[Embedlets-developer] Re: Real Time

[Andrzej J. T. <an...@ch...>]

James raises a good point:

> I think it is the real-time nature of Embedded programming that puts
> people in a bit of a spin. 

I've been thinking about this.  Creation of a container implementation that can 
support real-time (in the strict, embedded sense of the word) is a very difficult 
task.  My current thinking is that Embedlets won't be able to support pure real 
time (with the millisecond response times and prioritizations this requires) in 
it's first few incarnations, and that this would be too ambitious a goal for us to 
try and tackle out of the gate.

Thoughts?

> only need to look back at the Nutty Threading problems to understand that
> simulataneous processes are confusing.

That was primarily confusing due to the bug that is buried in the aJile runtime. 
Though threads are confusing to many.

> With the combinatorial problem of
> so many things going on at once, embedded programmers first instinct is to
> reduce the number of possible things that can be wrong.

Compared to modern server side containers, embedded controllers can be 
very simple, with much less simultaneous stuff going on that in something like 
an EJB or Servlet container.  I see the push to simplify as something that 
happens in all levels of software development, from embedded to enterprise. 
Part of the problem solving and debugging process.

I think Ted hit a nerve, noting that many software guys are afraid of hardware.  
Which is amusing, since so many of them have no problem building and 
reconfiguring their PC hardware.  Diff'rent strokes I suppose.

Andrzej Jan Taramina
Chaeron Corporation: Enterprise System Solutions
http://www.chaeron.com