Editing QNX (section)

== History ==
{{prose|section|date=April 2022}}

[[Gordon Bell (QNX)|Gordon Bell]] and [[Dan Dodge]], both students at the [[University of Waterloo]] in 1980, took a course in real-time operating systems, in which the students constructed a basic real-time microkernel and user programs. Both were convinced there was a commercial need for such a system, and moved to the high-tech planned community [[Kanata, Ontario]], to start Quantum Software Systems that year. In 1982, the first version of QUNIX was released for the [[Intel 8088]] CPU. In 1984, Quantum Software Systems renamed QUNIX to QNX (Quantum's Network eXecutive) in an effort to avoid any trademark infringement challenges.

One of the first widespread uses of the QNX real-time OS (RTOS) was in the nonembedded world when it was selected as the operating system for the [[Ontario]] education system's own computer design, the [[ICON (microcomputer)|Unisys ICON]]. Over the years QNX was used mostly for larger projects, as its 44k kernel was too large to fit inside the one-chip computers of the era. The system garnered a reputation for reliability{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}} and became used in running machinery in many industrial applications.

In the late-1980s, Quantum realized that the market was rapidly moving towards the Portable Operating System Interface ([[POSIX]]) model and decided to rewrite the kernel to be much more compatible at a low level. The result was QNX 4. During this time [[Patrick Hayden (scientist)|Patrick Hayden]], while working as an intern, along with Robin Burgener (a full-time employee at the time), developed a new windowing system. This patented<ref name="patent"/> concept was developed into the embeddable [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) named the QNX Photon microGUI. QNX also provided a version of the [[X Window System]].

To demonstrate the OS's capability and relatively small size, in the late 1990s QNX released a demo image that included the POSIX-compliant QNX 4 OS, a full graphical user interface, graphical text editor, TCP/IP networking, web browser and web server that all fit on a bootable 1.44&nbsp;[[Megabyte|MB]] [[floppy disk]] for the 386 PC.<ref name="demoannounce"/><ref name="demodisk"/>

Toward the end of the 1990s, the company, then named QNX Software Systems, began work on a new version of QNX, designed from the ground up to be [[symmetric multiprocessing]] (SMP) capable, and to support all current [[POSIX]] [[application programming interface]]s (APIs) and any new POSIX APIs that could be anticipated while still retaining the microkernel architecture. This resulted in QNX Neutrino, released in 2001.

Along with the Neutrino kernel, QNX Software Systems became a founding member of the [[Eclipse (software)|Eclipse]] ([[integrated development environment]]) consortium. The company released a suite of Eclipse [[Plug-in (computing)|plug-ins]] packaged with the Eclipse workbench in 2002, and named QNX Momentics Tool Suite.

In 2004, the company announced it had been sold to [[Harman International]] Industries. Before this acquisition, QNX software was already widely used in the automotive industry for [[telematics]] systems. Since the purchase by Harman, QNX software has been designed into over 200 different [[automobile]] makes and models, in telematics systems, and in infotainment and navigation units.{{Citation needed|date=July 2014}} The QNX CAR Application Platform was running in over 20 million vehicles as of mid-2011.<ref name="qnxcar"/> The company has since released several [[middleware]] products including the QNX Aviage Multimedia Suite, the QNX Aviage Acoustic Processing Suite and the QNX HMI Suite.

The microkernels of [[Cisco Systems]]' [[IOS-XR]] (ultra high availability IOS, introduced 2004)<ref name="QNXDel"/><ref name="cisco-ios"/> and [[IOS Software Modularity]] (introduced 2006)<ref name="IOSSM"/> were based on QNX. IOS Software Modularity never gained traction and was limited only to small run for Catalyst 6500, while IOS XR moved to Linux  [https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/ios-nx-os-software/ios-xr-software/datasheet-c78-743014.html as of release 6.x].

In September 2007, QNX Software Systems announced the availability of some of its [[source code]].<ref name="qpr-source"/>

On April 9, 2010, [[BlackBerry Limited|Research In Motion]] (later renamed to [[BlackBerry Limited]]) announced they would acquire QNX Software Systems from Harman International Industries.<ref name="QNXtoRIM"/> On the same day, QNX source code access was restricted from the public and hobbyists.<ref name="restrictedsource"/>

In September 2010, the company announced a [[tablet computer]], the [[BlackBerry PlayBook]], and a new operating system [[BlackBerry Tablet OS]] based on QNX to run on the tablet.<ref name="playbook_pressrelease"/>

On October 18, 2011, Research In Motion announced "BBX",<ref name="engadget"/> which was later renamed ''[[BlackBerry 10]]'', in December 2011.<ref name="guardian-dec20112"/> Blackberry 10 devices build upon the BlackBerry PlayBook QNX based operating system for touch devices, but adapt the user interface for [[smartphone]]s using the [[Qt (software)|Qt]] based Cascades Native User-Interface framework.

At the Geneva Motor Show, Apple demonstrated [[CarPlay]] which provides an [[iOS]]-like user interface to head units in compatible vehicles. Once configured by the automaker, QNX can be programmed to hand off its display and some functions to an Apple CarPlay device.<ref name="apple-carplay"/><ref name="zdnet-apple"/>

On December 11, 2014, [[Ford Motor Company]] stated that it would replace [[Windows Embedded Automotive|Microsoft Auto]] with QNX.<ref name="tc-dec2014"/>

In January 2017, QNX announced the upcoming release of its SDP 7.0, with support for Intel and ARM [[32-bit computing|32-]] and [[64-bit computing|64-bit]] platforms, and support for [[C++14]]. It was released in March 2017.<ref name="QNXSDP70"/>

In December 2023, QNX released QNX SDP 8.0 which is powered by a next generation microkernel with support for the latest Intel and ARM [v8 and v9] 64 bit platforms, GCC12 based toolchain and a QNX toolkit for [[Visual Studio Code]].<ref name= "QNX8.0"/>