OpenBLT version 1.9.0 was officially released yesterday, after another half year of development work. 14 tickets were processed, which resulted in 24 commits. Feel free to download the new version of the OpenBLT bootloader and give it a try. This release is on track with the standard release cycle. This article describes in more detail what you can expect from the new OpenBLT release.
The best way to describe the new bootloader version is by labeling it as a maintenance release. Small tweaks and improvements were made, yet no major new functionality was added. This means that updating from the previous version to this new version will be a breeze. The following sections provide a more in depth overview of what changed.
Software development environment updates
A large amount of demo programs were updated to use a more recent version of the software development environment that they were created with:
- All demo programs that were created with the IAR Embedded Workbench were updated to version 8.40.
- All demo programs that were created with the GNU ARM Embedded toolchain were updated to version 8.2.1.
- All demo programs that were created with Keil MDK were updated to version 5.28.0.
Newly supported ports and development boards
This release of the OpenBLT bootloader supports the following new microcontroller family:
Additionally, demo programs for the following development board were added:
Deprecated ports
The ports for the NXP LPC2000 and the Infineon Tricore TC1798 were removed from this version of the bootloader. These microcontroller families are either no longer recommended for new designs or hardly picked for new designs. For this reason, the effort to keep maintaining these ports and the associated demo programs does not pay off anymore.
State of the OpenBLT project
Overall the OpenBLT bootloader project is in a healthy state. In 2019 the interest in the OpenBLT bootloader grew yet again. This was measured by looking at the downloads and the income generated from the sales of the commercial license and the add-on modules. As a result, Feaser can keep sponsoring the OpenBLT project, and we are on track for making the OpenBLT bootloader project a long term success. I would like to thank all the users of the OpenBLT bootloader for all their support, continued interest, and feedback. Planning and work for the next version has already been started. Its release is planned for July 2020. The main focus will be on stability, quality and maintenance.
