Embedded software shapes our world through cell phones, satellites, medical and home appliances, and automotive components—with defects causing life-threatening situations and delays creating huge costs. In this issue, we provide an overview of techniques and methods that impact embedded-software engineering. We also look at digital rights management, cloud computing costs, reliable distributed storage, and a Web-based question-answering system.
Editor’s note: Due to a printing error, the wrong cover captions were presented on Computer’s April issue. The correct captions are provided here: Biologically Inspired Computing, p. 95; Digital Wallet, p. 100; Requirements-Based Visualization Tools, p. 106. Computer regrets this error and offers sincere apologies for any inconvenience it may have caused our readers.
Features April 2009 PerspectivesHow Viable Is Digital Rights Management? Seong Oun Hwang Technologies that aim to protect digital content have fallen short of their mission. The computing community must find ways to make protection schemes interoperable and adopt a use model that lifts restrictions on paid-for protected content.
March 2009 Computing PracticesPuzzling Problems in Computer Engineering Behrooz Parhami University faculty have designed an engaging puzzle-based freshman seminar intended to motivate and retain computer engineering students.