McObject Embedded Database Newsletter - January, 2009

Greetings and Happy New Year!

We’re glad to report that 2008 was a year of solid growth for McObject, whether measured by revenue, new customers or enhancements to our embedded database software. The year’s end revealed challenges across the economy, but McObject is well-positioned going into 2009. We look forward to working with you to develop innovative, profitable real-time software solutions.

Following is the latest news on McObject; eXtremeDB, our in-memory and on-disk embedded database system; and Perst, our .NET and Java embedded database system.

Product News

eXtremeDB 4.0 Boosts Embedded Database’s Performance, Flexibility

McObject has released eXtremeDB 4.0 beta, a major upgrade. New features in eXtremeDB 4.0 embedded database system include multi-version concurrency control, which can dramatically improve scalability and performance in real-time applications by enabling separate tasks or processes to access and update the database simultaneously.

eXtremeDB 4.0 also adds a fast, new Uniform Database Access (UDA) application programming interface. This native API consists of a static library of database functions that remains the same across all projects, and complements eXtremeDB’s existing project-specific native API and SQL and ODBC interfaces. In addition, eXtremeDB 4.0’s new k-dimensional tree (KD-Tree) index adds a data structure useful in computer graphics, biometrics, query-by-example (QBE) applications and other specialized applications.

Get more details on eXtremeDB 4.0; developers can sign up to beta test the software at www.mcobject.com/beta.

Perst 4.0 Broadens Scope of Java & .NET Embedded Database

In January, McObject will release Perst 4.0, a major upgrade of its open source, object-oriented embedded database for Java and .NET. In this release, Perst gains the ability it to add persistence to any object. Perst Lite, the Perst edition for the Java ME mobile and embedded environment, gains (among other new features) full text search capability.

Also new in Perst 4.0 is PIMindex, an example application for Java ME and Android that uses full-text search to create a search engine application for contact management files on mobile devices. Read the press release!

Company news

New Web site and eXtremeDB movie

McObject has launched a new Web site, with expanded, easier-to-find product information, streaming webinars and other improvements! Visit www.mcobject.com to check out the changes – and see our new German, Chinese and Japanese Web sites as well.

What’s new on the site? For one thing, a library of articles, going back several years. Browse published content including high-level product introductions, detailed how-to pieces by McObject engineers, and accounts of industry-specific solutions written by customers. (The site has white papers, too.)

Also new on the site, eXtremeDB stars in a short movie introducing its key features and typical uses. Want an overview of eXtremeDB without wading through technical white papers or data sheets? This film has it, with colorful graphics and professional narration.

Customer News

In-Memory Database Scales Massively on Tagged's Social Networking Site

Tagged (www.tagged.com), one of the Web’s largest and fastest-growing social networking sites, has adopted the 64-bit version of McObject's eXtremeDB in-memory database as cache for its most frequently accessed data. McObject’s 64-bit database will host up to 100GB of user data in RAM to support features that help people meet and socialize, while also ensuring continuous operation and data consistency through its data persistence features.

A comprehensive data set is stored permanently in an Oracle DBMS, but by keeping the most frequently used records in memory with eXtremeDB, hits to the Oracle database are avoided and “we’re much, much faster,” said Johann Schleier-Smith, Tagged CTO. For more details see McObject’s press release.

Partner News

eXtremeDB Gains “Ready for IBM Rational” Validation

eXtremeDB™ has received IBM’s “Ready for IBM Rational Software” validation, demonstrating its ability to seamlessly integrate as a plug-in for IBM Telelogic Rhapsody, and enable faster time-to-market of embedded software. With Rhapsody configured to work with eXtremeDB , developers can visually model their application or system, access eXtremeDB’s application programming interfaces (SQL/ODBC or native), and generate code that interacts with the database from within Rhapsody. The eXtremeDB plug-in also adds a handset example project. For more details, see the press release.

McObject Adds China, South Korea Channels

McObject continues to expand in Asia. Dahan Tech, our new distributor in South Korea, specializes in embedded systems software and electronic design automation (EDA). Dahan Tech has a long partnership with Telelogic (IBM), complementing McObject’s relationship, and is strong in key markets including consumer electronics, military and aerospace. In addition, McObject’s Beijing-based Asia Pacific division has contracted with Hwa Create and KLQ Trading to resell McObject software. Real-time embedded specialist Hwa Create has been the No. 1 distributor for Wind River Systems in China since 2000.

Events

Upcoming Live Webinar – Embedded Software: Boost Performance and Minimize Footprint with Specialized Data Indexes

Does your embedded software use indexes to locate data objects? The right index can boost lookup speed logarithmically. But usually the first – and often the only – index considered is the b-tree, due to its near-universal familiarity.

Join us on January 22 for a free live Webinar, in which McObject Founders Steve Graves and Andrei Gorine examine less familiar index types that can be more efficient for your software design, including R-Trees (for GPS/mapping), Patricia tries (router and telephone directory searches), T-trees, hash tables, custom indexes and others. The presentation includes a Q&A session with Steve and Andrei.

[Note - the archived recorded Webinar is available here]

Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference (RTECC)

Santa Clara, CA – Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dallas, TX – Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Boston, MA – Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Ottawa, ON – Thursday, May 21, 2009

Join us at RTECC for the embedded systems industry’s unique, one-day event showcasing the newest products and latest information from innovators! McObject is an exhibitor at the RTECCs listed above, and our CEO, Steve Graves, is featured as a speaker at the Santa Clara, Boston and Ottawa events, on the topic “Memory Management for Embedded Systems.”

RTECC features open-door technical sessions in conjunction with tabletop exhibits. For more information, including hours and locations, see www.rtecc.com. For McObject's updated list of conferences and exhibitions, see our Events page.

Embedded World 2009

March 2 – 5, 2009 – Nuremberg, Germany
Visit McObject in Hall 11, Stand 233

At Embedded World — the World’s largest embedded systems event — McObject demos eXtremeDB 4.0, the new release of its in-memory and on-disk embedded database system. Visit Hall 11, Stand 233 to meet with representatives from McObject and McObject GmbH and learn how new features in eXtremeDB 4.0, such as multi-version concurrency control (MVCC), can dramatically enhance your application’s performance and scalability!

McObject is also represented in booth Hall 11, Stand 125 by Logic Technology, its distributor in the Benelux countries, Scandinavia and the UK.

Embedded World drew a record 675 exhibiting companies last year, plus thousands of attendees. Whether hardware, software, tools or services, the exhibiting companies present the latest solutions from the embedded world on an area of some 30,000 m². Contact McObject to arrange a person-to-person meeting and demo in our booth. For McObject's updated list of conferences and exhibitions, see our Events page.

Embedded Systems Conference, Silicon Valley

Conference Dates: March 30 – April 3, 2009
Exhibition Dates: March 31– April 2, 2009
Location: McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, CA

Visit McObject in booth 344 for demos of eXtremeDB and news on upgrades to our on-disk and in-memory database system!

ESC Silicon Valley brings together system architects, design engineers, suppliers, analysts and media from across the globe, including Asia and the Pacific Rim. It is the place for the embedded community to meet, talk to colleagues, experts and vendors about design goals, and identify solutions to current and upcoming projects. For McObject's updated list of conferences and exhibitions, see our Events page.

In The News

No Operating System Is An Island. Embedded Systems Design, December, 2008. Ryan Kearny, VP of product development at F5 Networks, and McObject Co-Founder and CEO Steve Graves, co-authored this feature article to explore the role of the eXtremeDB in-memory embedded database in F5’s BIG-IP application delivery networking device.

Beyond B-Trees – Benefiting From Non-Vanilla Indexes. Dr. Dobb’s Journal, December, 2008. How can emerging GIS- and location-based services efficiently manage growing volumes geospatial and mapping data? In this technical article, McObject Software Engineer Konstantin Knizhnik describes how R-Tree indexes are one of the most efficient tools for the task. A second section explains user-defined indexes, which are useful, among other scenarios, in creating soundex algorithms that search based on the sound. Examples come from the eXtremeDB embedded database.

SOFTWARE TOOLS: eXtremeDB upgrade has higher performance & KD-Tree database index. Embedded.com, December 16, 2008. The Web’s leading embedded systems portal reports on the latest version of McObject’s on-disk and in-memory database system.

We are committed to keeping the eXtremeDB and Perst development community as informed as possible. If you have any questions or suggestions for our newsletter, please e-mail info@mcobject.com.