Firmware Update by Michael Barr Copyright 2009-2010 by Netrino, LLC The Top 10 Embedded Software Bugs  (2/16/2010) I am compiling a list of the most common and most challenging bugs in embedded software. These are the little nasties that cause our products to "glitch" once in the customer's hands--yet can't be reproduced in the lab. Tracing backward from rare symptoms to root cause can be a real challenge with some of these bugs, so a big part of my focus is preventing them altogether. 5 Ways to Make Your C Code Run Faster  (1/25/2010) In a recent 5-part series of posts, EmbeddedGurus blogger Nigel Jones suggests speeding up firmware by choosing the best integer size, using the optimizer properly, avoiding post-increment and post-decrement, optimizing for speed, and declaring local functions static. Is Reliable Multithreaded Software Possible?  (1/7/2010) A fast and complex thread dispatcher keeps moving one processor all over a big system tending to the various ISRs and RTOS tasks rapidly enough that they all get done. And if the CPU ever once goes astray the whole system crashes--or worse! Do we need a new paradigm for reliable embedded software architecture? What are the alternatives? Mutexes vs Semaphores: Same or Different?  (12/14/2009) What's the difference between a mutex, a binary semaphore, and a counting semaphore? Even very experienced embedded programmers fail to fully appreciate the importance of using the correct semaphore for the job. And, unfortunately, misuse of any type of semaphore may lead to unintended failures in embedded systems, with severe consequences in safety-critical medical devices, avionics and transportation equipment. 5 More Ways to Keep Bugs out of Embedded Software  (11/20/2009) Among other things, those of you who joined my recent TechOnline webinar, learned 10 easy-to- follow C coding rules to keep bugs out of embedded software. But there are many more such rules than we had time to discuss that day. Is Linux Too Bloated for Embedded Systems Use?  (10/30/2009) Linus Torvalds was quoted last month saying the Linux kernel he created is "huge and scary now" rather than the "streamlined, hyper-efficient kernel I envisioned." But Bill Gatliff says the "performance of the Linux kernel itself has gotten measurably better with each kernel release." Which is it? Steal This (Source) Code!  (10/9/2009) Efficient C source code for the popular CRC-16, CRC-32, and CRC-CCITT computations was written by me and placed into the public domain over a decade ago. It is widely used and available as downloadable C and C++ source code. Robust Embedded Software Architecture in Five Easy Steps  (9/18/2009) I have learned that few programmers, technical managers, or teams truly understand what good firmware architecture is, how to achieve it, or even how to recognize it when they see it. But I've also found that the rearchitecture process is remarkably similar across industries and products. They Say We Landed a Man on the Moon  (8/31/2009) The Apollo moon landing was one of the great achievements of the 20th century and many wonder if it will really be duplicated in the 21st. We are likely to be stuck here on earth with 7 billion of our closest friends for the foreseeable future. Why? Well, consider what went right for us to get to the moon the first time... Real Men Program in C  (8/10/2009) For today's computer science students, learning C is like taking an elective class in Latin. But C is anything but history and not at all a dead language. And C remains the dominant language in the fast growing field of embedded software development. Netrino, LLC 6030 Marshalee Dr, #355 Elkridge, MD 21075 U.S. +1 (866) 78-EMBED http://www.netrino.com Join our Mailing List!