 |
 |
Monday
December 20, 2004
From: EDACafe
|
|
|
|
|
|
About This Issue
|
|
Free Software
|
|
December 13 - 17, 2004 By Dr. Jack Horgan
|
|
Read business product alliance news and analysis of weekly happenings
|
|
|
Introduction
Two weeks ago I wrote a commentary on Pirated Software. In the introduction I identified several source of legally free software including shareware, user group offerings, commercial freebies such as conversion tools from competing databases and open source software. I wanted to return to this topic because some significant events have occurred in this area recently. This commentary describes free software from Google, Sun Microsystems, Mozilla, SofJin, and OpenAccess.
Google
Google, Yahoo! and other search engine companies provide a free service rather than software. On December 14th Google announced that it is working with the libraries of Harvard, Stanford, the University of Michigan, and the University of Oxford as well as The New York Public Library to digitally scan books from their collections so that users worldwide can search them in Google. This announcement is an expansion of the Google Print program, which assists publishers in making books and other offline information searchable online. Google is now working with libraries to digitally scan books from their collections, and over time will integrate this content into the Google index, to make it searchable for users worldwide.
Clicking on a title delivers a Google Print page where users can browse the full text of public domain works and brief excerpts and/or bibliographic data of copyrighted material. Library content will be displayed in keeping with copyright law.
On The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Paul LeClair, President of NY Public Library said “For the first time the New York Public Library and many other libraries will be able to bring very substantial portions of their collections in public domain to a worldwide audience 24/7. That strikes me as the beginning of a substantial revolution in the way that we can distribution information to a global audience. ... This will blow open things in ways that are hard to even imagine over the next decade.”
SUN Solaris 10
In mid-November Sun announced that it would be offering Solaris 10 operating system for free. This is after investing roughly $500 million and years of development time on its next-generation operating system. The software will be downloadable from the Sun web sites (>850 megabytes) or available on CDs for around $90 dollars. Sun will provide security updates in the free version but will charge an annual subscription fee for bug fixes and support. The per-processor, per-year subscription will cost $120 for bug fixes, $240 for 12-hour support five days a week and $360 for 24-hour support seven days a week.
Sun will also create an open-source project around its Solaris 10 operating system by the end of the year. The open-source project is aimed at developers and academics that will be able to make modifications to the code. The work done by Sun engineers will constitute the core operating system. For future versions, Sun will pick from the additions submitted by other project participants while ensuring that Solaris does not split into different, incompatible versions. Sun will release some proprietary third party code such as device drivers as binaries.
Sun also intends to include a software addition called Janus with Solaris 10, which will enable Linux applications to run on Solaris unchanged.
Solaris 10 new features include
N1 Grid Containers
Support for 64-bit x86 processors
Predictive self-healing
FireEngine, revamped networking code
Process Rights Management to help thwart hackers
DTrace, a diagnostic tool for system administrators
|
Sun has recently submitted its Common Development and Distribution License (CDDL) to the Open Source Initiative (OSI) lending speculation that the Mozilla-based licensing model would also open source Solaris. Some critics complain that this will have conflicts with GPL (GNU General Public License) which governs Linux and this might discourage developers form participating in the Open Solaris project. The poropsed license contains the following: “Any Covered Software that You distribute or otherwise make available in Executable form must also be made available in Source Code form and that Source Code form must be distributed only under the terms of this License.”
Why is Sun Microsystems doing this? The answer probably lies in its financial performance as shown in the figure and table below.
SUN Revenue Fiscal 200 thru F2004 ending July
As the graph shows product revenues have been falling. Increasing service revenue has kept the total revenue comparatively flat for a couple of years but down considerably from three and four years ago.
WW Server Revenue and Unit Estimates for 3Q04
$Million
Source Gartner
Sun's market share in servers has also taken a hit. The operating software expense impacts total cost of ownership. Sun does not appear among the top five PC vendors.
History of UNIX
The history of UNIX goes back to the sixties. Computer scientist at Bell Labs, then part of AT&T, and GE joined an effort underway at MIT on what was called the Multics (Multiplexed Information and Computing Service) mainframe timesharing system. Bell Labs withdrew from the effort in 1969 but a small band of users at Bell Labs Computing Science Research Center in Murray Hill forged went off on their own. Ken Thompson, one of the scientists, had developed a computer game called "Space Travel" that simulated the motion of the planets in the solar system. He ported it to a DEC PDP-7. As he strove to create an environment where this game could be both played and developed, the components
of an operating system began to emerge. The system was ported to a PDP-11. The first practical use of the system was to support the Bell Labs Patent Administration. The name 'UNIX' is not an acronym but rather a somewhat treacherous pun on 'Multics'. The first version of UNIX was written in assembler language but evolved through B, an interpreted language, and finally to C, a high-level complied language.
The UNIX operating systems leaked out of Bell Labs to universities, research institutes, government bodies and commercial companies.
The UNIX operating system can be viewed as three concentric rings, namely,
- The kernel, which schedules tasks and manages storage;
- The shell, which connects and interprets users' commands, calls programs from memory, and executes them; and
- The tools and applications that offer additional functionality to the operating system
|
The features that made UNIX attractive then and now were
- Multitasking capability
- Multiuser capability
- Portability
- UNIX programs
- Library of application software
|
In the mid seventies AT&T began to license UNIX at little or no cost. Over time several commercial versions of UNIX were introduced including
HP-UX Hewlett Packard
IRIX SGI
AIX IBM
SunOS SUN Microsystems, Solaris is SunOS plus tools
Ultrix Digital Equipment
SCO UNIX Santa Crux Operations (SCO)
Xenix Microsoft
|
As one might suspect, these different versions had interoperability problems as vendors added enhancement and extensions to differentiate their products in the marketplace. Application developers seeking to provide solutions on multiple hardware platforms had to acquire multiple hardware environments with associated software tools to both develop and test their code.
At the University of California at Berkley the Berkeley Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG), funded by DARPA, became the most important source of Unix development outside of Bell Labs. Bill Joy SUN co-founder worked there. The efforts at the university led to a flavor of UNIX know as BSD (Berkeley Software Distribution) UNIX as distinct from the AT&T version knows as System III and later as System V. The BSD version was seen as more experimental and innovative. This led to the “UNIX” wars.
AT&T and SUN, the leading advocate of the BSD version, announced a pact to try and unify the market. However, other vendors were concerned. They joined together to form the Open Software Foundation (OSF). The AT&T/SUN group formed UNIX International.
In the end System V won the standards wars. However, System V incorporated many BSD innovations, so that the end result was more of a merger of the two versions.
In 1993, AT&T sold its UNIX System Laboratory to Novell. In 1994 Novell transferred the rights to the UNIX trademark and the specification (that subsequently became the Single UNIX Specification) to The Open Group (at the time X/Open Company). The Open Group defines itself as a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium and has a vision of “Boundaryless Information Flow” achieved through global interoperability in a secure, reliable and timely manner. In 1995 Novell also sold the source code and the product implementation (UNIXWARE) to SCO.
Although Linux is UNIX-like its code is not a derivative of UNIX. It has been alleged that some UNIX code has found its way into Linux. This is the basis of several well publicized actual and threatened lawsuits filed by SCO.
Today, the definition of UNIX ® takes the form of the worldwide Single UNIX Specification integrating X/Open Company's XPG4, IEEE's POSIX Standards and ISO C. Through continual evolution, the Single UNIX Specification is the defacto and dejure standard definition for the UNIX system application programming interfaces. Since the introduction of the Single UNIX Specification, there has been a single, open, consensus specification that defines the requirements for a conformant UNIX system.
There is also a mark, or brand, that is used to identify those products that have been certified as conforming to the Single UNIX Specification, initially UNIX 93, followed subsequently by UNIX 95, UNIX 98 and now UNIX 03.
Mozilla Firefox
In early November Mozilla announced the availability of the Firefox 1.0 web browser. Firefox is a free, open-source web browser for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X and is based on the Mozilla codebase. Over eight million people downloaded a highly successful Preview Release. There have been 5.6 million downloads of Firefox 1.0 in the first two weeks and 10 million downloads in the first month after being made available on the Internet.
Major new features In Firefox include
Integrated Pop-up Blocking
Online Fraud Protection - helps users protect against "phishing" and "spoofing"
Faster, Easier, More Accessible Search - support for leading search services into the toolbar, including Google search, Yahoo!, eBay
More Efficient Browsing - Tabbed Browsing
Extensible with Hundreds of Add-ons
Easy Migration - from Internet Explorer and other browsers
|
Firefox is said to be more secure than Internet Explorer from Microsoft. There is no support for VBScript and ActiveX, two technologies which are the reasons for many IE security holes. Firefox doesn't use Microsoft's Java VM, which has a history of more flaws than other Java VMs. Spyware/adware software can not automatically install in Firefox just by visiting a web site. It is not integrated with Windows, which helps prevent viruses and hackers from causing damage if they somehow manage to compromise Firefox.
In January 1998 Netscape Communications Corporation enabled users to download the Netscape Communicator client The firm also initiated an “Unlimited Distribution” program that enabled OEMs, ISPs, Web content providers, software developers and so forth download and redistribute Netscape Communicator and Netscape Navigator easily with "no strings attached." The company further offered the source code of Communicator for free.
In July 2003 the Mozilla Foundation was established with support (a pledge of $2 million) from America Online's Netscape division to provide organizational, legal, and financial support for the Mozilla open-source software project. The Mozilla Foundation will continue and expand on the efforts of mozilla.org, the group managing the daily operations of the Mozilla project since its inception. Mozilla.org provides open source Internet client software that includes a browser, mail and news functionality, and a toolkit for developing web-based applications.
Mozilla was the original code name for the product that came to be known as Netscape Navigator, and later, Netscape Communicator. Mozilla was also the name of dinosaur-like company mascot.
SofJin
In early November SofJin released a free suite of IC design layout data exchange libraries and tools for use by IC designers and EDA product companies. This includes GDSII and OASIS readers, writers and GDSII-to-OASIS translator, in source code form. The software suite named Anuvad includes one of the earliest available tools to handle the OASIS format. OASIS (Open Artwork System Interchange Standard), promoted by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), is a new and much more compact format that is slated to replace GDSII as the standard data format used for exchanging layout data. The GDSII and OASIS reader and writer libraries enable users to develop their own
post layout analysis, editing, mask data preparation and other DFY/DFM tools. There is also a suite of utilities developed using the GDSII and OASIS libraries in source code form. The license agreement enables users to use, enhance and modify the source code to develop their own tools and utilities for internal as well as commercial use.
SoftJin is an EDA software development services company, founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bangalore, India, that develops EDA tools for the specific requirements of semiconductor and EDA companies. SoftJin has a 40 member team software development team.
According to Mr Nachiket Urdhwareshe, CEO of SoftJin, “The Anuvad suite's release shall complement SoftJin's customized EDA software development service offerings in the physical design automation, post-layout data processing and mask data preparation domain. Specifically, our aim is to be the leading player in providing customized post-layout tools as well as point tools based on OASIS. We have the capability to develop the tools that use the native features of OASIS format, thus extracting the maximum data size reduction, efficient data handling and other benefits enabled by the OASIS format."
SoftJin also offers Allied services including Design Flow services and Hardware Design and Verification services.
In this case, presumably, the motivation for offering this code for free is publicity, like this article. Potential clients learn about SoftJin and can examine the source code as a quick way to qualify a potential developer.
Note that in June Mentor Graphics announced that it will make a GDS-to-OASIS translation utility available free of charge to promote the adoption of the new OASIS standard. Also OASIS Tooling, Inc. introduced in October 2004 the Mosaic Translator, an OpenAccess-to-OASIS translator in the industry. Mosaic Translator, which is available for free until June 2005, converts design data into mask layout data far more efficiently than GDSII.
OpenAccess
OpenAccess is a community-driven initiative, which provides an interoperability platform for complex IC design based on a common, open and extensible architecture. This is done through an open standard data access interface (API) in C++ and reference database implementation supporting that API. The Cadence Genesis database and API forms the technology base for OpenAccess.
The OpenAccess Coalition is managed under the auspices of Si2. Si2 was founded in 1988 as CAD Framework Initiative, Inc. Si2 defines itself as an organization of industry-leading companies in the semiconductor, electronic systems and EDA tool industries that is focused on improving productivity and reducing cost in creating and producing integrated silicon systems. Si2 believes that through collaborative efforts, the industry can achieve higher levels of systems-on-silicon integration while reducing the cost and complexity of integrating future design systems.
Membership in Si2 is open to any company or subsidiary associated with system-on-chip design or development including ASIC, EDA, semiconductor and systems. Corporate Members pay an annual fee based on the company's sales revenue from the previous year. This ranges from a low of $1,500 for a firm with prior year revenues of $5 million or less to a high of $20,000 for a firm with revenues over $150 million. Coalition members gain early access to planned and future releases as well as the ability to participate in projects. Currently there are over 60 member companies.
Members are granted a perpetual license, with production / re-distribution rights in accordance with Si2's Internal Use and Distribution Agreement. A “General Release” is made available approximately 9-months following each “Member Release”. OpenEDA will continue to allow non-member downloads to encourage adoption through learning and evaluation, but with licensing restrictions that require membership for commercial, production use.
The benefit to small EDA companies is that they can focus on specific application development rather than on creating significant infrastructure thereby getting to market much quicker. The benefit to larger companies is simpler integration of their offerings into the design flow of prospective customers.
WHY FREE?
What is the motivation for companies to offer free software? Undoubtedly there are some individuals and even some companies that are acting from altruistic motives such as “the good of the industry”. Still, this can be hard to explain to stockholders. Some firms offer free readers in order to build an audience for materials created with their authoring tools. Some firms provide converters or translators to enable their products to coexist with competing or complementary products and to facilitate migration to their own products. Some firms do this to create awareness and to generate positive PR. Google et al offer “eyeballs” to firms who advertise on the website. Some firms donate
software to consortia in the hope and belief that adoption of the software will make them more competitive as they have the most experience with the underlying technology and code and as their other products are the most compatible. Some firms provide free or low cost software in the hope of winning large service contracts. Some firm have built substantial business around open source software by providing easy to install versions, training, documentation, support and consulting. There is nothing very Machiavellian about these practices. It is all very transparent.
One has to question whether the availability of increasing amounts of free and valuable software will undercut the economic value of software in the minds of prospective customers.
Weekly Highlights
EDA
Protel 2004 Supercharged with over 150 New Features
Nassda Granted Patent for Hybrid Circuit Timing Analysis
Agilent Technologies and Synopsys Announce Industry-First Scan Diagnostics Reference Methodology
Celoxica Upgrades ESL Design Portfolio
Toshiba Supports Cadence Encounter RTL Compiler for ASIC Design Flow; Cadence Synthesis Enables Smooth Transition to Successful Tapeout
NEC Implements Leading-Edge 90nm Vector Supercomputer Chipset with Cadence Encounter
Celoxica Introduces PixelStreams Platform for Streaming Video Processing
Synopsys Galaxy Design Platform Enables First-Pass Silicon Success of Winbond's Latest MPEG-4 Multimedia Chips
Virage Logic Announces Qualification of Embedded Non-Volatile Memory on Tower Semiconductor's 180-nm CMOS Logic Process
Nascentric Names Vess Johnson CEO, Frank Childers VP of Field Operations
OEA International Announces Spiral Inductor Synthesis
IP and SoC
Fairchild Semiconductor Delivers the Smallest Footprint Complementary MOSFET Device to Break the 1 Amp Continuous Current Barrier
Conexant Accelerates Reduction of Customer Inventory, Driving Lower First Fiscal Quarter Outlook; Company Expects Consumption of $50 Million in Channel Inventory
National Semiconductor Expands Precision Line With Three High Common-Mode Difference Amplifiers
North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts November 2004 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 1.00
Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Equipment Spending to Decline by 15 Percent in 2005; Spending in 2004 on Track for 61 Percent Growth
Virtual Silicon's Mobilize Named as Finalist for DesignCon Design Vision Award; Industry-Leading Power Management IP Recognized as a Significant Product Innovation
Cypress MicroSystems Introduces the Smallest, Most Highly Integrated PSoC Device
Atmel Targets PC Drives and DVD Recorders with Introduction of New High-speed Laser Diode Drivers
Atmel's AM/FM Front-end IC T4260 Receives iBiquity Certification for HD Radio(TM) Receivers
NVIDIA Introduces New GeForce 6200 With TurboCache
Zarlink's Low-Density Circuit Emulation-over-Packet Processors Target Fast Growing Metro Ethernet and Wireless Networks
Matrix Semiconductor Appoints Tom Goodrich to Board of Directors
TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc. to Acquire TFR Technologies, Inc.
Intel Names New Vice Presidents
Cypress Ships Programmable PREMIS Spread Spectrum Clock Oscillator With Embedded High-Frequency Crystal
Conexant Introduces MPEG-2 Audio/Video Encoder for Worldwide Consumer Electronics Applications
Enuclia Semiconductor(TM) Raises $5.3 Million in Series A Financing From Sevin Rosen Funds and BA Venture Partners
Ambric, Inc. Adds Industry Veterans to its Start-up Team; New Fabless Semiconductor Company Adds VP of Architecture and Director of IP
Atmel and Thales Navigation Sign Technology Agreement to Build Advanced, Affordable, GPS Chipsets
Altera's First FPGA Lab in India Opens at the Indian Institute of Science
LSI Logic Enables BBK Electronics' Entry Into DVD Recorder Market With DoMiNo(TM) DVD Processor
National Semiconductor Adds Active Filter Designer and Precision Amplifiers to WEBENCH Online Design Environment
More EDA in the News and More IP & SoC News
Upcoming Events...
--Contributing Editors can be reached by clicking here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
