QNX facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
QNX

Company / developer	BlackBerry (formerly QNX Software Systems)
OS family	Unix-like
Working state	Current
Source model	Closed source
Initial release	1982; 43 years ago (1982)
Latest stable release	8.0 / December 2023; 1 year ago (2023-12)
Marketing target	Embedded systems
Package manager	Able to use Pkgsrc framework from NetBSD project
Supported platforms	Current: x86-64, ARM32, ARM64 Former: MIPS, PowerPC, SH-4, StrongARM, XScale
Kernel type	RTOS (microkernel)
Userland	POSIX
License	Proprietary

QNX is a special kind of computer operating system. It's like the brain that makes many different devices work. QNX is known as a Unix-like system, which means it shares some ideas with the Unix operating system. It's also a real-time operating system (RTOS). This means it can do tasks very quickly and reliably, which is super important for things that need to happen exactly on time, like in cars or medical equipment.

QNX was first created in the early 1980s by a Canadian company called Quantum Software Systems. This company later changed its name to QNX Software Systems.

Today, QNX is used in all sorts of devices. You can find it in automobiles, medical devices, and even in systems that control factories and trains. It helps these complex machines run smoothly and safely.

History of QNX

How QNX Started

The story of QNX began in 1980 with two university students, Gordon Bell and Dan Dodge. They were studying real-time operating systems and realized there was a big need for such a system in the real world. So, they moved to a tech community in Kanata, Ontario, and started their company, Quantum Software Systems.

In 1982, they released the first version of their system, called QUNIX. A couple of years later, in 1984, they changed the name to QNX to avoid any confusion with other trademarks. QNX stands for "Quantum's Network eXecutive."

Early Uses and Growth

One of the first big uses for QNX was in computers designed for schools in Ontario, Canada. Even though QNX was a real-time system, it was also used in regular computers.

For a long time, QNX was mainly used for bigger projects. Its core program, called the kernel, was about 44 kilobytes, which was too big for the tiny computers of that time. But QNX became famous for being very reliable. Because of this, it was used to control machinery in many factories and industrial settings.

New Versions and Features

In the late 1980s, the company saw that the computer world was moving towards something called POSIX. This is like a set of rules that helps different computer programs work together. So, they rewrote the main part of QNX to follow these rules better. This new version was called QNX 4.

During this time, a new way to make computer screens look good was developed. It was called the QNX Photon microGUI. This was a special graphical user interface (GUI), which means it used pictures and icons you could click, instead of just text.

To show how powerful and small QNX was, in the late 1990s, QNX Software Systems made a special demo. It included the QNX 4 operating system, a full graphical interface, a text editor, internet tools, a web browser, and a web server. All of this fit on a single 1.44 MB floppy disk!

QNX Neutrino and Beyond

Towards the end of the 1990s, QNX Software Systems started working on a completely new version. This one was designed to work well with computers that had multiple processors, a feature called symmetric multiprocessing (SMP). This new version, called QNX Neutrino, was released in 2001.

QNX Software Systems also became a founding member of the Eclipse group. Eclipse is a popular tool that helps software developers write computer programs. In 2002, QNX released its own set of tools for Eclipse, called the QNX Momentics Tool Suite.

Changes in Ownership

In 2004, a company called Harman International Industries bought QNX Software Systems. QNX was already widely used in cars for things like navigation and communication systems. After Harman bought QNX, the software was used in over 200 different car models. By 2011, QNX was running in more than 20 million vehicles!

Later, in April 2010, Research In Motion (which later became BlackBerry Limited) bought QNX Software Systems from Harman. After this, public access to QNX's source code (the main instructions that make the software work) was limited.

QNX in BlackBerry Devices

In September 2010, BlackBerry announced a new tablet computer called the BlackBerry PlayBook. This tablet used a new operating system based on QNX, called BlackBerry Tablet OS.

Then, in 2011, BlackBerry announced "BBX," which was later renamed BlackBerry 10. This new operating system for smartphones was also built on QNX. It used a special user interface designed for touchscreens.

QNX and Modern Cars

QNX continues to be a big part of the automotive world. For example, Apple's CarPlay system, which lets you use your iPhone apps on your car's screen, can work with QNX. QNX can be set up to let CarPlay take over the car's display.

In 2014, Ford Motor Company announced that it would start using QNX instead of Microsoft's system in its cars. This showed how important QNX had become in the auto industry.

Latest QNX Releases

In January 2017, QNX released its SDP 7.0 version. This was important because it was the first version to support both 32-bit and 64-bit computer systems from Intel and ARM.

The very latest version, QNX SDP 8.0, was released in December 2023. It has an even newer core system and supports the latest 64-bit computer platforms.

How QNX Technology Works

Microkernel Design

QNX is special because it uses a "microkernel" design. Imagine an operating system as a big team of workers. In a traditional system, all the workers are in one giant room, and if one part of the room has a problem, it can affect everything.

In QNX, the "microkernel" is like a tiny boss that only handles the most important jobs:

• Deciding which program gets to use the computer's brain (CPU) next.
• Helping different programs talk to each other (interprocess communication).
• Managing timers.

Everything else, like managing files or connecting to the internet, is handled by smaller, separate programs called "Resource Managers." These run outside the main microkernel. This means if one of these smaller programs has a problem, it usually doesn't crash the whole system. It also means developers can easily turn off parts of the system they don't need, making QNX very flexible and efficient.

Communication Between Programs

One of the coolest things about QNX is how programs talk to each other. It's like sending a message and waiting for a reply. This is done with a single operation called `MsgSend`. When one program sends a message to another, the QNX kernel quickly copies the message. If the receiving program is ready, the computer's brain (CPU) immediately switches to that program. This makes communication very fast and smooth.

Because of this fast message passing, even things like saving files or connecting to the internet work through this system. This is a key reason why QNX is so good at being a "real-time" system, where speed and reliability are crucial.

Starting Up QNX

The "boot loader" is another important part of QNX. It's the program that starts everything up when you turn on a device. Because QNX is so flexible, you can put the entire system, including all the necessary programs and libraries, into a special memory chip called ROM. This is perfect for devices that don't have a hard drive, like many embedded systems.

Advanced Features

QNX Neutrino supports symmetric multiprocessing, which means it can use multiple processors in a computer very efficiently. It also has smart ways to schedule tasks, ensuring that important tasks get done on time, even if the system is very busy.

QNX is also a "distributed operating system." This means that QNX systems on different devices can talk to each other and share services as if they were all on the same computer. This makes it easy to build complex systems where many devices work together.

QNX Releases Over Time

QNX has had many versions over the years, constantly improving and adding new features.

Where QNX is Used Today

QNX is a very important operating system for many modern devices.

• BlackBerry Devices: The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet and the BlackBerry 10 smartphone operating system both use a version of QNX as their core.
• Car Systems: Many major car companies use QNX in their infotainment systems. These systems control things like navigation, music, and phone calls in cars. QNX is also used in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) that help cars drive more safely.
• Wide Range of Processors: QNX Neutrino can run on almost any modern central processing unit (CPU) used in embedded devices. This includes popular types like PowerPC, x86, MIPS, and ARM.
• Millions of Vehicles: As of June 2023, QNX software is in over 255 million vehicles around the world! Many top car makers like BMW, Ford, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen use it.

Getting and Using QNX

QNX offers different ways for people to use its software. Since January 2005, QNX has made its software development platform available for non-commercial use. This means students and people who want to learn can use it for free.

In early 2024, BlackBerry launched "QNX Everywhere." This program makes QNX even more accessible for hobbyists and people who want to experiment with it.

QNX Community and Partners

There are communities where QNX developers can connect and share information.

• OpenQNX is an independent community portal for QNX users.
• Foundry27 is a web-based community created by the company itself. It's a place where developers can get the source code and tools for QNX Neutrino.

BlackBerry QNX also works with many partner organizations. These partners provide other technologies and services that work with QNX. These relationships help create the important software that runs many critical embedded systems around the world.

See also

In Spanish: QNX para niños

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