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Firmware Update
PDF Embedded C Coding Standard for $9!
- February 4, 2011
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In this issue:
-- Special Offer: PDF Embedded C Coding Standard for $9!
-- Social Networking for Engineers
-- How to Prioritize Tasks and ISRs (and Why it Matters)
-- Industry News and Other Fun Stuff -- Upcoming Embedded Software Boot Camps
Firmware Update is a free monthly newsletter by embedded software expert Michael Barr. It is Copyright 2011 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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Special Offer: PDF Embedded C Coding Standard for $9! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In just 18 months, this newsletter has amassed over 15,000 e-mail subscribers. Obviously, this is well beyond our wildest expectations. But despite the success, I want to do even better. I'm having fun writing my blog at EmbeddedGurus.net and this newsletter and I want to make the content in both places even better suit your needs.
So I'm making you a very special limited time offer. If you will give me just a few minutes of your time by taking a 16-question online survey, I will e-mail you a copy of the popular Embedded C Coding Standard book in PDF at the unprecedented low price of just $9. (That's more than 60% off the lowest price this book has ever been offered anywhere. But note that this price is only available for one week and only if you complete the survey first.) |
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Social Networking for Engineers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would your best friend describe you as a particularly "social" person? Do you like to "network" and meet new people? If you're an engineer, your answer is probably something like, "Um, no and no. Now can I slink back to my cube, Mr. Nosy McSales Guy?"
That we the engineers--who ultimately make stuff like this possible--are mostly a loose band of individuals self-selected for our lack of people skills (a key trait that allows us to sit in cubes all day focusing deep-deep-deep on new technology development) may explain why so many of us are luddites when it comes to using this "social" technology. But there's a lot of value in social networking for engineers. |
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How to Prioritize Tasks and ISRs (and Why it Matters) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Believe it or not, there is an optimal method of assigning fixed priorities to a set of tasks and interrupt service routines. When a real-time operating system (RTOS) is used without assigning task priorities in this way, only one task or ISR may be guaranteed to meet all of its deadlines. (In social networking parlance #fail.)
In a very accessible 2-hour lecture (now available on DVD), embedded software expert Michael Barr teaches the best practices for priority assignment to meet a mixed set of hard and soft real-time deadlines--with certainty! These best practices work the same way with any priority-based preemptive RTOS, including real-time variants of Linux. |
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Industry News and Other Fun Stuff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ARM Semi delivers record sales, profits! http://bit.ly/e4TJcL
Nook e-reader can run Android Honeycomb via clever hack: http://bit.ly/ffzmEV Wondering what to do with your old oscilloscope? Video: http://youtu.be/ChQw07k8GbI Is a smartphone an embedded system? http://bit.ly/fwhRUJ Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak to keynote ESC Silicon Valley May 2-5, 2011 http://bit.ly/dSkNc0 The history of the last decade told through disk capacity and capability. Fun chart: http://bit.ly/iehXAO To enter new 555 timer design contest see http://www.555contest.com/ Exciting prizes! Man accused of discovering slot machine firmware backdoor and using it to make millions arrested by federal agents. http://bit.ly/e5ziaP |
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Upcoming Embedded Software Boot Camps ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll be teaching public Embedded Software Boot Camps in March and May. These are in-person 4.5-day hands-on training courses guaranteed to improve your skills as an embedded software developer.
There's just one week left to receive the lowest available early registration price for the one in March in California. You really should join us, as these may be the last two public events of their kind in 2011 (owing to my already busy travel schedule for the second half of the year). |
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Us... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:
mbarr@netrino.com
phone:
866.78.EMBED
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