Cover Feature: Put a configurable 32-bit processor in your FPGA
by Navanee Sundaramoorthy
Employing a configurable processor within your FPGA gives you lots of options that may not have been available with a fixed microprocessor, particularly the ability to adapt to a wide variety of application requirements.

Design an efficient programmable I² C slave
by Donald Schelle and Eric Schlaepfer
The latest MCUs make it feasible to include programmable I² C slaves in low-cost systems.

Measure your RTOS's real-time performance
by William Lamie and John Carbone
To find the RTOS with the best real-time performance, you've got to do an apples-to-apples comparison.

Implement PCI Express 1.1 in your latest design
by Rick Eads
Don't be scared off by the latest changes to the specification. By following a few straightforward steps, you're sure to comply.

Programming Pointers
Throw and catch
by Dan Saks
Exception handling in C++ provides the simplicity of error handling with longjmp, but without the leaks.

Analyst's Corner
What's holding up patents for processor architectures?
by David Dawsey
The patent process, from application to issuance, seems to run on geological time. One horror story clocks in at seven years. What's up with that? And will it get better?

Break Points
Good contracts make good programs
by Jack G. Ganssle
Is Design by Contract just a fancy name for the tried and tested assert( ) macro? No!

#include
The need for more programmers
by Richard Nass
A crisis is looming if we can't squeeze more code from our existing developers.