Engineering Web Technologies for Embedded Applications

W eb browsers have become the de facto standard user interface to a variety of applications. They can run on almost any platform—from PCs and workstations to PDAs, cell phones, and pagers—and allow end-users to access Web-enabled applications from any location. Applied to embedded systems, Web technologies offer graphical user interfaces that are user friendly, inexpensive, cross-platform, and network-ready. System designers are therefore using them to supplement or replace traditional proprietary command-line and graphical user interfaces. Web interfaces offer benefits to manufacturers as well as to end-users. Because Web-based interfaces are cross-platform and easier to develop than traditional proprietary interfaces, manufacturers enjoy a shorter timeto-market for new product features. Moreover, the costs associated with product support, training, and documentation are lower, and the Web interface can be used for remote diagnostics of products in the field.