Trade-offs in the design of mixed hardware-software systems-a perspective from industry

Abstract

Many systems in the field of consumer electronics devices and computers consist of a hardware platform and of software running on that platform. In the design of these systems many trade-offs have to be made. In the design of the hardware platform trade-offs have to be made between programmable components and dedicated components. The programming of the hardware platform also contains many trade-offs. Here a "software architecture" needs to be developed that spans several layers, using well defined interfaces, e.g. application programming interfaces (APIs). The software contains often device drivers, an operating system, and end-user applications. In embedded systems the end-user can often not program the system directly, e.g. one cannot program the look and feel or contents of the on-screen display of your TV. In practical situations system design is based on many constraints, and seldom starts from scratch. The hardware interface to the system can be given, the models of processors that can be used can be limited, and software interfaces can be required. The trade-offs are in the hardware platform design and in the software design.