With the 8.0 release comes Nios II Studio beta – a powerful new software development environment which includes the open-source Eclipse IDE with a standard set of plug-ins enabling you to create, manage, build and debug C and C++ projects for the Nios II processor.

Nios II Studio features include:

• 2x faster compile/build times as compared to Nios II IDE
• Simple file system based project management
  • Supports relative paths for easy copy, move of sources
  • Version control compatible
  • Easy to read/manage makefiles
• GUI based generation of Board Support Packages (BSP) featuring
  • A menu of HAL-based operating systems
  • Software packages (network stack, files systems, graphics libraries etc.)
  • Support for custom device drivers
  • Support for multiple versions of a device driver
  • Full control over build options and OS settings
  • Linker memory map management
• Full compatibility with command line tools for scripting and automated regression testing

To try out Nios II Studio beta follow these steps:

1. Download and install Quartus II 8.0 and the Nios II EDS 8.0
2. Download the Nios II Software Developer's Handbook - Studio Edition
3. Launch a Nios II command shell. Under Windows, in the Start menu, point to Programs, Altera, Nios II EDS 8.0, and click Nios II 8.0 Command Shell. Under Linux, use the shell of your preference.
4. Type the following command: nios2-studio

Since the Nios II Studio is currently beta, feel free to leave feedback on your experience on the Nios II Studio beta section of the Nios Forum.