Real Time Systems and Programming Languages: Ada 95, Real-Time Java and Real-Time C/POSIX (3rd Edition) [Hardcover]

Alan Burns (Author), Andy Wellings (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201729881 | ISBN-13: 978-0201729887 | Publication Date: April 5, 2001 | Edition: 3

B> This book provides an in-depth analysis of the requirements for designing and implementing real-time embedded systems, and discusses how these requirements are met by current languages and operating systems. The comparative advantages of Ada 95, Real-Time Java, and Real-Time C/POSIX are discussed in full. The emergence of Java as a real-time language through the Real-Time Java extensions has resulted in the treatment of Java as one of the core languages covered in the book. The additional real-time facilities in POSIX are also explored, as well as the proposed extensions to CORBA to address real-time issues. More material on schedulability analysis is also included. No other book on real-time programming languages (or concurrent programming languages) covers this range of topics. This book is designed for programmers and engineers looking for an introduction and/or reference that discusses current real-time programming languages and how they are suited to designing and implementing real-time embedded systems.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the requirements for designing and implementing real-time embedded systems, and discusses how these requirements are met by current languages and operating systems. The comparative advantages of Ada 95, Real-Time Java, and Real-Time C/POSIX are discussed in full. The emergence of Java as a real-time language through the Real-Time Java extensions has resulted in the treatment of Java as one of the core languages covered in the book. The additional real-time facilities in POSIX are also explored, as well as the proposed extensions to CORBA to address real-time issues. More material on schedulability analysis is also included. No other book on real-time programming languages (or concurrent programming languages) covers this range of topics. This book is designed for programmers and engineers looking for an introduction and/or reference that discusses current real-time programming languages and how they are suited to designing and implementing real-time embedded systems.

About the Author

Alan Burns and Andy Wellings are both based in the Computer Science Department at the University of York, UK. Professor Burns holds a Personal Chair in Real-Time Systems. He has authored or co-authored over 400 papers/reports and fifteen books mostly in the Ada or real-time area. Andy Wellings is Professor of Real-Time Systems and is the author of over 300 papers/reports and five books, as well as being European Editor-in-Chief for the journal Software Practice and Experience. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 784 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 3 edition (April 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201729881
• ISBN-13: 978-0201729887
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,204,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The "gold standard" for books on real-time systems, August 6, 2009

By 

Patrick Rogers (Friendswood, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real-Time Systems and Programming Languages (International Computer Science Series) (Paperback)

There are a number of excellent books on the topic of real-time systems. Few, if any, address the breadth of topics covered by this book, much less to the depth and quality exhibited here. Read as many of the others as you can, but if you must purchase only one book on real-time systems, this is the one to have. Indeed, I have each of the three previous editions of this book and this latest is, once again, worth every penny.

One of the reasons I hold such a high opinion of the book is that it is written by people who not only know what they are talking about, but can do so with clarity and precision. As leading contributors to scheduling theory and the real-time programming facilities of both Ada and Java, the authors are internationally recognized experts on real-time systems and programming languages. The text's depth reflects that fact, but it is also clear, concise, and a pleasure to read.

Another reason I recommend the book is that it has a good balance between theory and practice. Make no mistake, the necessary theory is covered extensively, but it is then illustrated with concrete examples using programming languages that are in wide-spread use today: Ada, C, and Java. As neither C nor Java were explicitly designed for concurrent real-time systems, the text includes the necessary extensions. For C, the POSIX real-time profile is used. For Java, the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ) is used. When necessary, examples are provided in other languages as well.

In fact these three programming languages form the underlying context for much of the book. They are not themselves the subjects of the book, however, and those readers seeking an introduction to these languages should look elsewhere. Instead, the programming languages are used to explore the distinct nature of real-time systems and the requirements for developing applications in that domain. The code examples thus provide a means of illustrating the topic at hand, but also provide a means for comparing the strengths and weaknesses of the real-time facilities of the languages. The authors are leading contributors to the Ada 2005 Real-Time Systems Annex and the RTSJ for Java, a fact reflected in the detailed critical analysis provided.

I felt happy to purchase yet another edition of the book because of all the above, but also because of the additions (and removals) present in this edition. New material includes additional schedulability analysis theory and material on multi-processor and multi-core architectures. With respect to programming languages, the new material includes extensive coverage of the real-time systems programming additions to Ada 2005, the latest version of the RTSJ, and the new real-time POSIX profile enhancements for C. As for removals, the introductory material on the programming languages is no longer present. This change was a necessity for the sake of brevity, but the result is a better overall focus. Also removed is the chapter on distributed systems. I was sorry to see that go, but the primary points have been moved to other chapters. Discussion of other programming languages, such as occam2, are also removed for the sake of brevity but is available on the book's web site.

I should point out that this is not just a "timing" book. For example, real-time systems typically have reliability requirements as well as timeliness requirements. Reliability is thus covered extensively, as are a number of other topics that might not be immediately suggested by the title.

In summary, I am a real-time systems engineer with over 30 years of professional development, industry lecturing, and occasional university lecturing experience. Based on that combination, I give this book my highest recommendation to both professionals and students alike. The field of real-time systems is not for beginners, but developers (and managers) as well as more advanced university students will definitely benefit. Both will find a text they can use to learn the latest in the field.

PS: Note that, at the time of this writing, Amazon is for some reason showing some reviews for earlier editions of the book, not this latest (fourth) edition.

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, March 16, 2007

By 

Tripti Bhaskaran "Tripti" (Logan, Utah) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Real Time Systems and Programming Languages: Ada 95, Real-Time Java and Real-Time C/POSIX (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is great because it covers all the important concepts quite well. I think it is a must for those into real-time programming.

5 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars NOT FOR STUDENTS, May 11, 2004

By 

John Smith (York, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Time Systems and Programming Languages: Ada 95, Real-Time Java and Real-Time C/POSIX (3rd Edition) (Hardcover)

This book is no good for students, as it has exercises with answers only available to lecturers though a password system.
The examples are ok but do not help for the exercises so it makes the book imcomplete and very dissappointing, If you need help for real time systems then this is not the book for you, If you just want to read a book this might be ok, but learning is not going to be done.
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