FEATURES

Java: Virtual Machine for Virtually Any Platform
by Simon Waddington and Steven Li
There's no doubt about it, Java has become a hot topic in recent months. But should embedded developers care? This overview describes JavaÜs applicability in embedded systems.

Constant Time Software Interval Timers
by Gene Tucciarone
Timer services algorithms attempt to optimize one of the normal dimensions of timer processing: starting a timer, stopping a timer, and processing timer ticks. Here is a simple algorithm that makes all three operations occur quickly.

Shrinking Iostreams for Embedded Developers
by Curtis Green
The iostream library provides a flexible way to perform I/O and formatted string manipulation, but sometimes with a lot of unused functionality. This article shows how to create a stripped-down version of the iostreams library.

Special Report: Software Debuggers
by Nicholas Cravotta
To go beyond software debuggers requires special hardware. One can use a ROM emulator, logic analyzer, or in-circuit emulator(ICE).

COLUMNS + DEPARTMENTS

#include
No Pun Intended
by Lindsey Vereen
Let's all meet back here at this time next year and see if anyone still cares or if the whole Java phenomenon has just evaporated.

Programmer's Toolbox
More About Filters
by Jack W. Crenshaw
Goodness knows, the digital filter is a topic well worth talking about, so let's press on.

Break Points
Debugging Interrupt Service Routines
by Jack G. Ganssle
If you were clever enough to fill the vector table's unused entries with pointers to a null routine, watch for a breakpoint on that function.

State of the Art
Gedankenware
by P.J. Plauger
I maintain that there is only one way to determine the specification for a new piece of software–write the code and see what it looks like.