In several ways, this book has first appeared way ahead of its time. When the processing capacity itself was not available, several embedded developers were more concerned about optimizing their applications for that elusive 'speed' than being worried about building fully predictable systems using proven design methodologies geared towards guaranteeing timing predictability, which inheretly introduce certain inefficiencies in common perception. Therefore, these techniques were deemed to be applicable to only those exotic world of 'hard-real time' systems such as defense, nuclear and not to mere mortals.

With modern processors becoming more and more powerful and devices being targeted to mass markets (e.g! ., set-top boxes, personal communication devices, home automation etc) the market is ready to demand (and of course, get) timing predictability out of embedded devices. Developers therefore need standard books like this and standard software tools (e.g., TimeWiz) to meet this shifting paradigm.

The methods described in this book can be looked at a precursor to a set of "structured methods" for designing real-time systems, based upon temporal modeling (as opposed to object modelling).

The language of invention, of discovery must always seem strange at first, but time has brought us closer to these original explorations of sincerity in poetry. Zukofsky wrote about his contemporaries as they appeared, and helped many of them to appear. He was there. If you want to know what poetry can do, unfettered by prejudice, you can find it here. I urge you to. Prepositions, in conjuction with his poetry, can change and illuminate how you see, feel, hear, think.