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Firmware Update
- December 15, 2010
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In this issue:
-- 5 More Top Causes of Nasty Firmware Bugs
-- Embedded Software Boot Camp in a Box
-- Register Now for a 2011 Boot Camp and Save
-- Embedded Software Driving Economic Growth -- Industry News You Can Use
Firmware Update is a free newsletter by embedded software expert Michael Barr. It is Copyright 2010 by Netrino, LLC, but may be reprinted for non-commercial purposes. Please forward it to colleagues who may benefit from the information. |
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5 More Top Causes of Nasty Firmware Bugs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finding and killing latent bugs in embedded software is a difficult business. Heroic efforts and expensive tools are often required to trace backward from an observed crash, hang, or other unplanned run-time behavior to the root cause. In the worst case scenario, the root cause damages the code or data in a subtle way such that the system still appears to work fine or mostly fine--at least for a while.
Too often engineers give up trying to discover the cause of infrequent anomalies that cannot be easily reproduced in the lab--frequently dismissing them as "user errors" or "glitches." Yet these ghosts in the machine live on. My latest Barr Code column at EETimes.com is a follow-up to an earlier one called Five Top Causes of Nasty Embedded Software Bugs |
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Embedded Software Boot Camp in a Box ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whether you are new to embedded software development in C or looking for ways to improve your skills, the Embedded Software Boot Camp in a Box will provide you the hands-on education you need. Exercises are based around an ARM processor board (photo left), the MicroC/OS-II real-time operating system, and the IAR Embedded Workbench compiler/debugger, all of which are included in the box.
Netrino's popular Embedded Software Boot Camp (see upcoming dates), on which this kit is based, is an intense in-person training experience that requires attendees to be able to check out of normal work and life routines for a week-sometimes also travelling a great distance. The Embedded Software Boot Camp in a Box is a way to learn the same skills at your own pace. You'll do the same exercises and have access to the same materials, just won't have me there as your "drill instructor" to prod you. |
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Register Now for a 2011 Boot Camp and Save ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There will be two public sessions of the Embedded Software Boot Camp
in the first half of 2011. These will be held March 14-18 in Silicon Valley and May 16-20 near Columbia, Maryland.
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Embedded Software Driving Economic Growth ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Despite the recession, the future looks bright for processor manufacturers and embedded software developers! Sales at the world's largest processor makers have rebounded quickly and are already hitting new heights. The explanation for this lies in the ever-increasing demand for "smart" products across all geographies and markets, which is driving much of today's economic growth.
This is all part of a longer-term trend. The rate of growth in processor shipments per year is expanding rapidly, having increased tenfold in the last two decades. As the price of computing power decreases, new applications continually emerge at each price point. Reduced power consumption has a similar effect, particularly in applications requiring batteries. |
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Industry News You Can Use ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A brief explanation of the priority inversions in NASA's Mars Pathfinder mission. Video: youtube.com/watch?v=lyx7kARrGeM
Sunset on Mars! Stunning photo: http://marswatch.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_instrument/sunset489_new2.html Wondering how many context switches are in your embedded software? Here's a quick way to count them. Video: youtube.com/watch?v=0qgbu_xnKaY A 3rd edition of the ISO C Standard is in the works! C1X: http://blog.feabhas.com/2010/12/c-201x/ Best iPhone apps for EEs: http://goo.gl/9nCps Netrino's Embedded C Coding Standard is now available as an e-book on Nook: http://bit.ly/dcLdqu Coming soon to Kindle and iBooks. Who needs CPU + embedded software when you can just use rat neurons for control? Video: http://bit.ly/9ZQk5V #robotics #embedsys #spooky UCSF warning about risks of new airport X-ray machines mentions possible firmware bugs http://www.npr.org/assets/news/2010/05/17/concern.pdf DARPA wants YOU to improve the manipulative capability of a $500k 2-armed robot by writing firmware for it! http://bit.ly/9U4sNp #embedsys The trouble with electronic voting machines. An expert report: http://bit.ly/cnyvJN Free, graphical UML modeling tool for designing and implementing real-time embedded applications. Quantum Modeler: http://bit.ly/d5GNBN Catching Copy Cats: tools to detect source code theft. My first article in Law Technology News: http://bit.ly/aSO2W0 An interview with Yours Truly en português http://www.sergioprado.org/2010/12/14/entrevista-com-michael-barr/ |
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Us... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:
mbarr@netrino.com
phone:
866.78.EMBED
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