Eclipse is an open-source framework for all types of software development and is gaining rapid adherence in the embedded world. But since Eclipse originally targeted enterprise software, Wind River proposed DSDP last year to add device software support. The move has resulted in several projects, involving a number of contributors and some 555,000 lines of open-source code.

The DSDP projects include Target Management 1.0, which aims to create data models and frameworks to manage remote devices; the Embedded Rich Client Platform (eRCP) 1.0, which extends the Eclipse RCP to the embedded space; and the Mobile Tools for Java (MTJ) 0.7 platform, which supports mobile-device Java application development.

The announcement is the most significant since the launch of DSDP, said Doug Gaff, project management committee lead for DSDP and engineering manager for Wind River's Workbench tool suite. "We're officially announcing the availability of code, so you can start downloading and using it in commercial products," he said.

"Eclipse came out of Java mostly for enterprise development, and we've always had an eye to doing embedded software," said Ian Skerrett, director of marketing for the Eclipse Foundation. "DSDP is really an effort to target specific functionalities that are unique in the device and embedded space." The 1.0 releases, he said, "signal to the community that the framework and tools are ready for production use."

Many integrated development environments (IDEs) are now based on Eclipse. Venture Development Corp.'s most recent survey of embedded developers showed that 17 percent were using Eclipse-based tools and that 43 percent expected to be using them within two years, said analyst Matt Volckmann.

DSDP, Volckmann said, will benefit developers of all types of embedded systems, from traditional embedded markets to mobile phones. Aside from Wind River, he said, active participants include IBM, Nokia, Motorola, Fujitsu, ARM, MontaVista, Mentor Graphics, Palmsource, Symbian, QNX, Freescale, Intel and Texas Instruments.