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Firmware Update
- September 21, 2009
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In this issue:
-- Firmware Architecture in 5 Easy Steps
-- Upcoming Embedded Software Boot Camps
-- Embedded Systems News
-- Keeping Bugs Out of Embedded Software -- Fun Stuff
Firmware Update is a free newsletter containing analysis, insight, and commentary on firmware architecture and process by embedded software expert Michael Barr. Firmware Update is Copyright 2009 by Netrino, LLC, but may be reprinted or forwarded for interested colleagues. |
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Firmware Architecture in 5 Easy Steps ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As a consultant, I've spent a lot of time
working with and
training engineers that are in the midst of
rearchitecting embedded software. These
teams have already developed the software
inside successful embedded systems. But to
keep moving forward, reduce bugs, and speed
new feature development, they need to take
the best of their old code and plug it into a
better firmware architecture.
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. Though learning to create solid firmware architecture and simultaneously rearchitecting legacy software may take a team months of hard work, five key steps are easily identified. So whether you are designing firmware from scratch for a new product or launching a rearchitecture effort of your own, here is my step-by-step process to help your team do firmware architecture right. |
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Upcoming Embedded Software Boot Camps ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Netrino's Embedded Software Boot Camp is a
one-week skills strengthening program
consisting of a series of lectures and hands-on
exercises. This engaging educational
program quickly and dramatically raises the
embedded and multithreaded programming
skills of individuals and teams. Engineers with
from 0 to 15 years of embedded software
experience and from EE, CS, and other
backgrounds will benefit.
A group is forming for the November 16-20, 2009 session in Maryland. A 20% early registration discount is available for a couple more weeks. Payment may be made by either credit card or company purchase order. But please act quickly to reserve your seat, as capacity is limited and the room will fill up. |
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Embedded Systems News ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Microsoft announced that their Windows 7-
based embedded operating system will be
called Windows Embedded Standard 2011.
http://bit.ly/A0otQ
Texas Instruments moves formerly proprietary Code Composer Studio IDE onto the open source Eclipse platform. http://bit.ly/3CiD3 All ESC Boston attendees receive a free engineering survival kit with Netrino training coupon included. http://bit.ly/nf10m Diebold sells storied electronic voting machine business to competitor ES&S for a paltry $5 million. http://bit.ly/11h2QO First Annual Robotics Innovations Competition and Conference at Worcester Polytechnic Institute Nov 7-8, 2009. http://ricc.wpi.edu Design by contract defensive programming and asserts - lessons from the Ariane 5 rocket disaster. http://bit.ly/fMOzY Earl Bakken wears a pacemaker, an insulin pump and 2 stents; good thing he created Medtronic. Video: http://bit.ly/YaLjC Take the mutual exclusion (RTOS mutex vs. semaphore) challenge. http://bit.ly/1r2o4 Intel and Freescale have each announced new high-end embedded processors. Analysis: http://bit.ly/5OBxQ $8000 for a single-app device or $300 for a multitasker? Why should sick people make a different decision? http://bit.ly/1tESFj ESC Boston tweet up at Sheraton SideBar & Grille at 6pm on Monday 9/21. I'll be there. |
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Keeping Bugs Out of Embedded Software ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is cheaper and easier to prevent bugs from
creeping into embedded software than it is to
find and kill them after they have entered. A
key strategy in the fight against bugs is to
write code in which the compiler, linker, or a
static analysis tool can automatically detect
bugs--before the code is even downloaded
to ROM.
Join Embedded.com editorial director Rich Nass and I in a one-hour TechOnline webinar and discussion on October 20, 2009 to learn a number of clever but simple practical rules you can follow to keep bugs out of embedded software written in C or C++. |
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Fun Stuff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are 10 types of people in this world.
Those who understand binary, and those who
don't.
The upcoming Tron sequel looks like good fun. Video: http://bit.ly/1xxGY Is this what the world's final C bug will look like? http://www.ganssle.com/jokes.htm Must-watch discussion with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about UFOs and scientific evidence. Video: http://bit.ly/6PlNt The only valid metric for code quality is WTFs/minute during review. Cartoon: http://bit.ly/1qAhMH |
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Quick Links... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Us... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:
mbarr@netrino.com
phone:
866.78.EMBED
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