Sticky Bits

Unfortunately Google (via blogger.com) have announced that as of the 26th March 2010 they will discontinue support for FTP uploads from blogger accounts. Current the Feabhas blog is created and managed from blogger but uploaded to our Feabhas server. So having really just got my head around blogging it’s got to be all change. We have a number of posts to publish (including my trip report to embedded world 2010), but I plan to hold off until we have resolved the best route forward (ideally wordpress) . I’m hoping it has no impact on the atom feed, but only time will tell. Watch this space…

I’ve been procrastinating for the best part of a couple of months now getting this blog started. First of all I do feel a little late to the party, has blogging been surpassed by tweeting? Strangely I’ve actually been using twitter in anger since late march (@feabhas) and I’ll cover my experiences of that in a later post.
So what is the aim of this blog? My hope is to cover, in a no-nonsense manner, aspects centered on Real-Time and Embedded Systems (RTES) Software. My key areas of experience and/or interest are:

• Programming – mainly C and C++
• Design – “Real-Time” UML
• Platforms – Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) and Embedded Linux

Orthogonal to this is looking at Competency and Training relating to RTESs, significantly:

• How well do we prepare graduates for developing software for RTESs?
• Can e-learning replace Instructor-led-training (ILT)?
• Can we define a set of skills and knowledge that characterise competency for RTES development?
• Is Software Engineering Engineering?

Finally I will likely splatter my postings with random thoughts and observations derived from my love of gadgets (king among them is my iPhone), being a geek-Dad (seeing what my kids are learning at school) and involvement in the wider embedded systems community through being a track chair for the Embedded Systems Conferences (ESC).