Applying aspects to a real-time embedded operating system

The application of aspect-oriented programming (AOP) to the embedded operating system domain is still a very controversial topic, as this area demands high performance and small memory footprint. However, recent studies quantifying aspects overheads in AspectC++ show that the resource cost is very low. Therefore, operating system development may benefit with the modularization of crosscutting concerns and system specialization offered by AOP. This paper addresses our experience in applying aspects to synchronization (mutual exclusion) and logging in a real-time embedded operating system (BOSS). Furthermore, we present our ideas for future investigation in aspect-oriented implementations for fault tolerance, middleware customization and platform variability. Categories and Subject Descriptors D.2.3 [Software Engineering]: Coding Tools and Techniques; D.4.7 [Operating Systems]: Organization and Design

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: AOSD
• Authors: Francisco Afonso, Carlos A. Silva, Sergio Montenegro, Adriano Tavares
• Keywords: AOSD 2007, Embedded Operating System, Real-time Embedded Operating, Software Engineering, Studies Quantifying Aspects