Not all devices require screens. Some rely on web-based user interfaces or smartphone apps for control and interaction. But if your product needs a built-in screen and you need to decide which to get and what to do with it, the rest of this blog is for you. Elaborate or plain? It’s important to choose […]

Choosing the right hardware for an embedded Linux device is so much more important than your software choices. Making the wrong decision can lead to significant costs and disruptions if you have to change hardware mid-development. Read this blog first before you solidify your choice. Custom or commercial? Choosing between a custom or commercially available […]

Desktop software has many differences from mobile and embedded applications but one of the biggest and most obvious is the screen. How can you take advantage of all that real estate for your application? Six considerations for managing the screen in your desktop application Choosing the right GUI framework Use a flexible GUI framework that […]

In our earlier blog, The Smarter Way to Rust, we discuss why a blend of C++ and Rust is sometimes the best solution to building robust applications. But when you’re merging these two languages, it’s critical to keep in mind that the transition from C++ to Rust isn’t about syntax, it’s about philosophy. Adapting to […]

An over-the-air (OTA) update capability is an increasingly critical part of any embedded device to close cybersecurity vulnerabilities, allow just-in-time product rollouts, stomp out bugs, and deliver new features. We’ve talked about some of the key structural elements that go into an embedded OTA architecture before. But what about the back end? Let’s address some […]

If you’ve been following our blog, you’re likely aware of Rust’s growing presence in embedded systems. While Rust excels in safety-by-design, it’s also common to find it integrated with C++. This strategic approach leverages the strengths of both languages, including extensive C++ capabilities honed over the years in complex embedded systems. Let’s delve into some […]

We’ve explained some of the architectural elements of building your own firmware over-the-air (OTA) soution for IoT and embedded systems in a previous blog. But what about the hardware requirements? Or processes? Let’s explore issues that are essential to solve for a robust OTA solution. Maximizing flash longevity Modern devices rely on solid-state drives, which […]

The importance of updating your product after it’s in the field cannot be overstated. Not only is it essential for customer satisfaction with feature updates and bug fixes, but also for addressing security vulnerabilities. In this post, we’ll look at some key considerations and methodologies for updating embedded systems. Selecting an update approach Choosing the […]

Developing embedded software is notoriously difficult – how can we simplify the process? Fortunately, there are lots of techniques you can use daily to help streamline your development. Embracing Automation The specialized nature of embedded systems extends the ramp-up time for developers and necessitates a higher level of expertise. Automating hardware-specific tasks, such as deploying […]

In today’s pervasively digital landscape, building software for a single platform is a 1990s approach. Modern applications, even those designed for specific embedded targets, must be adaptable enough to run seamlessly across various platforms without sacrificing efficiency or reliability. This is often easier said than done. Here are some key points to consider when developing […]

The robustness of Linux is widely acknowledged, but it can't quite match the microsecond management of a real-time operating system (RTOS) for time critical situations such as CNC machine instructions, vehicular control, or health sensor collection. If your software must record, manage, or control events within a narrow and precise time window and you’re invested […]

Choosing the right system-on-chip (SoC) is probably your first consideration when designing an embedded product, followed closely by deciding whether to use an off-the-shelf board or design your own. The case for commercial boards in initial designs For the first product in a new line, consider using a commercially available board that features your chosen […]

When designing an embedded product, there’s a lot riding on those crucial first decisions of choosing a hardware vendor and board. Clearly, the hardware you select must be powerful enough to support your product, a challenging determination given that software is usually still in the planning stages at this point in the process. Plus, planning […]

Due to Covid-19, the KDAB office in Berlin feels really empty. Some times, it's just me, working on hardware, and a few other guys dotted around. The office staff are all working from home. The Problem: My office is very far away from the door, yet, from time to time, KDAB gets deliveries and, as […]

The upcoming version of the C++ Standard (C++2a) is proposing to deprecate certain usages of the volatile keyword, by adopting the P1152 proposal (Deprecating volatile). Despite the somewhat "flamboyant" title, the actual deprecated parts are very limited and indeed the paper limits the deprecation to somehow language/library corner cases and/or dangerous antipatterns. For instance certain […]

Back in February we wrote about our work to add 'MacOs touch bar' support to Qt. Between then and now, support has been added in QtCreator: However, the changes have not been integrated upstream in Qt, which means there is still no easy way to add support to your own applications. KDAB is happy to […]

Each month KDAB schedules time for me to maintain the Qt for Android port. Usually I use it to review the pending patches or fix bugs, but sometimes there is a quiet month and I have time to add new functionalities or improve the existing ones. April was quite quiet so I decided to rewrite […]

During the last couple of months KDAB engineers have been working on improving CUPS printing support for Linux in Qt. This work has been sponsored by the LiMux project, a big thank you to them for allowing us to spend time improving Qt :). We started in early December with a series of small commits […]

With the introduction of the Qt Quick software renderer it became possible to use Qt Quick on devices without a GPU. We investigated how viable this option is on a lower end device, particularly the NXP i.MX6 ULL. It turns out that with some (partially not yet integrated) patches developed by KDAB and The Qt […]

Back in November, Apple released the latest generation of it's Apple TV product. Besides the slightly improved hardware, the true new feature is the OS which is now officially based on iOS and comes with the dedicated SDK and App Store! So we started investigating what it would take to port Qt to tvOS and […]