Introduction


Before moving on to the core of the assignment I firmly believe that there are certain things to explain first, for it would be – not useless, but a real waste if we went on without explaining these terms. So please bear with us for a while as it will certainly help you during your journey as you move further along this blog. So without wasting any more of your time let’s get started.

Software Engineering

As you can see this term consists of 2 distinct words : Software and Engineering. So what is Software and what’s Engineering?

Software

In very simple words, software is defined as computer applications and associated documentation. It refers to the intangible parts of the computer system and is the interface that links the end user to the hardware. For non IT people consider the following case. Say that you have a car and you are the driver. In this case the car is the hardware and you are the end user. So where’s the software? We can say that it is your ACTIONS i.e. what you do is what will drive the car. Similarly, keeping this in mind, software is what will drive the hardware and make it react to the end user.

Engineering : Is a discipline that completely englobes and deals with a particular object in practice.

Software Engineering : Can be defined as a discipline that deals with all aspects of software production - from its design to its implemetation stage.


Monday, October 1, 2007

Embedded Software

Understanding what embedded means will greatly help you to understand the concept I am trying to explain. The term may seem to be very difficult but yet the meaning is quite simple to understand.

Embedded comes from the word embed which means to put into something or something that already has something in it.

Transposing this idea to the IT domain embedded means to be in built.
In this case the next logical step to use to make you understand the meaning of embedded software is to first explain what an embedded system is.

Embedded system : Is a system that cannot be programmed by the user because it has already been preprogrammed for a specific task and its software embedded within the equipment which it serves.

Coming to the definition of Embedded software : It is defined as a software that has already been inbuilt in a particular device or system at the time it was at the manufacturing stage.

Common examples of such devices that use embedded software are the :

1. Washing machine. You don’t need to program it when u buy it as it has already been preprogrammed with specific instructions. You just use it.
2. Microwave

Less common examples are :

1. A car


These are the systems in a 1998 Volvo S80, all of which were linked via two networks and controlled by a central module. Thirty years earlier, the Volkswagen 1600 used a microprocessor to control its fuel injection, making it the first embedded system in the auto industry. Today, a car's electronics cost more than the steel used to build it, and high-end cars can have more than 100 CPUs.

2. A shoe - The microprocessor embedded in an adidas running shoe calculates the pressure between the runner's foot and the ground five million times per second and continuously changes the cushioning to match an adjustable comfort level. The computer controls a motor that lengthens and shortens a cable attached to a plastic cushioning element.


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