If I Only Changed the Software, Why is the Phone on Fire?: Embedded Debugging Methods Revealed: Technical Mysteries for Engineers

by Newnes

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Sales Rank:809673 (lower is better)
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Release Date:2007-03-23
Label:Newnes
Pages:304
Binding:Paperback
Publication Date:2007-03-23
Published By:Newnes
ASIN:0750682183
Category:Book

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Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions

Product Description

This new book manages the unthinkable- it conveys crucial technical information to engineers without boring them to tears! In this unique reference, expert embedded designer Lisa Simone provides the solutions to typical embedded software debugging problems from a fresh new perspective. She introduces a team of engineers who readers will recognize from their own workplaces, and then confronts them with real-world debugging scenarios of progressive complexity, drawing the reader into the "mysteries" with their new fictional colleagues, and guiding them step-by-step toward successful solutions.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Case of the Irate Customer: Debugging Other People's Code, Fast
Chapter 2: The Newest Employee: Learning the Embedded Ropes Through Code Inheritance
Chapter 3: It Compiles with No Errors; It Must Work! Integrating Changes in a Larger System
Chapter 4: The Case of Thermal Runaway: Rare Transient Bugs are Still Bugs
Chapter 5: The Case of the Creeping Slider Carriage and the Case of the Hesitating Clock: Alternate Methods of Understanding System Performance
Chapter 6: If I Only Changed the Software, Why is the Phone on Fire?
Chapter 7: The Case of the Rapid Heartbeat: Meeting the Spirit of the Requirement
Chapter 8: What Kind of Error Message is "lume Fault"? When all of the Symptoms Seem Impossible
Chapter 9: When It's Not Hardware, It's Software. And Vice Versa. Blurring the Interface.
Chapter 10: Li Mei's List of Debugging Secrets

·Unique format casts the reader as "technical detective" by presenting a new mystery in every chapter
·Not another dry technical book! Conversational tone and intriguing quandaries draw the reader into the action, while teaching crucial debugging skills
·The final chapter, a summary of the smart debugging techniques introduced throughout the book, is a quick reference to help solve future problems

Customer Reviews

Add this one to your bookshelf! - Reviewed on 2008-02-29
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2 customers found this review helpful.

Excellent book! Real-to-life, creative thinking, lessons build upon themselves as you go through the book. It mirrored some of the things I've been through during 20+ years of HW/SW debug and Customer Support roles. I HIGHLY recommend this book and feel it
should be required reading either during school or as new employees in relevant positions.
Loved it! - Reviewed on 2007-08-14
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4 customers found this review helpful, 2 did not.

I loved reading this book. I learned a lot about debugging and thought the "novel" (in both senses of the word) format was great. In addition to being a good engineer, the author handled the characterization and plot lines very well. As an E.E. and also a big fan of reading mystery novels, I thought it was a satisfying and unique experience to do both at once! It's so rare that the insider view of what being an engineer is like is presented like this--the emotional content of being an engineer and being faced with the kinds of problems that come up every day. My hat's off to the author!
A new method and style to write engineering books - Reviewed on 2007-08-03
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4 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.

Very intriguing book that reveals some of the experiences of young engineers in the field. It is a good guidance that takes you by the hand walks you through struggles, and shares some of the common frustration feelings that the engineering carrier exposes you to. It ought to be read by students who are hesitating about studying engineering and recently graduates that do not know what to expect from the field. The book itself is more than a text book and should be considered as an alternative to write engineering books. I really enjoyed trying to solve the mysteries while I was reading.
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