Thread: What are embedded systems

systems that are embedded.
*looks around surroundings*
*looks in pocket*
*finds 2 dollars*
*heads to the gas station to by a 40oz and save 3 for the homiez*

Computers, (etc.), which serve specific purposes.

The PC on your desk is a general purpose machine, you can use it for whatever you like. The micro that controls your washing machine/video/cash dispenser/etc./etc. is not general purpose. It is embedded in another functional unit.

Embedded systems still have to be programmed mind. Big business.

*comes back with half empty 40oz*
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ill come back when more has devoloped here fellows.
*keeps walking*

It took you 13 hours to drink half a 40?

Anyways, like adrian said, they're usually small micros embedded in a larger system. They are specific in the way that they don't usually do things like run windows and let you play games and things on them - they're meant to do their jobs, and that's it.

Govt, don't you work on embedded systems for a career?

Who do you think makes more (on the national average) Embedded systems 'programmers' (or whatever u call them ) or 'other programmers' i.e winapi developers. Now I know it depends a lot on where you work and what you do...I'm just talking about very broad terms

> Govt, don't you work on embedded systems for a career?

Those've been my projects lately, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that's my career; I wasn't hired specifically to program micros.

I would say embedded programmers make more, just because their work's more specialized. I don't have anything to back that up - it's just my assumption.

Well, not really... 1 chip could easily be used to do all that stuff, and still be embedded - but that's all it'd be intended to do - you couldn't hook into the internet or anything.

I've done a lot of embedded work. Generally, embedded work is a little more difficult because some of the chips you use are really rather crude. You tend to develop the software in a chip emulator then download it into a development system and try it out. Debugging used to be a nightmare but has become much easier with the advent of really good In Circuit Emulators, (ICE machines), which are bits of sophisticated hardware that react like the dumber chips they emulate.

As chips have become cheaper and cheaper, it is not uncommon these days to use a chip which is far more powerful/sophisticated than is actually needed for the job because the development is easier.

A really good embedded programmer is likely to earn more than an equivalent desktop developer, but note the likely.