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News Release
September 21, 1998

Hitachi Releases the C++ Compiler for H8S and H8/300 Series Microcontrollers

- Total development environment using C++ object-oriented language offered for first time as 8/16-bit microcontroller development environment -

Hitachi, Ltd.(NYSE:HIT) today announced the release of the H8S and H8/300 series C/C++ compiler supporting the C++ language, suited to object-oriented program development, as a development environment for Hitachi 8/16-bit microcontrollers. The new compiler will go on sale in November 1998 in Japan. 

Hitachi has previously developed an optimized C compiler for the H8S and H8/300 series, featuring extended embedding-oriented functions, as a development environment for H8/300L series, H8/300 series, H8/300H series, H8/2000 series, and H8/2600 series microcontrollers, but with the continuing trend toward shorter product development cycles and larger programs, the burden of software development, amendments, and maintenance has increased sharply, and there is a growing demand for support for the C++ object-oriented language, with its excellent program reusability and serviceability characteristics. At the same time, there is a need for further improvement in ROM efficiency for embedded applications. 

The newly developed H8S and H8/300 series C/C++ compiler conforms to ANSI*1/ISO standard C++ language specifications, and offers program development that exploits the C++ features of program reusability and serviceability. The new compiler also conforms to Embedded C++*2language specifications through support for Embedded C++ specification options and an Embedded C++ class library. 

Hitachi Debugging Interface (HDI) running in a MicrosoftR WindowsR 95*3 environment, or Integrated Debugging Manager (IDM) running in a UNIX*4 environment, is provided as standard as a debugging environment, allowing C++ source-level debugging to be carried out easily using the mouse. Also included as standard is an integrated development environment that features browser tools offering visual analysis and display of class inheritance relationships, function call relationships, and symbol searches, and organic linking of these tools, via a user-friendly window-based interface. This software enables program development and amendment efficiency to be improved by a factor of 2 to 3. 

Sharing the optimized processing and code generation sections of the previous compiler provides source-level optimization such as deletion of common expressions and register allocation, plus comprehensive extended functions designed for embedded applications and link-time optimization that extends across a number of source files. Also, the addition of optimization functions specific to C++ makes it possible to generate object code (with a ratio of 1.0 with respect to C language) that takes account of ROM efficiency even when using C++. 

This new product offers a common C++ development environment for 8-, 16-, and 32-bit microcomputers, together with the SuperHTM*5 RISC engine family, and at the same time enables common C++ program resources to be constructed. 

Notes: 
1.ANSI: American National Standards Institute 
2.Embedded C++ is an embedding-oriented C++ language specification recommended by the Embedded C++ Technical Committee. 
3.Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the USA and other countries. 
4.UNIX is a registered trademark licensed by X/OPEN Company, Ltd. in the USA and other countries. 
5.SuperH is a trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. 

Prices in Japan 
Product Code Host Machine Price (Yen)
PS008 CAS 3-MWR IBM-PC 
PC-9800 Series 
FLORA (DOS/V)
198,000
PS008CAS3- H7R HP90000/700 
HITACHI9000  
HITACHI900V
398,000
PS008CAS3-SLR SPARC/Solaris 398,000
  

   
WRITTEN BY Secretary's Office
All Rights Reserved, Copyright (C) 1998, Hitachi, Ltd.