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I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
KADAK - RTOS PRODUCTS & SERVICES, 2009
KADAK: RTOS Products & Services, 2009
INTERVIEWEE. WILLIAM L. (BILL) RENWICK
PRESIDENT
TEL. 604-734-2796
EMAIL. amxsales@kadak.com
COMPANY. KADAK PRODUCTS LTD.
WEB. http://www.kadak.com/
Q. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself and your responsibilities at
KADAK.
A. I am an electrical engineer by education, a software programmer by practice and a
businessman of necessity. I graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario,
Canada in 1967 and studied for a year in London, UK as an Athlone Fellow. Following my
return to Canada, I joined MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA on TSX) as their
first full-time employee. Over the next ten years I helped that company develop its
embedded systems expertise while it grew to about 70 employees. Today, MDA is best
known for building the Canadian Space Arm, a key part of some 60 Space Shuttle
missions. It was at MDA that I honed my software development skills for what we now
refer to as the embedded product marketplace.
In 1978, I left MDA and founded KADAK Products Ltd. to provide software engineering
services for real-time process control in the gas and oil pipeline industry across Western
Canada. Using these real-time systems as test vehicles, we developed our AMX RTOS,
one of the first multi-tasking kernels to be made commercially available for Zilog Z80 and
Intel 8080 processors. Thereafter, I represented KADAK and AMX on several of the
panels of RTOS experts sponsored by the Embedded Systems Conference during its
formative years.
Throughout KADAK's thirty-year history, I have provided hands-on technical, sales and
corporate leadership, always supported by a small group of extremely dedicated,
knowledgeable and resourceful staff members.
Q. If you would, please give us a very brief, bulleted outline of your products.
What sorts of real-time operating systems (RTOSes), tools, and/or services
does your company offer?
A. AMX® Real-time Multitasking Kernel is a "hard real-time" RTOS for mission critical use.
The KwikNet® TCP/IP Stack adds network protocols for embedded product usage.
I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
All products are delivered with a Configuration Builder, which helps developers
customize the AMX RTOS and KwikNet TCP/IP Stack for their particular application.
The KwikLook™ debug tool provided with the AMX RTOS adds task-awareness to the
software debuggers used to test real-time applications.
Q. What is KADAK’s “unique value proposition” for the embedded systems
engineer or programmer who is considering an embedded RTOS? What do
you and your products do to help him get his product to market faster,
cheaper, better?
A. The strength of KADAK's software products lies in the quality of the product
implementation and the 30 years over which the products have been tried and tested.
Each of KADAK's software products is shipped with a sample program that illustrates the
operation of the product on one or more boards with which the product has been
exercised. These samples often serve as a template for the initial development of the
customer's end product.
The supporting development tools and documentation leave little room for error by the
system designers and programmers. New users find it easy to use our products and focus
on their applications. Previous users buy again because of the reliability that they know
and trust.
KADAK has always been known as the company that responds, whether to a request for
pricing or for technical support.
Q. How are you different as a company from competitors? What sets your
products apart from those of other RTOS companies?
A. KADAK is a responsive corporation. There are not long delays while the developer tries
to find just the right person to handle the query, be it for sales or technical support. We
even receive top marks for our expert assistance following those eleventh hour calls of
anguish when we are asked to explain that elusive "last bug" in the application, even
though KADAK software is not even suspected as a possible cause.
Our documentation is renowned for its quality. Few questions are asked today that have
not been answered in the extensive reference manuals. Our documentation and the
robust nature of our software go a long way to explaining why so few support calls are
received by KADAK's technical staff.
KADAK's AMX RTOS is known as a robust, responsive, real-time kernel well suited for
mission critical use. It has been used in products that have received FAA flight
certification and in medical instruments for open-heart surgery. AMX powered the initial
success of the Palm Pilot and BlackBerry revolution. Today it is found in cell phones of
all stripes that incorporate the MediaTek (formerly Analog Devices Wireless) chipset.
Q. What embedded architectures do you support - e.g., Intel architecture, MIPS,
ARM, PowerPC, etc.?
I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
A. Today, we are most frequently asked to provide our solutions for ARM, PowerPC and
ColdFire. However, we still offer legacy solutions for Intel 80x86 (real and protected
mode), 68000 and MIPS.
Q. What additional software do you offer such as networking, file systems,
TCP/IP, security, IDE, GUIs etc.? What about development tools? Are there
particular partnerships with other software companies that are especially
helpful?
A. In addition to KADAK's AMX RTOS, we offer the KwikNet TCP/IP Stack for those
requiring network features. KwikNet is supported by an extensive set of optional network
protocols, which permit the developer to select only those components required for a
specific project.
KADAK does not provide software development tools (assembler, C/C++ compiler,
librarian, linker, locator, debugger). Instead, KADAK provides out of the box support for
popular tools for each particular processor family from well-known vendors such as ARM
Ltd., FreeScale and IAR. Legacy products still include support for tools from vendors
such as MetaWare, Mentor Graphics, Diab-Data (Wind River) and Microsoft.
KADAK enjoys good third party working relationships with vendors that offer software
products complimentary to KADAK's AMX RTOS and KwikNet TCP/IP Stack. Embedded
file systems are available from EBS Inc. and HCC-Embedded. For products requiring a
custom GUI interface, KADAK recommends the PEG family of graphics solutions from
Swell Software.
Q. How are your products sold? What is a typical fee arrangement? Is it royalty
free? Per unit royalty?
A. KADAK's software products are licensed for the development of a single end product. A
one-time license fee for each developed product is required for distribution of up to
100,000 units of the end product. The license fee increases in steps for higher quantities.
No per-product royalties are charged.
There are no per-seat costs. Hence, one license covers the many designers, engineers and
programmers who may be working on the end product development at a particular site.
The license fee includes full source code for each licensed KADAK software part, together
with 90-days of technical support
Q. Finally, what sort of “try before buy” experiences does your company offer?
Are there free demo downloads, webinars, seminars? What web URL’s can
you point us to for more information?
A. KADAK does not offer free trial versions of its software. All products are shipped with
complete source code and with no time-limited locks.
To assist potential buyers, KADAK provides a wealth of information on its website at
http://www.kadak.com/.
I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
In particular,
for technical reference manuals, go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1510.htm.
for supported processors and boards, go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1210.htm
for timing information, go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1230.htm
for memory footprint sizes , go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1222.htm
Q. Thank you for this product interview.
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
KADAK - RTOS PRODUCTS & SERVICES, 2009
KADAK: RTOS Products & Services, 2009
INTERVIEWEE. WILLIAM L. (BILL) RENWICK
PRESIDENT
TEL. 604-734-2796
EMAIL. amxsales@kadak.com
COMPANY. KADAK PRODUCTS LTD.
WEB. http://www.kadak.com/
Q. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself and your responsibilities at
KADAK.
A. I am an electrical engineer by education, a software programmer by practice and a
businessman of necessity. I graduated from the University of Waterloo in Ontario,
Canada in 1967 and studied for a year in London, UK as an Athlone Fellow. Following my
return to Canada, I joined MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA on TSX) as their
first full-time employee. Over the next ten years I helped that company develop its
embedded systems expertise while it grew to about 70 employees. Today, MDA is best
known for building the Canadian Space Arm, a key part of some 60 Space Shuttle
missions. It was at MDA that I honed my software development skills for what we now
refer to as the embedded product marketplace.
In 1978, I left MDA and founded KADAK Products Ltd. to provide software engineering
services for real-time process control in the gas and oil pipeline industry across Western
Canada. Using these real-time systems as test vehicles, we developed our AMX RTOS,
one of the first multi-tasking kernels to be made commercially available for Zilog Z80 and
Intel 8080 processors. Thereafter, I represented KADAK and AMX on several of the
panels of RTOS experts sponsored by the Embedded Systems Conference during its
formative years.
Throughout KADAK's thirty-year history, I have provided hands-on technical, sales and
corporate leadership, always supported by a small group of extremely dedicated,
knowledgeable and resourceful staff members.
Q. If you would, please give us a very brief, bulleted outline of your products.
What sorts of real-time operating systems (RTOSes), tools, and/or services
does your company offer?
A. AMX® Real-time Multitasking Kernel is a "hard real-time" RTOS for mission critical use.
The KwikNet® TCP/IP Stack adds network protocols for embedded product usage.
I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
All products are delivered with a Configuration Builder, which helps developers
customize the AMX RTOS and KwikNet TCP/IP Stack for their particular application.
The KwikLook™ debug tool provided with the AMX RTOS adds task-awareness to the
software debuggers used to test real-time applications.
Q. What is KADAK’s “unique value proposition” for the embedded systems
engineer or programmer who is considering an embedded RTOS? What do
you and your products do to help him get his product to market faster,
cheaper, better?
A. The strength of KADAK's software products lies in the quality of the product
implementation and the 30 years over which the products have been tried and tested.
Each of KADAK's software products is shipped with a sample program that illustrates the
operation of the product on one or more boards with which the product has been
exercised. These samples often serve as a template for the initial development of the
customer's end product.
The supporting development tools and documentation leave little room for error by the
system designers and programmers. New users find it easy to use our products and focus
on their applications. Previous users buy again because of the reliability that they know
and trust.
KADAK has always been known as the company that responds, whether to a request for
pricing or for technical support.
Q. How are you different as a company from competitors? What sets your
products apart from those of other RTOS companies?
A. KADAK is a responsive corporation. There are not long delays while the developer tries
to find just the right person to handle the query, be it for sales or technical support. We
even receive top marks for our expert assistance following those eleventh hour calls of
anguish when we are asked to explain that elusive "last bug" in the application, even
though KADAK software is not even suspected as a possible cause.
Our documentation is renowned for its quality. Few questions are asked today that have
not been answered in the extensive reference manuals. Our documentation and the
robust nature of our software go a long way to explaining why so few support calls are
received by KADAK's technical staff.
KADAK's AMX RTOS is known as a robust, responsive, real-time kernel well suited for
mission critical use. It has been used in products that have received FAA flight
certification and in medical instruments for open-heart surgery. AMX powered the initial
success of the Palm Pilot and BlackBerry revolution. Today it is found in cell phones of
all stripes that incorporate the MediaTek (formerly Analog Devices Wireless) chipset.
Q. What embedded architectures do you support - e.g., Intel architecture, MIPS,
ARM, PowerPC, etc.?
I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
A. Today, we are most frequently asked to provide our solutions for ARM, PowerPC and
ColdFire. However, we still offer legacy solutions for Intel 80x86 (real and protected
mode), 68000 and MIPS.
Q. What additional software do you offer such as networking, file systems,
TCP/IP, security, IDE, GUIs etc.? What about development tools? Are there
particular partnerships with other software companies that are especially
helpful?
A. In addition to KADAK's AMX RTOS, we offer the KwikNet TCP/IP Stack for those
requiring network features. KwikNet is supported by an extensive set of optional network
protocols, which permit the developer to select only those components required for a
specific project.
KADAK does not provide software development tools (assembler, C/C++ compiler,
librarian, linker, locator, debugger). Instead, KADAK provides out of the box support for
popular tools for each particular processor family from well-known vendors such as ARM
Ltd., FreeScale and IAR. Legacy products still include support for tools from vendors
such as MetaWare, Mentor Graphics, Diab-Data (Wind River) and Microsoft.
KADAK enjoys good third party working relationships with vendors that offer software
products complimentary to KADAK's AMX RTOS and KwikNet TCP/IP Stack. Embedded
file systems are available from EBS Inc. and HCC-Embedded. For products requiring a
custom GUI interface, KADAK recommends the PEG family of graphics solutions from
Swell Software.
Q. How are your products sold? What is a typical fee arrangement? Is it royalty
free? Per unit royalty?
A. KADAK's software products are licensed for the development of a single end product. A
one-time license fee for each developed product is required for distribution of up to
100,000 units of the end product. The license fee increases in steps for higher quantities.
No per-product royalties are charged.
There are no per-seat costs. Hence, one license covers the many designers, engineers and
programmers who may be working on the end product development at a particular site.
The license fee includes full source code for each licensed KADAK software part, together
with 90-days of technical support
Q. Finally, what sort of “try before buy” experiences does your company offer?
Are there free demo downloads, webinars, seminars? What web URL’s can
you point us to for more information?
A. KADAK does not offer free trial versions of its software. All products are shipped with
complete source code and with no time-limited locks.
To assist potential buyers, KADAK provides a wealth of information on its website at
http://www.kadak.com/.
I
NSIDERS’ G
UIDE E
MBEDDED RTOS: P
RODUCT I
NTERVIEWS
In particular,
for technical reference manuals, go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1510.htm.
for supported processors and boards, go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1210.htm
for timing information, go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1230.htm
for memory footprint sizes , go to
http://www.kadak.com/html/kdkp1222.htm
Q. Thank you for this product interview.