Programming Embedded Systems in C and C++

xi

Preface

First figure out why you want the students to learn

the subject and what you want them to know,

and the method will result more or less

by common sense.

—Richard Feynman

Embedded software is in almost every electronic device in use today. There is soft-

ware hidden away inside our watches, VCRs, cellular phones, and even a few

toasters. The military uses embedded software to guide missiles and detect enemy

aircraft. And communication satellites, deep-space probes, and many medical

instruments would’ve been nearly impossible to create without it.

Someone has to write all that software, and there are tens of thousands of electri-

cal engineers, computer scientists, and other professionals who actually do. I am

one of them, and I know from my personal experience just how hard it can be to

learn the craft. There aren’t any embedded software courses in school, and I’ve

never been able to find a decent book about the subject in any library.

Each embedded system is unique, and the hardware is highly specialized to the

application domain. As a result, embedded systems programming can be a widely

varying experience and can take years to master. However, one common denomi-

nator across almost all embedded software development is the use of the C pro-

gramming language. This book will teach you how to use C and its descendent

C++ in any embedded system.

Even if you already know how to write embedded ...