1- Embedded Systems
One of the most frustrating aspects of developing embedded software is that there are few references available. Many of the books that have been written are poor or out of print, and there are only a handful of periodicals dedicated to the subject. What follows is a list of books worth owning, magazines and conferences worthy of your time, and World Wide Web sites worth bookmarking.
- Books
Ball, Stuart R. Embedded
Microprocessor Systems: Real World Design. Newton, Mass: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1996.
This tiny book is packed full of information about hardware design and embedded
system development that every embedded software engineer should understand to be
effective.
Brown, John Forrest. Embedded Sysiems Programming in C and Assembly. New
York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1994.
This book is a great one in Embedded Sysiems Programming and has good coverage of assembly
programming.
Ganssle, Jack G. The Art of
Programming Embedded Systems. San Diego: Academic Press, 1992.
Some very practical advice from one of our industry's most vocal gurus. The author of a
monthly column in Embedded Systems Programming Mr. Ganssle has helpfully collected some of
his most lasting tips and rules of thumb in this book. A handy reference for topics that
are too specific.
Labrosse, Jean J. m C/OS. The
Real-Time Kernel. Lawrence, Kans.: R & D Publications, 1992.
A real-time operating system with source code and explanatory text-all for the price of a
book. A great investment for someone who's thinking of writing their own operating system,
or just looking for free source code. m C/OS(pronounced "micro-COS") has
been ported to many processors and has a large user base.
Rosenberg, Jonathan B. How
Debuggers Work: Algorithms, Data Structures; and Architecture. New York: John P. Wiley
& Sons, 1996.
If you've ever wondered what a debugger looks like on the inside, this book is for you. It
will also give you a better understanding of the split between debugger and debug monitor
and the potential for interference between the debugger and your programs.
Van der Linden, Peter. Exert C
Programming: Deep C Secrets. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Prentice-Hall, 1994.
Written by a member of Sun Microsystems' compiler development team, this book helps to
fill the gaps in knowledge between an ordinary C programmer and a guru. Although not
entirely necessary, an understanding of these advanced topics can only make you a better
embedded programmer. This book is an excellent reference as well as an entertaining read.
Van Sickle, Ted. Programming
Microcontrollers in C. Solana Beach, Calif.: HighText Publications, 1994.
This book is specific to a particular processor family. However, because the book is well
written and Motorola's microcontrollers are quite popular, some readers will still find it
useful.
Embedded Systems Programming
A monthly publication devoted specifically to the issues embedded software developers face
on the job. Every article and column is packed with practical advice and written in a
casual style familiar to readers of this and other Nutshell Handbooks. I highly recommend
that everyone reading this sentence immediately put my book down and take a few minutes to
sign up for a free subscription at "http://www.embedded.com/mag.shtml" It usually takes several
months to get going, but is well worth the wait. In addition, you might want to purchase a
copy of the CD-ROM archive. This searchable database contains hundreds of past articles
and columns and was an indispensable reference in the creation of this book. More
information is available at http://www.embedded.com/cd.htm
Embedded Systems Conference
A technical conference hosted several times each year by the publishers of the magazine
just described. The conference has been running for about 10 years, and the number of
exhibitors and attendees continues to grow each year. The knowledge to be gained here far
outweighs the cost of traveling to the conference and attending the classes.
- World Wide Web
Chip Directory http://www.hitex.com/chipdir/
An unbelievably large collection of information about common processors and peripherals.
This is not the only such site on the Web, but it is one of the best maintained and it has
links to many of the others.
CPU Info Center http://infopad.eecs.berkeley.ed/CIC/
Tons of information about new and old processors alike. Includes a section specifically
about common embedded processors.
CRC Pitstop http://www.ross.net/crc/
A site dedicated to information about CRC implementation, including Ross Williams'
"Painless Guide to CRC Error Detection Algorithms." The latter is the most
readable explanation of CRC calculations I've ever found.
Electronic Engineers Toolbox
http://www.eetoolbox.com/ebox.htm
Focused on embedded systems, real-time software development issues, and Internet-enabling
technologies, the "EE Toolbox" is designed to make your job easier. The
publishers of this site have identified, indexed, and summarized thousands of relevant
Internet resources and brought them all together in one place.
Embedded Intel Architecture
http://www.intel.com/design/intarch/
Intel's home page for their embedded processor line, including the 80188EB. In addition to
technical information about the hardware, there are also free development and debugging
tools and example source code listings.
news: comp.arch.embedded
A newsgroup devoted to many topics. Discussions frequently involve software development
tools and processes, comparisons of commercial real-time operating systems, and
suggestions for processor selection criteria.
news: comp. realtime
Another good newsgroup for embedded systems discussion. This one tends to focus more
heavily on real-time scheduling issues, however, so not all of the information is
relevant. A list of FAQs from this group can be found at http://www.faqs/by-newsgroup/comp/comp.realtime.html
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