30 Pitfalls for Real-Time Software Developers, Part 1, 10/99

versity or corporation, repeat the same mistakes over and over again when developing real-time software. I have observed this while reviewing and grading code in academic projects, and as a consultant involved in numerous design and code reviews for industry. Most real-time software developers are not even aware that their favorite methods can be problematic. Quite often, experts are self-taught; hence they tend to have the same bad habits as when they first began, usually because they never witnessed better ways of programming their embedded systems. These experts then train novices, who subsequently acquire the same bad habits. The purpose of this article is to improve your awareness of common problems, and to provide a start towards eliminating mistakes and thus creating software that is both more reliable and easier to maintain. This list first began as the 10 most common pitfalls, but there were just so many common mistakes and problems that the list grew. It expanded through 15 and 25, to its present number. This month, I’ll present problems 30 through 16; the rest I’ll lay out for you next month. For each problem, I present the misconception or source of the problem. Then I offer possible solutions or alternatives that can help minimize or eliminate the mistakes. If you’re not familiar with the details or terminology of the alternate solutions, then a quick library or Web search should yield additional literature on the topic. While there is usually agreement about most items being mistakes, some of the mistakes listed and the corresponding proposed solutions may be controversial. In such cases, simply