Barr Code

---

Trends in embedded software design

Michael Barr

5/2/2012 7:38 PM EDT

As the magazine that catered to embedded systems programmers closes, the future lies in less hands-on programming and more auto-generated code.

  post comment   18 comments    last comment  cdhmanning
I've been hearing the 32-bitters are taking over story for over 15 years now, but the number of ...

---

Building reliable and secure embedded systems

Michael Barr

3/20/2012 5:49 PM EDT

Neither reliability nor security can be tested, debugged, or patched into a product. They must be designed into embedded systems from day one.

  post comment   3 comments    last comment  sharps_eng
For security to be built-in it has to be underlying, OS-supported functionality, not something ...

---

Combining C's volatile and const keywords

Michael Barr

2/24/2012 12:25 PM EST

Does it ever make sense to declare a variable in C or C++ as both volatile (in other words, "ever-changing") and const ("read-only")? If so, why? And how should you combine volatile and const properly?

  post comment   20 comments    last comment  one_armed_bandit
@dave brown: Let me first give you a pointer to one of Linus Torvald's rants against "volatile": ...

---

Firmware forensics: best practices in embedded software source-code discovery

10/27/2011 10:41 AM EDT

Remember unintended acceleration? Here's what NASA should have examined in Toyota's software.

  post comment   24 comments    last comment  sharps_eng
Adopting a common vehicle hardware and software 'platform+kernel' that is certified and utilized ...

---

Five dangerous coding standard rules

Michael Barr

9/7/2011 10:40 PM EDT

Don't follow these five dangerous coding standard rules… TODO.

  post comment   15 comments    last comment  ReneCardenas
I am not related to Mr. Barr, but man, Ramig972. That stinger really hurt, what has this guy done to ...

---

How to enforce coding standards automatically

Michael Barr

7/27/2011 1:24 PM EDT

Coding standards are an important tool for fighting bugs. Unfortunately, too many well-intentioned coding standards gather more dust than followers. Automatic enforcement points the way to greater compliance.

  post comment   17 comments    last comment  OEngenheiro
I don't understand the rule 4.2.d - "No header file shall contain a #include statement." If you ...

---

What belongs in a header file

Michael Barr

5/11/2011 6:44 PM EDT

What sorts of things should you (or should you not) put in a C language .h header file? When should you create a header file? And why?

  post comment   37 comments    last comment  Weatherhead
I totally disagree with the last rule "DON'T expose the internal format of any module-specific data ...

---

Unintended acceleration and other embedded software bugs

Michael Barr

3/30/2011 11:37 AM EDT

Despite the redactions, we can still learn some interesting facts about Toyota's embedded software and NASA's technical review of the same.

  post comment   14 comments    last comment  cdhmanning
Sure you want these things, but are you prepared to pay for them? Every car could have a titanium ...

---

Social networking for engineers

Michael Barr

2/10/2011 3:16 PM EST

Not all engineers hate Twitter. Many use social media site wisely. Michael Barr, a former editor in chief of Embedded Systems Programming, is an experienced user of social media and offers this guide to social media for the busy engineer.

  post comment   12 comments    last comment  Dipal.Zambare
Sorry hit the submit button too early. I wanted to thank Michael for inspiring me to try this ...

---

Five more top causes of nasty embedded software bugs

Michael Barr

11/2/2010 10:32 PM EDT

What do memory leaks, deadlocks, and priority inversions have in common? They’re all Hall of Famers in the pantheon of nasty firmware bugs.

  post comment   9 comments    last comment  sharps_eng
@Duane - lone programming is of course bad news. One tip; write a module's code in one language, and ...

---