An embedded software system is a purpose-built computer, which is completely encapsulated by the device it controls.An embedded software system has specific requirements and performs pre-defined tasks, unlike a general-purpose personal computer.
At the centre of an embedded system is a microprocessor or a microcontroller, this is where the embedded software resides. Traditionally, this software was stored in ROM (Read-Only Memory), which could not be changed. So this 'hard-wired' software got the name 'firmware'. These days firmware is usually stored in Flash memory, this allows embedded systems to update their own embedded software.
At Absolute Software, we specialise in embedded software programming. We have indepth experience with many processors including PIC's (PIC12, PIC16 and PIC18 processors), 8051's, 8096's, x86's, AVR's, Rabbits (2000 and 3000) and C166's. We also have experience in providing bespoke embedded Linux systems. As well as providing the embedded software for your system, through partner companies, we can also provide electronic design and industrial design.
Embedded software development is a huge area of computer science. It includes everything from 8-pin 8-bit microcontrollers through to 64-bit microprocessors running Embedded Windows or Linux. At Absolute Software, we specialise in the 8-bit end of this spectrum, although we do have some experience with embedded linux.
A common feature of embedded software is a user-interface. This area of embedded software requires particularly high skill level compared to standard PC programming. This is because in Windows (for example) the user-interface side of things is taken care of for the programmer already. Whereas in an embedded system you are starting from scratch. Embedded programmers need to have a deep understanding of ergonomics.
Another challenge, when writing embedded software, is the structure of the program. Again, compared to Windows programming, there are many more levels to consider. When writing an embedded application, you need to consider every level from your lowest level drivers through to the application level.
Although operating systems are common in embedded systems, there are rarely used in 8-bit applications due to the limited resources available. So in the type of embedded software we write at Absolute Software, we have to design our own tasking structure, usually using function pointers, especially if we're using Embedded C.
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