Since the earliest days of computers, they have been used for real time control applications. In the 1960s and early ‘70s, it was common to use a small mainframe or a mini-computer to control machinery or instrumentation. These computers typically ran under the control of a specialized operating system, which was designed for real time use. Examples include RSX-11 and RT-11, which were used on DEC PDP-11 machines.

These “real time operating systems” were typically interactive and worked similarly to those used for data processing applications. An operator command would start, control and stop the real time application programs. They could also be configured to be “turn key”, so that switching on the computer would cause the OS to be booted, which would then start the applications automatically. With the advent of microprocessors and, hence, embedded systems, a new approach was needed … (more…)