Books

Below are the books that I have written / co-written. The books are designed to help developers from first time beginners to seasoned professionals.

Language: English
ISBN-10: 0-9842801-0-3
ISBN-13: 978-0-9842801-0-0
Paperback: 488 pages

Book
US $49.95

Real-Time Development from Theory to Practice
Featuring TenAsys® INtime®
By John R. Malin and Sean D. Liming

Windows XP Embedded has grown into a popular operating system choice for embedded systems. The low development cost is a big reason, with off the shelf hardware, a full line of device drivers available, standard development tools for applications and custom drivers with Visual Studio, and the ability to use desktop applications that run in Windows XP Pro.  Different programming solutions such Adobe® Flash™, Adobe® Air™, Java, Silverlight, and .NET Framework allow users to create dynamic and custom branded user interfaces. Deterministic response, a.k.a. real-time, is one aspect that Windows lacks. Being a general purpose operation system, the Windows Kernel doesn’t provide the deterministic response that true real-time operating systems like QNX™, VxWorks, or uCOS provide. Direct programmatic access to hardware under Windows is not supported, requiring a custom Windows driver solution to be developed for all hardware interaction.

Some developers have tried to program in Ring 0 / kernel layer, but the consumption of processor resources can interfere with the timing of the kernel and hurt overall system performance.

TenAsys® INtime® adds on the real-time, deterministic response to Windows by adding a second kernel. Using Visual Studio, you can write real-time applications that take advantage of the INtime kernel and access hardware directly, while still having access to the rich GUI of Widows.

Developing real-time applications is no simple task, though. Timing is everything to the system. The more complex the system the more attention to detail is required. Real-Time Application Programming featuring TenAsys’ INtime provides the core foundation to go from understanding real-time concepts to putting them to use in applications.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: Welcome to Real-Time Development
2. Real-Time Basics
3. INtime Architecture and Development Tools Overview
4. Process and Threads
5. Inter-thread Communications and Synchronization
6. Memory Management
7. Windows Programming and Hardware Access
8. INtime and Windows® Embedded Standard 2009 / Windows® XP Embedded

ISBN-10: 1-933324-54-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-933324-54-8
Paperback
238 Pages
Sept. 2006

Book
US $50.00

Windows Embedded for Point of Service / POS for .NET Step-by-Step

by Sean Liming with John R. Malin

Windows XP Embedded is growing in popularity as a solution for many embedded systems. Built on Windows XP Embedded, Windows Embedded for Point of Service address the basic operating system needs for those developing point of service solutions.

To go with the WEPOS platform, POS for .NET is the .NET programming solution of the Unified POS (UPOS) standard. POS for .NET allows POS developers to write one application that support POS devices from different equipment manufacturers. WEPOS / POS for .NET Step-By-Step provides a foundation for those interested in learning the basics of WEPOS and POS for .Net.

The book consists of nine (9) chapters broken into two parts: WEPOS installation and configuration, and working with POS for .NET. Following a “Learn-by-doing” philosophy, there are many hands-on, step-by-step exercises.

Topics Cover:

• WEPOS Unattended Installation, Remote Installation, and Remote Boot
• Customizing the WEPOS Platform
• POS for .NET Architecture
• Creating and Managing Service Objects
• Several POS for .NET applications written in VB .NET and using a few POS devices: bar code scanner, MSR, line display, cash drawer, and receipt printer.
• 18 hands on exercises

ISBN:1932373969 Paperback
340 Pages
Jan 2005

Book
US $35.00

Toolkit
US $120.00

Windows XP Embedded Supplemental Toolkit

Covering Windows XP Embedded SP2
By Sean D. Liming

Windows XP Embedded Supplemental Toolkit is the anticipated follow on to the popular Windows XP Embedded Advanced. The toolkit consists of 17 chapters that introduce many of the new features and solutions for XPe Service Pack 2 such as:

USB flash boot solution Image cloning and EWF Security methods Hibernate Once, Resume Many System Management Services System Update Services EWF API programming (including a .NET 1.1 solution) Wireless connectivity Trapping hot keys

and much more. There are 50 new tips-and-tricks, 23 lab exercises, and 4 new development tools to help creating components, finding dependencies, and documenting configurations.

ISBN:0929392779 Paperback
700 Pages
Sept. 2003

US $65.00

Windows XP Embedded Advanced

By Sean D. Liming

Windows XP Embedded Advanced (XPEA) was written to provide an in-depth how-to guide for OEMs and developers looking to develop with Windows XP Embedded. Although the book title says “Advanced”, the book's content ranges from beginners to advanced developers looking for a reference. Included are instructions for installing the development tools, building a first XP Embedded operating system, downloading it to the target device, and running the newly created OS from the target. Also provided are insights on developing Windows XP Embedded images. In addition, key differences between Windows XP Embedded and NT Embedded, its immediate predecessor, are covered, as are recent updates to the operating system. All of the development tools are covered, including embedded features such as headless operation, booting from CD-ROM, and remote access and administration. An advanced topics section provides detailed instruction on subjects such as boot-time reduction, booting from flash memory devices, multiprocessor systems, and dual video systems.

If you are looking for the CD - the CD contents can be found on the book page.

ISBN:092939268X Paperback
240 Pages
May 2000
US $5.00

Windows NT Embedded Step-By-Step

By Sean D. Liming

Windows NT Embedded Step-by-Step is designed to help engineers build embedded systems using Windows NT Embedded. Rather than trying to educate by simply providing line after line of text and code, the book actually walks the reader through exercises that can be completed with a desktop development system and target device. The exercises in the book have been carefully selected to be representative of real world situations that developers will face in the process of completing their own designs. By literally working through exercises step-by-step, developers will find that they can easily build very powerful and reliable operating systems. There's no substitute for learning by doing, and the breadth of the exercises contained within provides a knowledge base that will assist the reader in quickly creating new, functionally rich solutions.

Contents : Chapter 1 Introduction; Chapter 2 Target Designer – Creating NTE Images; Chapter 3 Embedded Features; Chapter 4 Component Designer - Developing KDFs; Chapter 5 Exploring Other Components and Features; Chapter 6 Deployment Strategies; Chapter 7 Resources Pages : 240