Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions

Transcription

1 Market Analysis Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Abstract: An in-depth look at embedded systems designers in Asia/Pacific shows usage patterns for real-time OSs and embedded software application development tools. By Daya Nadamuni Strategic Market Statement Tools and RTOS use as well as buying decisions in Asia/Pacific show some similarities to trends in the embedded software user base in North America, but the differences are distinct. Publication Date:9 May

2 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Key Findings The following are key findings: More than 9 embedded systems designers in Asia/Pacific responded to the survey. Of these, 7 percent were from China, 6 percent were from Taiwan, and percent were from other areas in Asia/Pacific such as India, Singapore and South Korea. Thirty-two percent of the respondents worked for companies that had less than $ million in revenue, while percent of the respondents worked for companies with annual revenue of $5 million or more. Thirty percent of the respondents worked for telecommunications/data communications companies, followed by percent of respondents, who worked for consumer electronics companies. By subregion, percent of respondents from China worked for telecommunications/data communications companies, followed by percent in the industrial controls arena. Respondents from Taiwan worked primarily in the computers and computer peripherals and consumer electronics sector. Embedded systems designers in other parts of Asia/Pacific were working in the industrial controls and telecommunications industries. Processor selection at the beginning of the project continues to be the primary stage at which the selection is made. For the RTOS, percent of respondents made the selection at the stage of developing the system specifications, while another percent made the decision at the next stage theconceptualdesignstage. Linux, VxWorks and Windows CE are among the more popular RTOSs being used in the region. Thirty-one percent of respondents were using VxWorks, while percent were using Linux. Future usage patterns indicate that percent of the respondents intend to use VxWorks while 9 percent plan to use Linux. Telecommunications designers had the highest usage of RTOSs in their designs, while automotive designers had the lowest usage. Thirty-two percent of designers in the consumer electronics sector were using Linux in their devices. Clear documentation and ease of use were the two most important factors influencing RTOS purchase decisions. These were followed by development seat costs and runtime royalties. Interestingly, processor support, which is considered a very important factor in surveys of embedded designers in North America, was not considered that important. For application development tool purchase decisions, clear documentation was considered very important, followed by customer support and competitive pricing for the tools. One-third of the survey's respondents indicated that they are using object-oriented methodologies for design. Specification and Description Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

3 Language (SDL) is the most widely used object-oriented methodology, followed by Unified Modeling Language (UML). In the future, UML will close the gap between itself and SDL in terms of usage. C and Assembly are currently the two most widely used languages for firmware and application development. C and C++ are expected to be used widely in future projects. The Design Environment: Respondent Demographics More than 9 embedded designers responded to the joint EETimes Asia and Gartner Dataquest survey of embedded designers. The survey was extensive and detailed, with the goals being to understand usage patterns, examine buying behavior and delineate trends in the marketplace. Respondents were asked about processor architecture in their designs, development tool usage, languages used, methodologies used for application development and their satisfaction or lack thereof with the tools they used. They were asked about factors influencing purchase decisions for hardware and tools. They were asked about hardware components that their companies were planning to upgrade to and whether their designs were network-enabled, if they used embedded databases, and the use of embedded Web browsers and Web servers. We will focus on the usage patterns for embedded software development tools and RTOSs. By Area More than 9 embedded systems designers from several parts of Asia/Pacific responded to the survey. Of these, 7 percent were from China, followed by 6 percent from Taiwan and percent from other parts of Asia/Pacific such as India, Singapore and South Korea, as shown in Figure. By Company Size By company size, representation was varied across the spectrum in terms of revenue size. Thirty-two percent of the respondents worked for companies that had less than $ million in revenue, while percent of the respondents worked for companies with annual revenue of $5 million or more, as shown in Figure. By Industry Respondents came from many different industries. Telecommunications/data communications had the highest response rate, with percent of survey respondents indicating this as their primary industry, followed by the consumer electronics and industrial controls markets, as shown in Figure. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

4 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure Respondents by Area Rest of Asia/Pacific (.5%) Taiwan (6.%) China (7.5%) 5-- Figure Respondents by Company Size $5 Million and Above (.%) $ Million to $99.9 Million (7.%) $5 Million to $99.9 Million (6.%) Less Than $ Million (.6%) $ Million to $.9 Million (.7%) $5 Million to $9.9 Million (6.%) $ Million to $.9 Million (7.%) $5 Million to $9.9 Million (8.8%) $ Million to $.9 Million (7.7%) 5-- Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

5 5 Figure Respondents by Industry Design Services (.7%) Military/Aerospace Applications (6.5%) Automotive (.%) Others (.6%) Telecommunications/ Data Communications (.%) Computers/ Computer Peripherals (.8%) Industrial Controls and Instrumentation Systems (.%) Consumer Electronics (.9%) 5-- By Subregion By subregion, the industry responses showed some significant differences. China had percent of respondents from the telecommunications/data communications industry while Taiwan had the highest number of responses from computers and computer peripherals, followed closely by consumer electronics. Rest of Asia/Pacific had the most number of responses from respondents in industrial controls and instrumentation, as showninfigure. The Design Environment: Software The market for embedded software development tools and RTOSs was $775.8 million in. Six percent of this revenue is from tools and RTOS sales and royalties in Asia/Pacific. While the worldwide market for embedded software development tools and RTOSs was expected to show negative growth in, the market in Asia/Pacific was forecast to have mildly positive growth. The market is dominated by a few large companies, with the rest of the pie being divided among a host of smaller players. Wind River Systems is the leading vendor in the embedded software development tools and RTOS market with a market share of percent. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

6 6 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure Respondents by Subregion Automotive Computers/Computer Peripherals Telecommunications/ Data Communications China Taiwan Rest of Asia/Pacific Military/Aerospace Applications Consumer Electronics Industrial Controls and Instrumentation Systems Design Services Others Percentage of Respondents 5-- RTOS Usage Not every embedded system design requires RTOSs. For those systems that use RTOSs, designers can choose among commercially available products or can write their own RTOSs. Fifty-nine percent of the respondents are using RTOSs in their projects, as shown in Figure 5. Respondents were asked to specify what RTOS they are using. VxWorks from Wind River Systems, Windows CE from Microsoft and Linux were the top three. Thirty-seven percent of the responses are grouped under the "Others" category. Examples of RTOS in this category include Green Hills, LynuxWorks,EneaOSEandAMX,asshowninFigure6. Respondents were asked about their planned RTOS usage in future projects. VxWorks, Windows CE and Linux are identified as the top three RTOSs for future projects as well, as shown in Figure 7. The usage of proprietary RTOSs will remain the same at 6 percent. One important pointtonoteisthatpsosisownedbywindriversystems,subsequentto its purchase of Integrated Systems in. The usage of Wind River RTOSs would go up dramatically if the usage rates for VxWorks and psos were aggregated. RTOS use across regions shows some interesting trends. Sixty-two percent of the respondents in China are using RTOSs, compared with 55 percent in Taiwan and percent in Rest of Asia/Pacific, as shown in Figure 8. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

7 7 Figure 5 RTOS Usage Across Regions No (%) Yes (59%) 5--5 Figure 6 RTOS Usage in Projects by Vendor VxWorks Windows CE In-House Linux Proprietary RTOS psos (Wind River) Nucleus (Accelerated) ecos (Red Hat) Palm Others Percent 5--6 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

8 8 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure 7 Planned RTOS Usage by Vendor VXWorks In-House Linux Windows CE Proprietary RTOS ecos (Red Hat) Nucleus (Accelerated) psos (Wind River) LynxOS Palm Others Percent 5--7 Figure 8 RTOS Usage by Area Percent No Yes China Taiwan Rest of Asia/Pacific 5--8 Analysis of RTOS usage by industry indicates that 7 percent of the respondents that are using an RTOS in projects are from the Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

9 Figure 9 RTOS Usage by Industry telecommunications/data communications industry, followed by consumer electronics and industrial controls and instrumentation, as shown in Figure 9. Fifty percent of respondents in the telecommunications industry indicated that they are using VxWorks in their projects. Thirtythree percent of respondents in the consumer electronics area are using Linux, while 7 percent of respondents in industrial controls are using Windows CE. 9 Automotive (.6%) Design Services (.8%) Others (.%) Military/Aerospace Applications (5.6%) Computers/Computer Peripherals (.7%) Telecommunications/ Data Communications (7.7%) Industrial Controls and Instrumentation Systems (7.%) Consumer Electronics (9.5%) 5--9 Respondents were asked about the following factors that influence RTOS selection and asked to rate how important these factors were in their decision making: Clear documentation Customer support Development languages Development seat cost Development tools support Easy-to-use product Hard real-time capabilities Knowledgeable sales rep Networking capabilities Processors supported Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

10 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Responsive distributors Runtime royalties Source-code availability Figure Factors Influencing RTOS Selection Strength of integrated development environment Technology leader today The results show that clear documentation is considered very important by 67 percent of respondents, followed by ease of use for the product and the cost of the development seat. Interestingly, processor support, which is often cited as a very important factor in surveys of embedded designers in North America, was cited by only about 5 percent of the respondents as being a very important factor though 5 percent thought it was somewhat critical. Clear Documentation Customer Support Development Languages Development Seat Cost Development Tools Support Easy-to-Use Product Hard Real-Time Capabilities Knowledgeable Sales Rep Networking Capabilities Processors Supported Responsive Distributors Runtime Royalties Source Code Availability Strength of IDE Technology Leader Today Not Important Somewhat Important Very Important Percentage of Respondents 5-- Asked about the use of multiple projects, 7 percent of those using Linux are working with -bit microprocessor (MPU)/microcontroller (MCU) systems, and 9 percent are working on 6-bit MCU/MPU designs. Similar patterns are seen for VxWorks usage as well. VxWorks has about percent of respondents, whose designs include 6-bit digital signal processors (DSPs). Windows CE is being used in 8-, 6- and -bit systems. From the perspective of specific RTOSs, the strength of the IDE that was part of the packaging of the RTOS was considered very important for Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

11 VxWorks but less important for Windows CE and Linux. Runtime royalties were considered very important for the three RTOSs under consideration as well. Processor support was considered more important for VxWorks and Windows CE than it was for Linux. More respondents felt that hard real-time capabilities fell in the somewhat important category than very important. Respondents using VxWorks in their designs were found to rate hard real-time capabilities as very important when compared with those using Windows CE and Linux. Application Development Tools Respondents were asked questions regarding their use of application development tools, their language preferences, their host development environments and, where applicable, the object-oriented methodology they use to develop these applications. Most application developers use several tools to build and test their applications, as shown in Figure. Survey respondents were asked about their usage of the following tools, how important these tools were to them and their satisfaction or lack thereof with the following tools: Compilers (commercial) General Public License (GNU) compilers Debuggers (commercial) GNU debuggers IDE Graphical entry tools Algorithm development tools UML/SDL tools Libraries Networking/communications protocols Configuration management tools Requirements management tools DSP development tools Device driver development tools Hardware/software co-verification tools Java tools Memory analysis tools Software simulation/modeling tools Windows CE tools Test software Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

12 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure Development Tools Usage Event-tracing tools In-circuit emulator (ICE) ROM emulators Joint test action group (JTAG) emulators Logic analyzers Oscilloscopes Compilers (Commercial) GNU Compilers Debuggers (Commercial) GNU Debuggers IDE Graphical Entry Tools Algorithm Development Tools UML/SDL Tools Libraries Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Requirements Management Tools DSP Development Tools Device Driver Development Tools Hardware/Software Co-verification Tools Java Tools Memory Analysis Tools Software Simulation/Modeling Tools Windows CE Tools Test Software Event-Tracing Tools ICE ROM Emulators JTAG Emulators Logic Analyzers Oscilloscopes Others Current Future Percentage of Respondents 5-- As expected, a large number of respondents are using compilers, debuggers, IDEs, oscilloscopes and logic analyzers to develop, debug and test their projects. Interestingly, the use of commercial debuggers and compilers seems to be more prevalent than GNU (free software) tools, as showninfigure. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

13 Figure Development Tools Usage by Region Compilers (Commercial) GNU Compilers Debuggers (Commercial) GNU Debuggers IDE Graphical Entry Tools Algorithm Development Tools UML/SDL Tools Libraries Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Requirements Management Tools DSP Development Tools Device Driver Development Tools Hardware/Software Co-verification Tools Java Tools Memory Analysis Tools Software Simulation/Modeling Tools Windows CE Tools Test Software Event-Tracing Tools ICE ROM Emulators JTAG Emulators Logic Analyzers Oscilloscopes Others China Taiwan Rest of Asia/Pacific Percentage of Respondents 5-- Regional trends follow quite closely for the use of development tools, as showninfigure. Compilers, Debuggers and IDEs Respondents were asked to rank the importance of these tools in their designs and their satisfaction with the tools on a five-point scale, ranging from very important to not at all important. Because several tools are in the list of development tools, for easier comparison the tools have been separated by group and the importance and satisfaction assessed independently for each of the groups. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

14 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure Future Use of Development Tools by Region Compilers (Commercial) GNU Compilers Debuggers (Commercial) GNU Debuggers IDE Graphical Entry Tools Algorithm Development Tools UML/SDL Tools Libraries Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Requirements Management Tools DSP Development Tools Device Driver Development Tools Hardware/Software Co-verification Tools Java Tools Memory Analysis Tools Software Simulation/Modeling Tools Windows CE Tools Test Software Event-Tracing Tools ICE ROM Emulators JTAG Emulators Logic Analyzers Oscilloscopes Others China Taiwan Rest of Asia/Pacific Percentage of Respondents 5-- The first group of tools under consideration was compilers, debuggers and IDEs. Respondents have average expectations for GNU tools, and the satisfaction levels do not diverge much from the expectations. However, expectations are higher regarding the commercial compilers and debuggers, and the gap is higher between the importance of and respondents' satisfaction with these tools, as shown in Figure. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

15 5 Figure Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for Compilers, Debuggers and IDEs Compilers (Commercial) 5 IDE GNU Compilers GNU Debuggers Debuggers (Commercial) 5-- China follows the trends in terms of the importance and satisfaction ratings and the gap between the two. Respondents in Rest of Asia/Pacific show smaller gaps between importance and satisfaction. Designers based in Taiwan had the largest satisfaction gaps for commercial compilers and debuggers, as shown in Figures 5 through 7. System-Level Design Tools The next group of tools can be loosely classified as system-level design tools, including graphical entry tools, algorithm development tools, DSP development tools and hardware/software co-verification tools. Systemlevel design tools are typically used at the highest level of the design stage, between defining the system specification and partitioning the hardware and software design. They allow the system architect to describe the desired structural features and system behavior, as shown in Figure 8. Respondents are very satisfied with their experience in using graphical entry tools, algorithm development tools and UML/SDL tools. They are somewhat dissatisfied with the DSP development tools and hardware/software co-verification tools, as shown in Figure 9. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

16 6 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure 5 China: and Ratings for Compilers, Debuggers and IDEs Compilers (Commercial) 5 IDE GNU Compilers GNU Debuggers Debuggers (Commercial) 5--5 Figure 6 Rest of Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for Compilers, Debuggers and IDEs Compilers (Commercial) 5 IDE GNU Compilers GNU Debuggers Debuggers (Commercial) 5--6 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

17 7 Figure 7 Taiwan: and Ratings for Compilers, Debuggers and IDEs Compilers (Commercial) 5 IDE GNU Compilers GNU Debuggers Debuggers (Commercial) 5--7 Figure 8 Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for System-Level Design Tools Graphical Entry Tools Hardware Software Co-verification Tools Algorithm Development Tools DSP Development Tools UML/SDL Tools 5--8 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

18 8 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure 9 China: and Ratings for System-Level Design Tools Graphical Entry Tools Hardware Software Co-verification Tools Algorithm Development Tools DSP Development Tools UML/SDL Tools 5--9 Designers in China are, on the whole, satisfied with their experience using system-level design tools. Some gaps remain for hardware/software coverification and DSP development tools. Designers in Rest of Asia/Pacific are more dissatisfied with their hardware/software co-verification tools and DSP development tools than respondents from either China or Taiwan, as shown in Figures and. Libraries and Other Development Tools Respondents had quite a good experience with the different tools in this category. The most noticeable gap was in the networking and communications protocols area. Some regional differences were seen in the satisfaction rankings for this set of tools. Designers based in Taiwan are most dissatisfied with device drivers and networking and communications protocols, while designers in Rest of Asia/Pacific are unhappy with their experience of libraries, and designers based in China are most dissatisfied with the networking and communications protocols, as shown in Figures through 5. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

19 Figure Rest of Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for System-Level Design Tools 9 Graphical Entry Tools Hardware Software Co-verification Tools Algorithm Development Tools DSP Development Tools UML/SDL Tools 5-- Figure Taiwan: and Ratings for System-Level Design Tools Graphical Entry Tools Hardware Software Co-verification Tools Algorithm Development Tools DSP Development Tools UML/SDL Tools 5-- Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

20 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for Libraries and Other Development Tools Libraries Requirements Management Tools Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Device Driver Development Tools 5-- Figure China: and Ratings for Libraries and Other Development Tools Libraries Requirements Management Tools Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Device Driver Development Tools 5-- Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

21 Figure Rest of Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for Libraries and Other Development Tools Libraries Requirements Management Tools Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Device Driver Development Tools 5-- Memory Analysis and Other Tools The next tool group consists of the following tools: memory analysis, Java, software simulation and modeling, Windows CE, and test software. The largest gaps are in the areas of test software and software simulation, modeling tools, and memory analysis tools. The greatest dissatisfaction in the three geographical areas surveyed was in software test, but on the whole, designers in Rest of Asia/Pacific were more satisfied with their experience, as shown in Figures 6 through 9. ICE, Emulators and Other Tools Respondents were not too dissatisfied with their use of these tools. Some dissatisfaction was seen regarding oscilloscopes; these were rated as very important in the software development process, as shown in Figures through. Respondents in China were somewhat dissatisfied with JTAG emulators, ROM emulators and logic analyzers. Survey respondents in Rest of Asia/Pacific were more dissatisfied with traditional ICE, which they ranked the second highest in importance, and oscilloscopes, which they ranked as very important. Designers ranked oscilloscopes as the most important, and the gap between the importance rating and the satisfaction rating was the highest for this category as well. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

22 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure 5 Taiwan: and Ratings for Libraries and Other Development Tools Libraries Requirements Management Tools Networking/Communications Protocols Configuration Management Tools Device Driver Development Tools 5--5 Figure 6 Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for Memory Analysis and Other Tools Java Tools Test Software Memory Analysis Tools Windows CE Tools Software Simulation/ Modeling Tools 5--6 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

23 Figure 7 China: and Ratings for Memory Analysis and Other Tools Java Tools Test Software Memory Analysis Tools Windows CE Tools Software Simulation/ Modeling Tools 5--7 Figure 8 Rest of Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for Memory Analysis and Other Tools Java Tools Test Software Memory Analysis Tools Windows CE Tools Software Simulation/ Modeling Tools 5--8 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

24 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure 9 Taiwan: and Ratings for Memory Analysis and Other Tools Java Tools Test Software Memory Analysis Tools Windows CE Tools Software Simulation/ Modeling Tools 5--9 Figure Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for ICE, Emulators and Other Tools Event-Tracing Tools 5 Others ICE Oscilloscopes ROM Emulators Logic Analyzers JTAG Emulators 5-- Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

25 5 Figure China: and Ratings for ICE, Emulators and Other Tools Event-Tracing Tools 5 Others ICE Oscilloscopes ROM Emulators Logic Analyzers JTAG Emulators 5-- Figure Rest of Asia/Pacific: and Ratings for ICE, Emulators and Other Tools Event-Tracing Tools 5 Others ICE Oscilloscopes ROM Emulators Logic Analyzers JTAG Emulators 5-- Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

26 6 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure Taiwan: and Ratings for ICE, Emulators and Other Tools Event-Tracing Tools 5 Others ICE Oscilloscopes ROM Emulators Logic Analyzers JTAG Emulators 5-- Factors Influencing Development Tools Purchases Respondents were asked about how they rated different factors that influence their purchasing decisions for development tools, as shown in Figure. Thefollowingfactorswereexamined: Clear documentation Competitive price Customer support Easy to use Knowledgeable sales representatives Offers evaluation kits/demo versions Provides clear product migration paths Responsive distributors Support for other development tools Technology leader today Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

27 7 Figure Factors Influencing Development Tools Selection Clear Documentation Competitive Price Customer Support Easy-to-Use Product Knowledgeable Sales Rep Not Important Somewhat Important Very Important Offers Evaluation Kits/ Demo Versions Provides Clear Product Migration Path Responsive Distributors Support for Other Development Tools Technology Leader Today Percentage of Respondents 5-- Clear documentation rates as the most important factor influencing purchase decisions, followed by customer support. In surveys of North America, usually customer support and languages supported are identified as the most important factors influencing tools decisions. Interestingly, responsive distributors were considered somewhat important, as were knowledgeable sales representatives. Development Languages Respondents were asked about the language they use for firmware and application development as well as their plans for future usage. The hypothesis is that Assembly and C would be the most common languages usedinfirmwaredevelopment,andcandc++wouldbethemost common for application development. Firmware Development As expected, C and Assembly are the two most common languages being used for firmware development. For future usage, C continues to dominate, but C++ seems to be gaining ground at the expense of Assembly. Assembly, C and C++ were the most common languages used by those respondents using microcomponents from Intel, Atmel and Motorola. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

28 8 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Twenty-nine percent of those using embedded Linux in their designs were using C++ for firmware development, followed by 5 percent that were using Assembly. In the case of those using the VxWorks RTOS, percent are using C for firmware development, followed by 7 percent that are using Assembly. For those developers using Windows CE in their designs, percent are using C++, while 5 percent are using Assembly for firmware development. Trends in language use for firmware development are interesting. Those using embedded Linux in their designs indicate that the use of Assembly, C, C++ and Java will be almost equal in firmware development. VxWorks users continue to lean toward C and Assembly, while Java and C++ are seen as the development language choice for those using Windows CE. This is very interesting, considering that Microsoft is promoting C++ and not Java, as shown in Figure 5. Figure 5 Language Usage for Firmware Development C Assembly C++ Java Ada Others Current Future Percentage of Respondents 5--5 Application Development Respondents were asked to indicate the languages that they use for application development. As expected, the most popular language for application development is C. Fifty-two percent of respondents were using Assembly for application development. The use of C++ and Java is expected to increase, however. Currently, percent of respondents are using Java for application development, while 6 percent expect to do so. Some of this growth is coming at the expense of Assembly, while some of it is coming at the expense of C. Interestingly, C++ does not seem to show much growth in adoption, as shown in Figure 6. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

29 9 Figure 6 Language Usage for Application Development C++ C Assembly Java ec++ Basic Forth Ada Pascal Others Current Future Percentage of Respondents 5--6 System-Level Design: Object-Oriented Methodologies Respondents were asked about their use and plans of object-oriented design methodologies for projects. SDL is the most popular object-oriented methodology being used, followed by UML. For future projects, UML seems to be the most popular methodology to use, with SDL moving to second place, as shown in Figure 7. System Development Process Respondents were asked about their decision stages for selecting different hardware and software tools and components. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents picked the processor at the system specification stage for the project. Sixty percent of RTOS decisions are almost evenly split between the first two stages of the project cycle, namely, developing the system specification and conceptual design stage. Development tools decisions seem to be spread across the system specification stage, conceptual design stage and detail design stage, as shown in Figure 8. Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

30 Asia/Pacific: Embedded Systems Design, Software Decisions Figure 7 Object-Oriented Methodologies OMT/UML SDL ROOM Booch S/ART Shlaer-Mellor Current Future Others Percentage of Respondents 5--7 Figure 8 Decision Stages for Selecting Embedded Microcomponents, RTOS and Development Tools Developing System Specification Conceptual Design Stage Detail Design Stage Simulation Stage Testing and Debugging Prototyping Sending to Production Embedded MCU/MPU RTOS Development Tools Percentage of Respondents 5--8 Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

31 Key Issue What do users of design and engineering applications want in their toolsets? Gartner, Inc. and/or its Affiliates. All Rights Reserved. 9 May

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