THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

Embedded computers are only the latest development in the evolution of computing technology. Following in the footsteps of their mainframe, minicomputer, and personal computer ancestors, embedded systems began as toys and experiments and eventually became more useful. Now they are going mainstream; and the Internet is marching with them, in lock step.

The programming of embedded systems has been going on for a long time, since approximately 1974. That was the year Intel introduced the world’s very first general-purpose microprocessor chip. In fact, that chip—the 4004—was invented specifically for use in embedded systems, for a line of business calculators from the Japanese company Busicom. Prior to the development of the 4004, products that needed brains either had mechanical guts or proprietary hard-wired circuitry. Intel’s world-changing idea was to accomplish the same tasks with one general-purpose circuit and multiple-product-specific program, stored in external memory.

The designers of embedded systems have since employed microprocessors—as well as their microcontroller and DSP cousins—in billions of products, but always in relative obscurity. For decades it seemed that no one knew what we were doing. Even as personal computers found their way onto every available desktop, and the lingo of computing entered the mainstream vocabulary, I was having trouble explaining just what exactly I did at work to my own friends and family. Even now, the vast majority of the human population is just beginning to realize that processors and software are embedded in many of the smart devices they’ve come to rely on in their daily lives.

At the Embedded Systems Conference Summer, keynote speaker Larry Mittag observed that embedded computers have silently emerged as the latest stage in the development of computing technology. He suggested that a computer in every product is a natural extension of the idea of a computer on every desktop. And, though some obvious disagreement exists about the nature of computing in the post-PC era, embedded computers are certain to be present in ever-increasing numbers.

There was once a time when some very smart people thought there was “a world market for maybe five [mainframe] computers” ¹ and “no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” ² Fortunately, those wannabe prophets were still able to salvage a buck or two from their lapses in judgement. Hopefully now, with those lessons learned and the knowledge that less than 1% of all the 32-bit processors sold last year went onto PC motherboards, no one will make such a silly statement about the future of embedded computers. ³

Internet appliances

As the size and price of raw computing power have continued to fall, the capabilities of our embedded systems have increased dramatically. Many—like PDAs, cell phones, and set-top boxes—now have graphical user interfaces, hardware and software expansion options, and network connections. In the case of the network connection, the driver is almost always Internet connectivity. Connecting to the Internet has become a mainstay of the daily experience we call living. We send and receive e-mail, trade stocks and watch our portfolios, read headlines and in-depth news accounts, share documents, play games, and hold conversations over the Internet. And we will soon do many of these things with the help of embedded systems.

WebTV and the wireless Palm VII Connected Organizer are just two prominent examples of this revolutionary marriage of Internet and embedded systems. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. We may soon share our homes with Internet-connected refrigerators that monitor their contents and automatically order replacements; dishwashers that upgrade themselves; and microwave ovens with access to recipes and cooking programs. Our cars may soon contain navigational systems that know not only where we are and how to get where we’re going, but also about the current weather and traffic conditions along our route. We may listen to Internet-based radio stations or MP3 audio downloaded directly to our stereo receivers. And we may use Internet-enabled telephones to read e-mail, send and receive faxes, and make free long distance calls anywhere in the world, all over a single TCP/IP connection.

All of these products are examples of what we call internet appliances. They are embedded systems connected to a public or private network. They have Ethernet or some other wired or wireless network interface, over which a protocol stack is installed to make them speak the language of the host network. They are the future of computing technology in the emerging post-PC era.

Keeping up

As members of the press, we at Embedded Systems Programming can’t just sit idly by and watch such revolutions take place without reporting them. It is our raison d’être to inform you, the designers of embedded systems and embedded software, about the latest developments in our industry. And these are two of the biggest. So we’re going to be paying a lot of attention to them in future issues of the magazine. In fact, we’re starting right away.

You may have already noticed that this issue of Embedded Systems Programming is a little bit thicker than most. That’s because it contains a special section focused specifically on the design and development of software for network-enabled embedded systems. This new Internet Appliance Design section consists of this monthly column, two full-length feature articles, and the unbiased industry news and new product coverage you’ve come to expect from ESP . It is a regular monthly addition to our magazine.

The scope of this section will include not only the design and development of software for Internet-connected devices (with an uppercase ‘I’), but also for systems on any type of network. For example, in the coming months we’ll have a number of articles about writing, using, and customizing TCP/IP protocol stacks, but these will not be Internet-specific. We think there’s a great cost savings to be achieved by using these proven and popular protocols. So, even if your product need only be connected to other systems via a proprietary network, it may still make sense to borrow the best of the internet protocols (with a lowercase ‘i’).

This month, you’ll find feature articles about the general topics of improving the efficiency of a protocol stack and creating extensible software architectures. But there will also be many future articles about specific technologies. For example, some of the articles we have in the works will look at embedded Web servers, Web browsers, Java, Windows CE, Jini, and ATVEF. We’ll also cover wireless network technologies like Bluetooth, and digital video and audio formats such as MPEG and MP3.

Stay connected

We hope that this addition to the magazine will address the needs you have in your roles as system and software designers for network-enabled devices. However, we are only human here, trying to fit our informational offerings to your perceived needs. If you think we’ve gotten something wrong or are leaving some important topic out, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’d really like to hear your ideas for improving the Internet Appliance Design section—or the magazine as a whole.

Also, we are always looking for engineers who are interested in and willing to write articles for us. We think the best authors are those who read the magazine regularly. So if you have some technical expertise that you’d like to share with your peers, check out our online writer’s guidelines ( www.embedded.com/ wriguide.htm) and send us your ideas. By working together, we will all get smarter, and our jobs will get a little easier.

References

1. Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

2. Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.

3. Turley, Jim, “Embedded Processors by the Numbers,”

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Michael Barr is the technical editor of Embedded Systems Programming . His programming experience includes the development of embedded software, device drivers, and real-time operating systems. He has been developing embedded software for more than five years and has written a book entitled Programming Embedded Systems in C and C++ (O’Reilly & Associates). Michael enjoys discussion and can be reached via e-mail at mbarr@cmp.com. His column, “Connecting…,” will be a regular feature.