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From bare-metal to RTOS: 5 Reasons to use an RTOS

Jacob Beningo October 18, 20167 comments

Developers can come up with amazing and convoluted reasons to not use an RTOS. I have heard excuses ranging from they are too expensive (despite open source solutions) all the way to they aren’t efficient and use too much memory. In some circumstances some excuses are justified but there are many reasons why a developer should look to an RTOS to help with their real-time scheduling needs.

From bare-metal to RTOS Quick Links
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From Baremetal to RTOS: A review of scheduling techniques

Jacob Beningo June 8, 201617 comments

Transitioning from bare-metal embedded software development to a real-time operating system (RTOS) can be a difficult endeavor. Many developers struggle with the question of whether they should use an RTOS or simply use a bare-metal scheduler. One of the goals of this series is to walk developers through the transition and decision making process of abandoning bare-metal thinking and getting up to speed quickly with RTOSes. Before diving into the details of RTOSes, the appropriate first step...


Modern Embedded Systems Programming: Beyond the RTOS

Miro Samek April 27, 20167 comments

An RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) is the most universally accepted way of designing and implementing embedded software. It is the most sought after component of any system that outgrows the venerable "superloop". But it is also the design strategy that implies a certain programming paradigm, which leads to particularly brittle designs that often work only by chance. I'm talking about sequential programming based on blocking.

Blocking occurs any time you wait explicitly in-line for...


Using the Beaglebone PRU to achieve realtime at low cost

Fabien Le Mentec April 25, 20148 comments
Introduction

I work as an engineer in a synchrotron facility. A few weeks ago, I helped the people in charge of the power supply developments to integrate a realtime control algorithm on a prototype platform: a BeagleBone Black (BBB) running Linux. I had already worked with this board in the past, and I found it very interesting given its excellent resources versus price ratio (around 40 euros). This time, I was impressed by its realtime capabilities. I thought it would be a good idea to...


Product quality: belief or proof?

Colin Walls October 7, 2024

Embedded software development is a challenging activity, so it is essential to have tools and IP that is of the best quality. However, assessing that quality can be, in itself, a challenge.


OS influence on power consumption

Colin Walls January 27, 20251 comment

Power consumption of an embedded system may be influenced in software in general, but selection of an operating system can be key.


Optimizing Real-Time Operating Systems for Efficient Edge Devices

Lance Harvie January 11, 2024

Edge computing has become a crucial technology in today's world, requiring real-time operating systems (RTOS) to provide the necessary capabilities for efficient resource management, optimal performance, and reliable operation of edge devices. Let’s have a look at the key features and benefits of RTOS for edge computing, including the challenges, solutions, best practices, and future trends.

Key Features of RTOS in Edge Environments

RTOS provides several essential features that make it...


Hidden Gems from the Embedded Online Conference Archives - Part 1

Tim Guite March 5, 2025

Discussion of a "hidden gem" from the Embedded Online Conference archives!


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