Embedded OS RTEMS Turns 21

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Posted by timothy on Thursday December 31, 2009 @06:31AM from the toiling-in-the-background dept.

joelsherrill writes "RTEMS is a free real-time operating system for embedded systems. The project is celebrating the 21st birthday of RTEMS today. RTEMS supports the single process with filesystem POSIX profile on over a dozen processor architectures. To just be entering young adulthood, RTEMS has had a busy life. It has been a Google Summer of Code project twice (Thanks Google!). It has been to Venus on the Venus Express, circles Mars on the Electra radio, powers Herschel and Planck, is on its way to the asteroid belt aboard DAWN, and has been a key part of physics discoveries at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center."

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I, by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 06:37 · Score: 1, Funny

for one, welcome our real-time operating system legally allowed to drink beer overlord
1. Re:I, by mcgrew · 2009-12-31 07:16 · Score: 1
  
  You laugh, but there's no other signifigance to "21 years". This would have been better celebrated LAST year.
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
2. Re:I, by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 07:31 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  You laugh, but there's no other signifigance to "21 years". This would have been better celebrated LAST year.
  Why? It's an important time in a young operating system's life -- Throw some 0xDEADBEEF on the registers and bring the free beer, it's party time! Derive safely, RTEMS, and don't BSOD or have unsafe hex while you're out.
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
3. Re:I, by An+ominous+Cow+art · 2009-12-31 07:43 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  RTEMS is Open Source, not Opun Source.
4. Re:I, by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 07:49 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  RTEMS is Open Source, not Opun Source.
  If it's open sores, it's because it practiced unsafe hex. Now it'll have to suck down antivirus for the rest of its life because it made a stupid mistake when it was young.
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
5. Re:I, by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 09:52 · Score: 0
  
  Yes, but somehow sucks having a birthday by the end of the year!
What if they threw a birthday party... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 06:37 · Score: 0

.... and nobody came? :(
1. Re:What if they threw a birthday party... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 06:54 · Score: 0
  
  i came
2. Re:What if they threw a birthday party... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 06:57 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  "Involved with technology" != actually knowing about technology
3. Re:What if they threw a birthday party... by natehoy · 2009-12-31 07:10 · Score: 1
  
  Veni, Vidi, Vente.
  I came, I saw, I had a Starbucks Latte.
  
  --
  "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
4. Re:What if they threw a birthday party... by larry+bagina · 2009-12-31 07:39 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  Hey timothy, in the future please ask anonymous coward if he's heard of something before you post it. He gets very confused when he hears about something he's never heard of before.
  
  --
  Do you even lift?
  These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
5. Re:What if they threw a birthday party... by mustafap · 2009-12-31 09:09 · Score: 1
  
  You're not alone. I've been involved in computing technology since the 1970's, write a column on embedded engineering and recently wrote a series of four articles on embedded RTOSs, but also have never heard of it. Until now. Duh!
  For those who are interested, FreeRTOS is a very interesting embedded RTOS.
  
  --
  Open Source Drum Kit, LPLC deve board - mjhdesigns.com
But by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 06:50 · Score: 0

does it run linux?
Brace yourself... by nuckfuts · 2009-12-31 06:58 · Score: 2, Informative

for the inevitable comparisons to Linux. And yes, we've heard of embedded Linux.
1. Re:Brace yourself... by selven · 2009-12-31 07:28 · Score: 1
  
  What about embedded Emacs?
2. Re:Brace yourself... by gura · 2009-12-31 08:00 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Last I saw it had everything but a decent text editor.
3. Re:Brace yourself... by joelsherrill · 2009-12-31 08:26 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  RTEMS targets a different POSIX profile than GNU/Linux. RTEMS provides a single process, multi-threaded environment with either constant or predictable execution times for nearly every service. A small RTEMS system would be 64Kb total code and data space but that would not be the smallest possible. A large RTEMS system with BSP TCP/IP, filesystem, webserver, and telnetd will fit into less than 512Kb code space. This is tiny, if not impossible, for a GNU/Linux system.
4. Re:Brace yourself... by nuckfuts · 2009-12-31 08:48 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Thanks for the comparison.
5. Re:Brace yourself... by joelsherrill · 2009-12-31 09:16 · Score: 1
  
  No problem. Different OSes for different problems. RTEMS is highly focused on systems wher predictability in execution and resource usage are valued.
lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 07:02 · Score: 1, Funny

"It has been to Venus on the Venus Express, circles Mars on the Electra radio, powers Herschel and Planck, is on its way to the asteroid belt aboard DAWN, and has been a key part of physics discoveries at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center."
Well, I've been to Venus on the Venus express too, I've circled Mars (but never landed), I've powered her bell and spank, been on my way to a steroid belt aboard Dawn, and I've been a key part of clinic discoveries too. Where's my f**king parade? //Says the gay girl.

--
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
1. Re:lifetime achievement award by Tekfactory · 2009-12-31 07:13 · Score: 1
  
  But are you 21 and is it your birthday?
2. Re:lifetime achievement award by palegray.net · 2009-12-31 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  been on my way to a steroid belt aboard Dawn
  Is that like a fashion piece that dispenses drugs around the midsection?
  
  --
  512 MB RAM, 20 GB disk, 200 GB transfer, five datacenters. $19.95/month.
3. Re:lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 07:15 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  But are you 21 and is it your birthday?
  It can be, for the right girl. :P~
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
4. Re:lifetime achievement award by natehoy · 2009-12-31 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  If I understand half of what you said, which I think I do but might be wrong, I'd have to surmise that any parade involving fornication would be modded "redundant" anyway. :)
  
  --
  "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
5. Re:lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 07:24 · Score: 0
  
  If I understand half of what you said, which I think I do but might be wrong, I'd have to surmise that any parade involving fornication would be modded "redundant" anyway. :)
  The popularity of searches for "lesbian porn" on google suggests that its redundancy in no way affects its popularity. That said, the tubes lie -- most of it winds up having some magic fairy drop a man with a hard on right in the middle of the scene, and their previous homoerotic behaviors become depressingly heteronormative at that point. Either that, or it's some girls gone wild ripoff and their heart really isn't in it. So instead we read slashfic on LJ and watch the BBC... Top Gear is a kind of lesbian soft porn. O_O
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
6. Re:lifetime achievement award by radtea · 2009-12-31 08:13 · Score: 1
  
  previous homoerotic behaviors become depressingly heteronormative at that point.
  It's all about market share. I've been with a number of bi-curious women who are comfortable doing damn near anything with another female, "So long," as one of them put it, "there's a penis in the room." As supplier of said organ I've never had a problem with that, but I can see it could be kinda depressing from a certain perspective. "Lesbian porn" that can appeal to that audience of hetero-experimentalists will make a lot more money than the pure stuff, though.
  
  --
  Blasphemy is a human right. Blasphemophobia kills.
7. Re:lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 08:29 · Score: 1
  
  I've been with a number of bi-curious women who are comfortable doing damn near anything with another female, "So long," as one of them put it, "there's a penis in the room."
  That's why lesbians are so wary of "bi-curious"... they're heart breakers. so you want to experiment, fine... just own up to that ahead of time. Most don't, and that's why they have such a poor reputation amongst women. bi-curious guys, otoh -- in a word, Jack Harkness. *sighs*
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
8. Re:lifetime achievement award by natehoy · 2009-12-31 08:32 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  Well, keep in mind that most of it is obviously written ABOUT and not FOR you. It's FOR men who apparently like to fantasize that all you gals just want one of us there. Which is obviously ridiculous, but most porn is based on equally unlikely fantasies, and it sells anyway.
  But the Top Gear angle intrigues me. I'm already looking at an offtopic mod, so what the hell, can you elaborate on that? It's OK if you'd rather not.
  
  --
  "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
9. Re:lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 08:53 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  Well, keep in mind that most of it is obviously written ABOUT and not FOR you. It's FOR men who apparently like to fantasize that all you gals just want one of us there.
  What sexist crap! I want lesbian porn for lesbians. Call it something else, that name is OURS. How hard is that? Granted, a lesbian second date is a moving van but when we're not busy getting our hearts stuffed in a blender or looking sassy and edgy and then going home to our pets for loving (also known as being single), some porn would be nice. It doesn't exist, but there is gay porn -- as in, with dudes. It's great right up until the sexing starts! But then it goes from homoerotic to where's-that-snickers-i-left-in-the-fridge. The only time I've seen gay sex scenes done erotic and sensual is Queer as Folk. The american version, not the British one -- because Russell T. Davies fails at life (mutter, mutter, stab).
  
  But the Top Gear angle intrigues me. I'm already looking at an offtopic mod, so what the hell, can you elaborate on that? It's OK if you'd rather not.
  I really need to explain this? Sexy British cars and the accents.
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
10. Re:lifetime achievement award by natehoy · 2009-12-31 09:00 · Score: 1
  
  I really need to explain this?
  
  Apparently yes. I should have figured it. Some things are apparently constant among all Americans, and finding the British accent desirable seems oddly to be one of them. And the Brits do have a flair for designing gorgeous cars.
  
  --
  "This post contains words, known to the State of California to cause thought. Wash brain thoroughly after reading."
11. Re:lifetime achievement award by Hurricane78 · 2009-12-31 09:17 · Score: 1
  
  Pics or it didn’t happen! ^^
  Oh, and when you find that one girl on Slashdot... she’s gay... I don’t even know what to say to that anymore... ^^
  
  --
  Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
12. Re:lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 09:19 · Score: 0, Offtopic
  
  Apparently yes. I should have figured it. Some things are apparently constant among all Americans, and finding the British accent desirable seems oddly to be one of them. And the Brits do have a flair for designing gorgeous cars.
  If you want to see a lesbian cream herself over a car, two words: Shelby Cobra. Specifically, the 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra 500 (it's the one with the police interceptor block), with the "Le Mans" stripes and trim, preferably blue. I prefer the hard top, but a lot of girls prefer the converible. They are sad. And it needs to be the MT, not the AT -- because have an AT in that car should be a shooting offense.
  So very, very creamy.
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
13. Re:lifetime achievement award by Hurricane78 · 2009-12-31 09:24 · Score: 1
  
  No. It does not sell anyway. It sells exactly because of that! If we wanted realistic entertainment, we would go outside. Realistic entertainment sucks and blows.
  But: WTF? There are women at Top Gear? I have never seen any... except for that crowd that stands around them.
  
  --
  Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
14. Re:lifetime achievement award by Hurricane78 · 2009-12-31 09:29 · Score: 1
  
  Sexist?? WTF. That does not have anything to do with “sexism”.
  By far most men are hetero. By far most women too. (Hetero) men watch by far more porn than women.
  So obviously, nearly all porn is for hetero men. Some for hetero women or couples. Some for gay men. And very little for gay women.
  Everything else would be a weirdly distorted market.
  Buy enough porn that you like, and you get more. But don’t act as if you were entitled to anything. Especially if you most likely don’t pay anything for it anyway.
  The worst *ists, are people who call others *ists.
  
  --
  Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
15. Re:lifetime achievement award by Ian+Alexander · 2009-12-31 09:42 · Score: 1
  
  What sexist crap! I want lesbian porn for lesbians.
  The market of lesbian porn for lesbians is, I imagine, pretty small in comparison to the market for lesbian porn for heterosexual males. The whole porn industry is geared towards what will sell to the maximum number of people for the lowest investment of time, effort, and/or bodily fluids.
16. Re:lifetime achievement award by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 10:09 · Score: 0
  
  "she" was also born with a penis.
17. Re:lifetime achievement award by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 10:13 · Score: 0
  
  I am wary of people claiming to be lesbians on the internet. Becasue 9 times out of 10 they are big, fat, hairy gay men pretending to be lesbians. Now, go shave your back dude.
18. Re:lifetime achievement award by mathx314 · 2009-12-31 11:02 · Score: 1
  
  There something wrong with that?
19. Re:lifetime achievement award by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 12:10 · Score: 0
  
  This is off-topic and a relatively small deal in the grand scheme of things, but could you do womankind a favor and stop dropping the g-bomb all the time? Girls are children; the word for an adult female human is "woman." It's infantilizing to refer to grown women as girls.
20. Re:lifetime achievement award by girlintraining · 2009-12-31 12:12 · Score: 1
  
  There something wrong with that?
  I usually have a penis, unless I'm flying coach. I tried to get my cock through security once. I had to take the batteries out before they'd let it on the plane. They took my lube though... bastards.
  
  --
  #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
21. Re:lifetime achievement award by brokenpineapple · 2010-01-01 05:57 · Score: 1
  
  Well, I've been to Venus on the Venus express too, I've circled Mars (but never landed), I've powered her bell and spank, been on my way to a steroid belt aboard Dawn
  But I've never been to me.
22. Re:lifetime achievement award by mcgrew · 2010-01-04 02:17 · Score: 1
  
  She's not the only girl here. There's another girl who mentioned she was a fat lady, so I offered to buy her a beer and she took me up on it.
  Unfortunately the straight, heavy woman lives in Australia, which is about as far from Springfield as you can get without leaving the planet :(
  
  --
  Free Martian Whores!
More ominously... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2009-12-31 07:09 · Score: 1

RTEMS has seen(and powered the embedded systems of) attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
1. Re:More ominously... by Tekfactory · 2009-12-31 07:15 · Score: 1
  
  Oh crap,
  Sounds like somebody is going to port parts of Androind to RTEMS and then upgrade their Nexus One.
2. Re:More ominously... by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · 2009-12-31 07:18 · Score: 1
  
  Joe Consumer: "I dunno what kind of 3G a 'C-Beam' is; but it can't be worse than AT&T, right?"
Yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · 2009-12-31 07:10 · Score: 0

it still hasn't seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion or watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tanhauser Gate.
And I'm pretty sure it doesn't run Quake, so meh.
RTEMS is for real embedded development :) by gstovall · 2009-12-31 07:35 · Score: 1

RTEMS is a very nice, robust, reliable deeply embedded RTOS with modern design philosophies and well defined maximum operational latencies. I worked with a specialty hardware design firm sometime around 1997 to get RTEMS ported to a new embedded board (PMC module with PPC processor, dual 100BaseT, and a boatload of DRAM) I had commissioned from them. RTEMS worked out so well for them that they sold quite a few other embedded board products with RTEMS after this, until being purchased by a larger company that was a VxWorks devotee.
Congrats, Joel! by Jake73 · 2009-12-31 09:41 · Score: 1

Congratulations, Joel! Nice to hear RTEMS is still kicking.
1. Re:Congrats, Joel! by joelsherrill · 2009-12-31 10:30 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  Jake.. 2009 was one of the most active years yet. The Google Summer of Code students were absolutely wonderful. I have pushed on test coverage to get as close as possible to 100%. Santosh was the GSoC student who worked with me and we got test reports near 100% on 5 target architectures (x86, sparc, powerpc, arm, and m68k/coldfire).
Congratulations RTEMS! by tuxmaniac · 2009-12-31 17:44 · Score: 1

Yay! Its party time and I am extremely proud to have been part of RTEMS :-) Thanks to Google Summer of Code!
A word from the wi- from the 5-digit-dinosaurs by Azundris · 2010-01-01 05:43 · Score: 1

It's also about time to note that a dyke-disclaimer will not keep all of your readers at bay. ;)
Fortunately, there are good manners to fall back on.

--
Happy 5770. Keep up the good work.