Data throughput is high and can be used to provide data for testing and the results stored on the host system.

Availability
The new CrossView Pro features are available now for the DSP56xxx toolset, with other toolsets becoming available in the next few months. Existing customers can get the new release free of charge if they have a maintenance contract otherwise the price is 20% of the product list price. Demo version of the DSP toolset is available on the web at www.tasking.com/DSP56xxx or on CD-ROM from any of their offices or distributors.

About TASKING, Inc.
TASKING is a developer and supplier of integrated software development tools for the embedded systems market and supports a wide range of CISC, RISC, microcontroller and DSP semiconductor technologies in the Telecommunications, Data Communications Automotive, Consumer Electronics and Office Automation markets. TASKING's knowledge of embedded systems results from the merger of three companies BSO, Intermetrics Microsystems and TASKING which are now embedded together to make their customers more successful. The three companies bring over 20 years of experience each, starting in 1974 with BSO pioneering the concept of cross development. Headquartered in Dedham, Mass., TASKING has offices worldwide, located in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Japan and UK. For more information about TASKING visit our web site at www.tasking.com.

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