Articles – Page 78

November 18, 2020

“Because that’s where the money is.” – Willie Sutton, when asked why he robs banks

When you think of secure, reliable, mission-critical computers, you naturally think of Windows, right? It’s obvious. It’s so bulletproof, especially Windows XP.

That’s evidently the thinking behind many, and perhaps most, of the world’s automated teller machines (ATMs), which are little more than PC motherboards connected to a cash drawer. Everything you know and love about Windows is on display (sometimes literally), including … Read More → "How to Rob a Bank"

Create Your Own RTOS in 1 Hour (Part 4)

Let’s Get Coding

by Jim Turley

November 16, 2020

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” – William James

Time to write some code. The good news is, you won’t need much, and that’s largely the point. We’re going to let the hardware built into every x86 processor since the Reagan administration do the work for us. All we have to do is nudge it in the right direction and let nature take its course.

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Eos Embedded Perception Software Sees All

by Max Maxfield

November 12, 2020

Sit down, take a deep breath, and try to relax. In a few moments, I’m going to show you a video of people (well, dummies that look like people) walking in front of vehicles equipped with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking systems. The results will make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief at what I just observed, but first…

Earlier this year, I posted a column describing what happens Read More → "Eos Embedded Perception Software Sees All"

The Custom CPU Paradox

Is RISC-V Generic or Custom?

by Jim Turley

November 11, 2020

“I think there’s something great and generic about goldfish. They’re everybody’s first pet.” – Paul Rudd

RISC-V, like Finn, is kind of a big deal. It’s free, it’s flexible, and it’s fast. It’s not particularly remarkable as microprocessors go, but neither is it offensive or saddled with terrible flaws. It’s the beige Toyota Camry of processors.

Mentor’s Major DFT Upgrade

New Process Brings Big Payoff

by Kevin Morris

November 10, 2020

It isn’t often that we see an innovation that is really a game-changer. Most of the announcements we get from technology companies, particularly in areas like design-for-test (DFT), have been relatively stable for decades. Normally, we get incremental, evolutionary improvements in technology that yield modest gains in productivity, efficiency, or some other metric. Over time, these improvements add up, and we are able to continue happily along the path of Moore’s Law’s exponential curve.

This is not one of those times.

Create Your Own RTOS in 1 Hour (Part 3)

It’s All About the Preparation

by Jim Turley

November 9, 2020

“The fault… is not in our stars, but in ourselves…” Julius Caesar, I.III

Very little code is required to make an x86 processor handle task switching for you, but there is a certain amount of pregame setup you’ll have to do. This is mostly a matter of plugging values into memory so that everything is just right before you throw the big switch and start the machine running.

Sadly, there … Read More → "Create Your Own RTOS in 1 Hour (Part 3)"

Create Free Silicon Chips Courtesy of Google, SkyWater, and Efabless!

by Max Maxfield

November 5, 2020

Recently, I received an email from my old chum Dave Millman, who is CEO of SalesDev.Global. Before we plunge headfirst into the fray (this column) with gusto and abandon (and panache, of course), I would first like to note that I only just realized that there even was a .Global generic top-level domain (gTLD).

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Why Do We Install Software?

Exploring the Technical Reasons Behind an Old Procedure

by Jim Turley

November 4, 2020

“I can install toilets. I’m learning how to do basic wiring.” – Sandra Bullock

Why do we “install” software on our PCs, phones, and sometimes even embedded systems? Why don’t new programs just run right out of the box without going through the whole installation process?

The procedure for installing (and later uninstalling) seems to go through phases over the years. With big room-sized machines attended by lab-coated technicians, you literally did installRead More → "Why Do We Install Software?"

Untether AI – Peddling PetaOps

PCIe AI Accelerator Raises the Bar

by Kevin Morris

November 3, 2020

It seems we are announcing new AI inference hardware on a weekly basis these days. There is an incredible amount of engineering talent and energy going into the task of developing the next generation of computing architecture – one optimized for the AI revolution. Recently, Untether AI came out of stealth mode and unveiled an entire ecosystem aimed at boosting performance and cutting power consumption in AI workloads in a wide variety of systems, via a PCIe accelerator card boasting a new chip architecture developed by the company.

Let’s look … Read More → "Untether AI – Peddling PetaOps"

Create Your Own RTOS in 1 Hour (Part 2)

Gates, Privileges, and Descriptors, Oh My!

by Jim Turley

November 2, 2020

“I believe the future is only the past again, entered through another gate.” – Arthur Wing Pinero

We know what a task state segment (TSS) is, but where does it live? The short answer is, anywhere you want it to. Like any other memory segment in the x86 world, you can place the TSS just about anywhere in physical RAM as long as you create a segment descriptor that tells the processor where to find it.