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Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

blog.athrunen.dev

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Re: Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

#2

Post by webmobdev »

Yes, it is a different experience because with software programming we are letting system programs like the OS handle the hardware and we don't manipulate it directly. And computer hardware is standardised.

Where as when doing hardware programming, you have to necessarily understand the individual hardware to program and control it - there is often no abstract software lawyer in between to make this task easier for us. And the hardwares are quite diverse.

Re: Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

#3

Post by jacquesm »

That's a good article for the simple reason that it is written by someone who still had enough 'outsider perspective' that it can help guide other people new to the material in ways that old hands never could. It is impossible for me to tell a person new to this material what the pitfalls will be because most of what they will be struggling with is obvious to me and it would never even occur to me to explain it.

The site is a bit slow to load but if you are new to working with Arduino's and other small boards like that and want to play around with them it is worth the wait.

Title nit-pick: I'd have used 'low level programming' rather than 'hardware programming', programming hardware has a different meaning.

Re: Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

#5

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

Can't view the Web site (500 Bad gateway).

In any case, I sort of went the other way. I started in hardware, and gravitated towards software.

I think that each discipline could learn from the other, as most hardware, these days, relies on software as a critical part of its operation, and a lot of software is written as if the hardware on which it depends, doesn't exist.

I look forward to reading it, once the site is back up.

Happy Christmas!

Re: Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

#7

Post by [deleted] »

webmobdev wrote: post #2

Yes, it is a different experience because with software programming we are letting system programs like the OS handle the hardware and we don't manipulate it directly. And computer hardware is standardised. Where as when doing hardware programming, you have to necessarily understand the individual hardware to program and control it - there is often no abstract software lawyer in between to make this task easier for u…

[deleted]

Re: Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

#8

Post by mlazos »

I actually thought this was about learning verilog or another hdl. I was a little disappointed, maybe I should write a blog about my experience learning an hdl as a software engineer.

Nonetheless them learning embedded systems programming is still an interesting read! Especially when coming from a language like C#

Re: Learning hardware programming as a software engineer

#10

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #5

Can't view the Web site (500 Bad gateway). In any case, I sort of went the other way. I started in hardware, and gravitated towards software. I think that each discipline could learn from the other, as most hardware, these days, relies on software as a critical part of its operation, and a lot of software is written as if the hardware on which it depends, doesn't exist. I look forward to reading it, once the site is…

Just got around to reading it.

Good stuff. Welcome to my world, although I seldom work on any kind of firmware, anymore. I'm mostly about driver-level stuff, and I try to leverage platform transport, as much as possible.

I have blown up $40,000 (in 1987 dollars) devices with software errors.

FUN!

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