The C programmer's guide to Verilog
by Lara Simsic
Now that hardware is designed in high-level languages, the fields of hardware and software development are beginning to merge. Here's an introduction to hardware design in Verilog for the uninitiated.

Encrypting data with the Blowfish algorithm
by Bill Gatliff
Many embedded systems depend on obscurity to achieve security. We often design systems to download unsigned or unencrypted firmware upgrades or store unencrypted user data, a practice we justify because it's invisible to the end user and makes our lives easier. The stealthy practice, however, is no longer kosher. With the help of this public-domain encryption algorithm, we can clean up our act.

Where testing fails
by Sean Beatty
Testing, alone, cannot find all potential failure points for real-time embedded software, particularly in multithreading environments. Here are several techniques you can use to find errors that may otherwise be missed.

Where testing fails, part 2
by Sean Beatty
Testing, alone, cannot find all potential failure points for real-time embedded software, particularly in multithreading environments. In part 2 of Sean Beatty's article on errors that escape detection, the focus is timing and reentrancy problems.

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Anecdotally speaking
by Michael Barr
Embedded Systems Programming 's subscribers are a loyal bunch. As the magazine prepares to celebrate its 15th anniversary, editor-in-chief Michael Barr, asks subscribers to share their stories about how the magazine has been part of their lives.

Programmer's Toolbox
I think I get it
by Jack Crenshaw
Jack's spent over three decades working on his root finder. At long last, he finally understands why it ever worked in the first place.

Beginner's Corner
Introduction to timer-based measurement
by Michael Barr and Stuart Ball
Consider the issues of range, accuracy, sampling rate, and drift described here before you decide on a timer chip.

Programming Pointers
Enumerations with noncontiguous values
by Dan Saks
Enumerations with noncontiguous values pose some complications, especially if you want to iterate through them in a loop.

Significant Bits
Instruction set translation
by Jim Turley
If instruction sets didn't matter, processors would be cheaper and designers would have more options. That's why one startup's efforts are so intriguing.

Break Points
Memorial Day
by Jack G. Ganssle
Is the current recession a natural dip in the business cycle or is it the result of trends that are propelling us into a nightmarish new world?