Preparing for the Future of Embedded C Programming: An Overview of the Upcoming ISO/IEC 9899:2023 C Standard

The ISO/IEC 9899:2023 C programming standard (C23) has been finalised and is set to release in the near future, and it is expected to bring several changes and improvements to the language. This talk is specifically aimed at embedded C programmers, who will benefit from understanding the changes in the upcoming standard.

The talk will begin by providing an overview of the significant changes and improvements that the new standard will introduce (with a quick review of C11 and C18) of interest to the embedded programmer. Many changes include an aim to “harmonize” with modern C++ and improve code interoperability. The presentation will also cover the potential challenges and issues that embedded C programmers may face when migrating to the new standard. This will include an overview of the potential compatibility issues and the need to update existing code and development practices.

The talk will conclude by highlighting the benefits that embedded C programmers can expect from adopting the new standard, including increased reliability, and reduced development time and costs.

The overall goal of the presentation is to provide embedded C programmers with a comprehensive understanding of the upcoming changes to the C programming language and how it will impact their work.

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CMake and the Dark Arts

For many years embedded developers have relied on building an application image by invoking a "build" menu option with their development IDE. Unfortunately, this can lead to two challenges; first, it doesn't scale very well when a team of engineers develops a codebase. Second, it often ends up with an independent and often complicated set of scripts to create the complete build. 

Build systems were developed to simplify and automate running the compiler and linker and are an essential part of modern, agile software development. Historically GNU Make has been the de facto build tool for many years but can become challenging to maintain as codebases grow. 

Recent surveys show that CMake has become the build system of choice for the majority of new C/C++ projects. This presentation introduces the CMake build system and explains the steps required to add it to an existing embedded C/C++ project. It will also discuss "the good, the bad and the ugly" of CMake. By the end of the presentation you should be in a position to understand CMake based projects and make an informed decision whether CMake is the right tool for your future projects.

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A decade of Modern C++; from 11 to 20

In 2011 ISO published a new version of C++. The C++11 standard was a major change to the language, not only from syntactical perspective but, more significantly, requiring a new approach to designing and developing with C++.

Over the last decade, we have seen three further revisions of the standard (C++14/17/20), culminating in the release of C++20 in December of last year.

However, many embedded engineers are still wary of C++ and live with the misconception that it is unsuitable for embedded development.

This talk looks at the evolution of C++ and where an embedded engineer may realise significant safety and performance benefits by adopting modern C++.

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Live Q&A - A decade of Modern C++; from 11 to 20

Live Q&A with Niall Cooling for the talk titled A decade of Modern C++; from 11 to 20

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Is C+ a safer C?

No, that's not a typo – C+ is a common programming model where effectively C is being written but compiled with a C++ compiler. Why would you do that? Surprisingly two very popular IoT programming platforms; Arduino (https://www.arduino.cc/) and Arm’s Mbed (https://os.mbed.com/) use this programming paradigm. C+ (C++ as C) brings with it several useful extensions to C that can help enhance program safety and security. This talk looks at some of the small, but significant, useful features that compiling with a C++ compiler brings, without any penalties to size or performance.

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How Agile is Changing the Face of Embedded Software Development (2020)

This presentation is ideal for anyone who is either new to Agile, considering using Agile or even has experience in working with Agile methodologies and practices with embedded software or firmware developments.

It will clarify the Agile landscape, covering both process based aspects, such as Scrum and various techniques, including Test Driven Development (TDD) and some of the underlying foundation principles, such as Continuous Integration (CI).

As part of the discussion, we shall look at some of the modern-day tools that help apply Agile techniques(e.g. Docker) and finally look ahead to the current gaps and where embedded systems offer particular challenges to the use of Agile techniques.

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