Over the past few years, the use of open source software in embedded systems has become mainstream.  In part, this is due the sheer necessity:  Systems just keep getting more complex, incorporating more and more functionality, but design teams aren’t getting larger, and code-writing productivity isn’t improving dramatically.  In many cases, this means that the role of embedded software developers has shifted from writing code to integrating components—but finding the needed components can be difficult indeed.

These days, few system design teams can afford the expense and time of developing a custom chip tailored to their specific needs.  Therefore, most system designers are forced to rely on off-the-shelf chips that are a less-than-perfect fit for their needs.  And even teams that are able to design their own chips must minimize the frequency of doing so, given the costs of creating a new chip.

The MathWorks—maker of MATLAB modeling environment—has launched a trio of new code-generation tools called MATLAB Coder, Simulink Coder, and Embedded Coder. With these automatic code-generation products, The MathWorks aims to eliminate the need for development teams to maintain parallel development efforts—modeling algorithms in MATLAB, for instance, while separately coding in C or C++ for embedded implementation. MATLAB users will get direct code-generation capability for the first time without having to use Simulink.

While processors tend to grab the headlines, algorithms are the real essence of digital signal processing.  Algorithms are what enable the incredible innovations we see in fields ranging from medical imaging to wireless communications to computer vision.  And, algorithms are becoming even more important over time, as better processors enable more sophisticated algorithms to be implemented at acceptable price points.  For system designers looking for ways to differentiate their products, better algorithms are often the most promising way to do so, considering that competitors

I was recently reminded of a very old joke―old enough that I remember hearing it from my dad when I was a kid:

In early 2010, Xilinx previewed its vision for what it calls an “extensible processing platform”—a highly integrated combination of a high-performance embedded processor subsystem and an FPGA.  Earlier this month, that vision came one step closer to reality with Xilinx’s disclosure of details of its first extensible processing platform product family.  The family, named Zynq-7000, initially comprises four chips.  Xilinx says Zynq samples will become generally available in the first half of 2012.

I recently returned from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.  Well, actually, I got back over a month ago, but it feels like I just got back.  My ears are still ringing.

CES is a phenomenon.  It’s big. It’s loud.  It’s crowded and inconvenient.  Come to think of it, the experience of being an attendee at CES is a lot like the experience of buying and using consumer electronics.  In several ways, CES gives consumer electronics manufacturers a taste of their own medicine.