MicroC OS II: The Real Time Kernel (With CD-ROM)

There is no equivalent to this book. The knowledge offered here, along with the complete source code for the µC/OS real-time operating system is everything you need to know to understand preemptive priority-based multitasking. Whether you just want to learn what goes on behind the scenes in your commercial RTOS or you're looking for a small, inexpensive RTOS with source code, this is the book for you.

Jean LaBrosse is one of those people who has that uncanny knack for taking a complicated issue and making it seem simple. His MicroC/OS is a wonderful example. The book does much more than simply present usable source code (though it does that also). It explains _WHY_ the code is the way it is. MicroC/OS II is very much in today's spirit of open-source software. It is rapidly becoming, for real-time embedded systems, what Linux represents for desktops. I also agree with another reader, who points out that the OS is not just a good OS for real-time systems, but a good, _RELIABLE_, OS in general. If only we could get Microsoft to follow LaBrosse's KISS approaches.

I read this book when I needed to understand embedded real-time operating systems. The writing was clear, concise, and well-organized, a rare gem among technical literature of this type. Jean Labrosse used just enough repetition to emphasize important concepts without being anoying.My project required an RTOS with more features than the MicroC/OS kernel had to offer but, having read this book, I was in a good position to understand the RTOS I did choose. The fundamental concepts were the same and the notation that Jean Labrosse used in his book to describe RTOS components came in handy when designing my own software system architecture.

I have been involved with the development of embedded real-time systems since 1969 and have written a good number of kernels in that time. After swapping notes with the author, he convinced me to try uC/OS-II rather than doing another "roll my own". I'm glad he did. The book is extremely well written, clearly explaining the key concepts and his implementation. The software itself is very functional. I plan to use it in several applications I have on the boards. I would highly recommend this book to anyone contemplating an embedded system project.

. I had heard about uC/OS on the net, and was pursuing a freely available multitasking kernel for a small embedded project near and dear to my heart. I bought this book expecting to get usable (if somewhat crufty) code and a poorly written and produced book. Boy, was I surprised. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the page size, which is somewhat large and clumsy to handle. I am impressed with the quality of the code, and with the authors clear, rational explanations for the data structures and algorithms presented in the book. The code itself is not commented all that well; the book serves as the commentary. The feature set of uC/OS is suprisingly complete, including priority-based tasking, semaphores for task synchronization, inter-task communications via mailboxes and message queues, and support for interrupt handling. The code has been ported to wide range of 8, 16, and 32-bit processor architectures, ruling this out as a simple PC-specific executive. Ports exist in various locations on the net for processors from the 68HC11 and 68000 family, to the various x86 members, to advanced RISC designs like the MIPS R3000/R4000 and AM29K families. If you are looking for a kernel that can be embedded in your project, or to learn more about how an embedded real-time microkernel works, this book is an excellent reference and tutorial. I consider this book to be one of the gems in my computer science library, which includes several hundred volumes on a wide range of topics.