Editorial 4Q99
Dedicated Systems replaces Real-Time
This is the last issue of the magazine under the name Real-Time
Magazine. As of the first issue next year we will be calling it Dedicated
Systems Magazine.
Although everyone wants to do something to mark the new millennium,
this has not been our intention. Instead, other reasons have provided motivation
for the change.
Firstly we have noticed the widespread, intensive use of "embedded
systems" for magazines and shows. The problem lies with the definition
of embedded systems. The term does not really cover systems like cellular
phones and set-top boxes, to name just a couple of examples. Some of these
systems may require real-time characteristics, but a lot of them do not.
They are not all fault-tolerant either, and nor are they all open systems.
To escape from this tower of Babel, we have found that "Dedicated Systems"
is a better description of what it is we want to talk about. It covers
every possible permutation of the two aforementioned terms.
Secondly, Real-Time Consult has changed from being a company collating
and disseminating information in the field via a magazine and a Web site,
to being experts in dedicated systems. In particular, the start of the
RTOS evaluation program, a couple of years ago pushed us in this direction.
Real-Time Consult therefore decided to change its name to Dedicated Systems
Experts. Dedicated Systems Magazine will, like Real-Time Magazine, continue
to be the reference in the field. We will continue on a paid subscription
basis because we do not want to compete with other magazines that contain
lots of colour advertisements but limited editorial content. Delving into
the far future by publishing "research" papers is not our goal, and neither
do we want to publish product and industry news on paper any more. The
Web has proven to be a far more efficient medium for this.
Our VirtualPressRoom® and Dedicated Systems Buyers Guides, will
be part of a newly designed Web site: Dedicated Systems Encyclopaedia.
With the magazine now partially on-line, our goal is to inform you to a
greater extent than before about our experience as experts in the field
by producing a compilation comprising both contributions from us and the
industry. More exciting announcements about how we are extending our services
will follow, but we will leave those for the first issue of Dedicated Systems
Magazine.
