| ??? 07/21/09 14:43 Read: times |
#167662 - Project management Responding to: ???'s previous message |
Richard Erlacher said:
Most of what I am involved in is proof-of-concept. Someone needs a concept implemented in some way so that they can gain confidence in its overall functionality. That implicitly requires that the job be completed within a short time. Oddly enough, I've had the best luck doing all the firmware in ASM. This is, admittedly, because it often involves doing things that have been done before, in combination with on-hand, off-the-shelf hardware, appropriately lashed together to configure the system under consideration. The cycle is very brief, and the hardware is not often "new." Tried-and-true seems to work out the best. This seems a contradiction to most people's experience. I may like ASM, but C would be quicker to implement. You see, there's a reason I've not coded much 'C' since then. First of all, it hasn't been my job. I design the system, manage the project flow, ensure adherence to design criteria, and, above all, ensure that test requirements are met, so we can get paid, but I do make sure the coding is done to acceptable standards and in keeping with the predetermined spec's and documentation. After all, I have to take responsibility for what's delivered. Coding is just one of several major tasks, and I leave it to those who are expert at it. I do sometimes code portions of the task, but generally design but don't always implement the firmware. RE Since your job is mostly project management, a good working knowledge of available cpus and the associated toolsets would be very valuable to your company. I would value a young programmer that is familiar and competent with available HLL tools far above someone with only ASM for older/obsolete cpus. You only have to look at C generated code for controlling typical special function registers. For most 8-bit controllers, you would seriously struggle to write more efficient ASM. In time-critical sections, you may well make the effort. But for the majority of processing would not be noticeable in any language. David. |
