Interpreters Good and Bad
When flexibility beats deadlines, a small POS startup swapped table-driven firmware for a compact bytecode interpreter. Kim Mansfield describes how a custom bytecode virtual machine let them download scripts to change product menus, add features like credit-card authorization, and port the system to new hardware in weeks. The tradeoff was slower execution and added complexity versus native code, but simplicity kept maintenance easy.
First Post
Kim Mansfield introduces herself as a 27-year embedded software veteran who moved from music to computer engineering and low-level firmware work. She sketches a career path from Motorola 6809 and Z80 assembly to 8051 and C, then contracting. Kim says the blog will explore interpreters and adaptive techniques like fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms, and neural networks for practical embedded use.
First Post
Kim Mansfield introduces herself as a 27-year embedded software veteran who moved from music to computer engineering and low-level firmware work. She sketches a career path from Motorola 6809 and Z80 assembly to 8051 and C, then contracting. Kim says the blog will explore interpreters and adaptive techniques like fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms, and neural networks for practical embedded use.
Interpreters Good and Bad
When flexibility beats deadlines, a small POS startup swapped table-driven firmware for a compact bytecode interpreter. Kim Mansfield describes how a custom bytecode virtual machine let them download scripts to change product menus, add features like credit-card authorization, and port the system to new hardware in weeks. The tradeoff was slower execution and added complexity versus native code, but simplicity kept maintenance easy.
Interpreters Good and Bad
When flexibility beats deadlines, a small POS startup swapped table-driven firmware for a compact bytecode interpreter. Kim Mansfield describes how a custom bytecode virtual machine let them download scripts to change product menus, add features like credit-card authorization, and port the system to new hardware in weeks. The tradeoff was slower execution and added complexity versus native code, but simplicity kept maintenance easy.
First Post
Kim Mansfield introduces herself as a 27-year embedded software veteran who moved from music to computer engineering and low-level firmware work. She sketches a career path from Motorola 6809 and Z80 assembly to 8051 and C, then contracting. Kim says the blog will explore interpreters and adaptive techniques like fuzzy logic, genetic algorithms, and neural networks for practical embedded use.
