Newsletter in November 2024

                                         - What is this really about ?
                               - Continuous Observability is proactive
                                               - Zero Trust Policy
                        - PERCEPIO Tracealyzer 4.10 has been released
                   - SEGGER emWin: GUI now directly in the web browser

                         - emWin4Web: The latest extension of emWin

                          - Last not least: New J-Links, new Flashers                                        

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For a few months now, my colleagues at Percepio and our Newsletter have been talking a lot about observability. For customers who already use Percepio's Tracealyzer tool, this may sound a bit strange - isn't Tracealyzer also about diagnostics, debugging and profiling? Mostly yes, but why do we place so much emphasis on Continuous Observability solutions? Observability as a category has its origins in the cloud and IT sector, where the dynamics and growing complexity required a different perspective to ensure the security, reliability and integrity of the entire system.

What is this really about ? Ultimately, observability is about providing the ability to measure the internal state of a system by examining the outputs of the system using logs, traces, etc. In the world of embedded systems, this type of debugging is quite familiar, even if neither the term observability nor its full value is yet widely known. For example, capturing software traces and examining them in different views is often the only way to isolate errors and anomalies in complex, multi-threaded software. However, when observability is viewed more holistically and the new Best Practice Observability Driven Development (ODD) is applied, the scope of application and thus the value for product development companies expands.

Continuous Observability is proactive   While debugging is reactive - you react to a problem, preferably found during development or testing or through an error message from the field, and then work begins to reproduce, fix and retest the new build - Continuous Observability is a proactive approach that requires you to start development with observability in mind. Adhering to Continuous Observability ensures that the product or device can check and monitor itself and report at all stages of the lifecycle; from design, to coding, to testing and field trials, and even to full launch.

Zero Trust Policy You could describe it as a zero-trust policy for running software in a complex and dynamic environment, ensuring that there is always a digital feedback loop through which you can monitor the health and performance of the system. With the upcoming launch of Percepio Detect, in many ways the perfect complement to Tracealyzer, our customers can now have a comprehensive solution for Continuous Observability. We are confident that this will lead to an improvement in software quality. I encourage you to apply for Percepio's Detect Early Access Program and read the magazine articles linked below to learn more about the Continuous Observability paradigm. New Electronics: Continuous Observability Embedded Computing: How Continuous Observability Unlocks Remote Debugging Superpowers Tracealyzer 4.10 has been released   Percepio has released Tracealyzer 4.10 with a list of updates and bug fixes - mainly for FreeRTOS and Zephyr RTOS. See the update page for details. Users with an active subscription or maintenance contract can update for free from within the application.

SEGGER emWin: GUI now directly in the web browser You know SEGGER emWin as an industry-renowned graphics library for embedded systems that offers an efficient solution for graphical user interfaces (GUIs). emWin can be used flexibly and can be seamlessly combined with various processors and display controllers. emWin covers a wide range of applications - from battery-powered single-chip systems with simple graphics requirements to high-end systems with sophisticated animations and maximum performance. The emWin library is used in numerous industries, including industrial automation, Internet of Things (IoT), network technology, consumer electronics, safety-critical systems, automotive technology, medical technology and aviation. With the new innovative tool emWin4Web, developers can now run graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for embedded applications directly in the web browser. All emWin functions that run on a target device are reproduced in the browser with pixel precision - true to the motto: What you see is truly what you get.

emWin4Web: The latest extension of emWin   emWin4Web is the latest extension of the emWin library. emWin is characterized by its efficiency in the creation of interactive user interfaces. Thanks to its low memory requirements, emWin is particularly suitable for microcontroller-based systems with limited resources. With emWin4Web, emWin and AppWizard applications can now be easily converted into WebAssembly using a command line tool. Since WebAssembly is supported by all major browsers, it can be used across all platforms: applications run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS - without any installation or download. This allows developers to easily share their applications and make prototypes and demos available on a wide range of devices. This flexibility improves collaboration in teams. Team members without access to a full simulation environment or specialized hardware can view and interactively test prototype applications directly in their web browser. emWin4Web offers the option to host a local web server. This enables developers to open and test their compiled applications immediately. Access to the emWin source code is required to use emWin4Web to its full extent and to integrate it seamlessly into the development process. Further information on emWin4Web and sample applications can be found on the emWin demo page at www.segger.com.

Last not least: New J-Links, New Flashers Starting with version 8.10, SEGGER's J-Link Debug Probes offer full support for Espressif ESP32 devices with RISC-V cores. This update enables developers to debug and program Espressif's RISC-V based microcontrollers. J-Link support is now available for the following Espressif ESP32 devices: ESP32-C2, ESP32-C3, ESP32-C6, ESP32-H2. SEGGER has also extended support for Microchip's PIC24 family of devices, enabling efficient and reliable in-circuit programming of almost any device of almost 200 devices of the PIC24 family. SEGGER's Flasher in-circuit programmers now support Microchip's latest dsPIC33AKxxxMC10x series. This new device family introduces Turbo mode, a feature also supported by SEGGER's Flashers. Turbo mode enables faster programming by transferring the next data block while the previous one is being flashed. A complete list of devices supported by SEGGER's Flasher production programming tools can be found here.

Just over seven weeks until Christmas. Startled? Yes, time is racing. But with a conscious approach to time, we can do anything. Even our annual goals. The best thing about the future is that there is only one day at a time. Stay curious! Sincerely Yours, Marian A. Wosnitza   „It can be bolder than exploring the unknown,  to doubt the known.“ (Alexander von Humboldt, German natural scientist)