Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!udel!princeton!siemens!demon!jrv
From: jrv@demon.siemens.com (James R Vallino)
Newsgroups: comp.realtime
Subject: Re: What makes a system "real-time?" (Was: Real-Time references wanted)
Summary: Real time means on time
Message-ID: <16966@siemens.siemens.com>
Date: 20 Oct 89 14:17:25 GMT
References: <1989Oct18.151758.5227@planck.uucp>
Sender: news@siemens.siemens.com
Reply-To: jrv@demon.siemens.com (James R Vallino)
Organization: Siemens Research and Technology Laboratories
Lines: 18

In article <1989Oct18.151758.5227@planck.uucp> westley@avenger.UUCP (Terry J. Westley) writes:
>Here's the definition I use for what makes a system "real-time:"
>
>	A system is real-time when the result of some
>	operation is wrong because it is late.

Another way I have heard this summed up is:

    Real time means on time.

Whether you have "hard" or "soft" requirements then depends on the severity
of the consequences of not meeting "on time" performance.


Jim Vallino	Siemens Corporate Research, Princeton, NJ
jrv@demon.siemens.com
princeton!siemens!demon!jrv
(609) 734-3331