I often use PC-compatible hardware (either real PC's or some sort of embedded flavor) for embedded projects. I use Microsoft Visual C++ to build the application. The run-time environment is a Win32 subset that I developed myself. A DOS program loads the run-time environment and application into memory (often from flash drives) and then passes control to the run-time's initialization entry point. From that point on the program runs in 32-bit flat model, without paging. This has turned out to be an extremely stable system. Bob Ammerman RAm Systems ----- Original Message ----- From: "Olin Lathrop" To: Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2003 10:55 AM Subject: Re: [PIC]: "PIC-killer" is coming. > Herbert Graf wrote: > > While some SBCs ARE used in an industrial environment I see > > little reason other than laziness for there use. > > Now you're going a bit off the deep end too. Most single board computers > (which usually implies PC architecture with x86 CPU) are intended for > industrial embedded applications. Sometimes you do need a lot of compute > power while still providing a GUI or whatever to the end user, for > example. The PC platform is not inherently unreliable. That feature is > added by the software. The advantage of using the PC architecture for > these single board computers is that all the compilers and other > development tools are already available and more stable and cheaper than > proprietary architectures due to the much greater volume. I wouldn't want > to run Windows on a mission-critical SBC, but there are lots of other > choices for the PC architecture. In some cases Windows might even be > appropriate where the SBC is used over a traditional desktop system mostly > due to ruggedness, space, weight, or mechanical integration issues. > > > ***************************************************************** > Embed Inc, embedded system specialists in Littleton Massachusetts > (978) 742-9014, http://www.embedinc.com > > -- > http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! > email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email listserv@mitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body