Book Image

The Complete Edition - Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems

By : Jim Cooling
Book Image

The Complete Edition - Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems

By: Jim Cooling

Overview of this book

From air traffic control systems to network multimedia systems, real-time systems are everywhere. The correctness of the real-time system depends on the physical instant and the logical results of the computations. This book provides an elaborate introduction to software engineering for real-time systems, including a range of activities and methods required to produce a great real-time system. The book kicks off by describing real-time systems, their applications, and their impact on software design. You will learn the concepts of software and program design, as well as the different types of programming, software errors, and software life cycles, and how a multitasking structure benefits a system design. Moving ahead, you will learn why diagrams and diagramming plays a critical role in the software development process. You will practice documenting code-related work using Unified Modeling Language (UML), and analyze and test source code in both host and target systems to understand why performance is a key design-driver in applications. Next, you will develop a design strategy to overcome critical and fault-tolerant systems, and learn the importance of documentation in system design. By the end of this book, you will have sound knowledge and skills for developing real-time embedded systems.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)
Preface
15
Glossary of terms

8.3 Important Features of Programming Languages

8.3.1 Introduction

There are two quite different views on how to choose a programming language. The first is held (usually) by academics, compiler writers, and standards committees. Here, language features are carefully listed, defined, and assessed; then, languages are compared on a point-by-point basis using an unbiased, objective approach.

Figure 8.19: Relating packages, artifacts, and dependencies

The second method, used by most practicing software designers, assesses languages within the context of their own work. Evaluation is supposedly objective. In fact, it tends to be highly subjective, prejudiced, and emotional, with opinions being held fanatically. Rational arguments rarely change fanatic beliefs.

Even accepting that exponents of new languages might be given a fair hearing, there are other significant factors to be considered. Many have nothing to do with languages; instead, they are tied up...