Developing embedded software is notoriously difficult – how can we simplify the process? Fortunately, there are lots of techniques you can use daily to help streamline your development. Embracing Automation The specialized nature of embedded systems extends the ramp-up time for developers and necessitates a higher level of expertise. Automating hardware-specific tasks, such as deploying […]
Author Archives: Nathan Collins
Streamlining Multi-platform Development and Testing
In today’s pervasively digital landscape, building software for a single platform is a 1990s approach. Modern applications, even those designed for specific embedded targets, must be adaptable enough to run seamlessly across various platforms without sacrificing efficiency or reliability. This is often easier said than done. Here are some key points to consider when developing […]
Punctuality Matters: Using Linux to Manage Time-Critical Situations
The robustness of Linux is widely acknowledged, but it can’t quite match the microsecond management of a real-time operating system (RTOS) for time critical situations such as CNC machine instructions, vehicular control, or health sensor collection. If your software must record, manage, or control events within a narrow and precise time window and you’re invested […]
Optimizing Embedded Product Design The Case for Off-the-shelf Boards
Choosing the right system-on-chip (SoC) is probably your first consideration when designing an embedded product, followed closely by deciding whether to use an off-the-shelf board or design your own. The case for commercial boards in initial designs For the first product in a new line, consider using a commercially available board that features your chosen […]
The Embedded Developer’s Dilemma in Choosing Hardware
When designing an embedded product, there’s a lot riding on those crucial first decisions of choosing a hardware vendor and board. Clearly, the hardware you select must be powerful enough to support your product, a challenging determination given that software is usually still in the planning stages at this point in the process. Plus, planning […]
install_name_tool and Universal Binaries How arm64 Affected an x86_64 App, and How We Fixed It
With Apple moving to Apple Silicon for all of their new products, software developers are having to figure out how to support both Intel and Apple Silicon devices. Like some of our customers, you may not be ready to move to Apple Silicon. Unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily exempt you from dealing with universal binaries, especially […]
Declarative Widgets adding Qt Widgets support to QML
Declarative Widgets is a QML plugin that adds Qt Widgets support to QML. This means we can now easily mix the power of QML with the comfort of a Widgets UI on desktop. Background Declarative Widgets was born out of a breakfast discussion about how awesome it would be to use QML to describe […]