OTTAWA, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Known for building the world's most reliable operating system for mission-critical applications, QNX Software Systems celebrates its 25th birthday this month. For the past 25 years, QNX has become a big part of everyday life -- from powering television broadcast systems to controlling train systems all over the world. People encounter QNX every day and every time they:
1. Use the Internet -- The QNX(R) Neutrino(R) RTOS forms the software foundation for the Cisco CRS-1, the world's highest-capacity Internet router.
2. Turn on a light -- QNX controls power-generating systems worldwide, from hydroelectric plants to nuclear power facilities.
3. Call for help -- By leveraging QNX's unmatched reliability, 9-1-1 call systems deliver emergency assistance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, nonstop.
4. Take a train -- From subway cars to high-speed trains, QNX-based systems go the distance, controlling locomotives, coordinating railway traffic, and even dispensing tickets.
5. Go to college -- Thousands of students and professors in post-secondary institutions are using QNX to build humanoid robots, map global weather changes, analyze the human genome, and discover new planets.
6. Watch TV -- From manufacturing TV sets to automating television broadcasts, QNX brings the world to your living room.
7. Eat a chocolate bar -- QNX aids the chocolate-making process and improves production at the chocolate mixing stage. QNX powers the system that monitors and controls the process for Caramilk, Crunchie and other Cadbury chocolate.
8. Mail a letter -- QNX-based mail-sorting machines push the performance envelope, processing up to 40,000 letters per hour.
9. Drive to work -- Using QNX, road-traffic control systems respond to traffic patterns in realtime, resulting in fewer traffic jams and shorter waits at intersections.
10. Fly in an airplane -- QNX powers air traffic control systems at airports worldwide.
11. Drink a beer -- QNX powers automated bottle inspection systems that use high-speed mechanical handling technology and patented illumination systems to single out defective closures for everything from motor oil and beer to peanut butter.
12. Buy a book -- Bookstores throughout North America rely on QNX-based point-of-sale systems to deliver fast, highly personalized service to their customers.
13. Play a slot machine -- QNX powers an intercasino system that connects statewide gaming machines with a central computer. The system, which can pay out multi-million-dollar winnings, must perform a host of complex functions with zero tolerance for error.
14. Beat rush-hour traffic -- Using QNX-based XM satellite receivers, motorists tap into realtime traffic alerts, allowing them to avoid traffic jams, accidents, and road closures.
15. Wash your car -- No-touch car-wash systems based on QNX quickly analyze your car's size and shape to aim the wash nozzles exactly where they're needed.
16. Eat safely prepared food -- QNX powers a system that applies DNA "fingerprinting" techniques to identify bacteria and determine whether food is contaminated or safe.
17. Charge purchases to your credit card -- QNX powers the VISA transaction control system.
18. Turn on the air conditioning -- QNX powers a system that regulates and chills water used in industrial strength air conditioning systems for large apartment buildings.
19. Visit the doctor -- QNX brings reliability and performance to a variety of diagnostic equipment, including electrocardiograph (ECG) machines, angiography systems, bone density analyzers, as well as body composition analyzers that help treat obesity.
20. Improve your eyesight -- Using a QNX-based LASIK system, doctors are reducing the complications associated with laser vision-correction surgery.
21. Make a call from your car -- QNX hands-free mobile phone systems are making huge inroads in the automotive marketplace, with deployments in cars by Acura, Honda, Chrysler, Mercedes, and others.
22. Watch an action movie -- QNX powers motion-controlled special effects systems, designed for extreme safety and accuracy in creating and modifying special effects and stunts.
23. Take a cruise -- QNX powers the nautical navigation and radar systems in cruise liners, allowing crews to navigate with ease through bad weather, fog, and narrow estuaries.
24. Drive over a bridge -- QNX helps reduce drawbridge congestion by powering an automated bridge raising system. Raising such an clockwork functioning of all the bridge's devices and systems, leaving no room for any malfunctions.
25. Undergo surgery -- QNX powers a device that precisely measures a patient's level of awareness during surgery. The system helps identify whether the patient is prepared for surgery, making sure a patient is neither under- nor over-sedated.
About QNX Software Systems
With millions of installations worldwide, QNX Software Systems is the global leader in realtime, microkernel operating system technology. Companies like Cisco, DaimlerChrysler, Lockheed Martin, Panasonic, Siemens, and General Electric rely on QNX technology to build ultra-reliable systems for the networking, automotive, medical, military, and industrial automation markets. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems maintains offices throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Visit http://www.qnx.com.
Reader Information
Web: http://www.qnx.com
Email: info@qnx.com
Editorial Contacts
Bill Keeler or Karla Strobel
Schwartz Communications
+1 781 684-0770
qnx@schwartz-pr.com
Paul Leroux
QNX Software Systems
+1 613 591-0931
paull@qnx.com
QNX and Neutrino are registered trademarks of QNX Software Systems Ltd. in certain jurisdictions. All other trademarks and trade names belong to their respective owners.
SOURCE QNX Software Systems
Web Site: http://www.qnx.com