When do you need to use a real-time operating system (RTOS) for an embedded project? What does it bring to the table, and what are the costs? Fortunately there are strict technical definitions, whi… ...

As an example of a hard real-time scenario, imagine a system where the embedded controller has to respond to incoming sensor data within a specific timespan.

But interrupt latency is just one aspect of a real-time system. Scheduling is another. Here again, there are options with Linux, because the default scheduler isn't always an optimal solution.

The open-source eCos (Embedded Configurable Operating System) is ideal for deeply embedded systems in which memory resources and real-time execution constraints are top design issues. The system ...