Real-Time Linux: An Apology

When you're as overworked and underpaid as I am, apologies are often in order. Not apologies made to me by the boss, of course, but apologies I make to others for (a) not responding in a timely manner, (b) botching up whatever it was I was supposed to do when I do get it done, and (c) forgetting what it was I was supposed to apologize for. So if my interactions with you fall into any of the above, I apologize. Profusely. Sincerely.

So today's apology is to a bunch of folks all at one -- everyone who presented papers at the Eighth Real-Time Linux Workshop held several months ago at the at the School for Information Science and Engineering, Lanzhou University, in Lanzhou, China. More specifically, I'd like to apologize to Dr. Peter Wurmsdobler, Director of Real-Time Linux Foundation and Nicholas McGuire, systems administrator and organizer of the workshops. And, again, everyone who presented papers at the Conference that Dr. Wurmsdobler, Professor McGuire, and others worked hard to put together.

So here's where the apology moves to the forefront. I made a committment to publish online all the papers presented at the Conference as quickly as possible. I had big plans, which included converting from PDF to HTML, packaging the papers in to appropriate categories, finding sponsors who were might be interested in helping out, and so on and so on. As if often the case with the best laid plans of mice and men, there ended up being more meetings and less action. Unfortunately, because there are some fine and interesting papers that focus on real-time, Linux, and Real-Time Linux.

As you probably guessed by now, all the papers aren't posted yet -- but I'm working on getting them there. I have several of the posted right, including

• Numerical Model Compiler: A Design for Generating Real-Time Numerical Simulation Code, which discusses building a Domain-Specific Language.
• A Pre-built Real-Time Scheduling Algorithm for Embedded Systems, which presents a new hard real-time scheduling algorithm.
• A Hardware Architecture Independent Implementation of GDB Tracepoints for Linux, which presents a tool for debugging of applications, especially in distributed environments.
• A Linux-based System to Monitor Train Speed and Doors for a Light-Rail System, which describes how and why Linux was selected to run on an ARM-based single-board computer for pilot tests of a control system to be installed on trains for the light-rail system in Guadalajara.
• A New Dynamic Frequency Scaling Algorithm for Power-Aware and Real-Time Systems, which focuses on the energy-critical hardware component -- the CPU.
• Real-Time Management for P2P Resources on Mobile Devices, which discusses P2P resource sharing.
• Implementation of a Forest Fire Monitoring System Based on Embedded Linux.
• Rapid Controller Prototyping at the SUPSI Laboratory, selected as the best paper in the category of "Real-Time Linux Application".
• RTL-IO: An Extension of RTLinux I/O, an efficient I/O system for real-time environments.

And you can expect many more related articles posted over the next few days.

This really is a trove of information about Linux, and I do feel badly about not getting it available sooner. But I will do better, and I'd like to close in congratulating all participants in the Conference for a job well done. Now if I can only do my job as well.

Posted by Jon Erickson at 11:57 AM  Permalink