Embedded System design :

Often refers to Embedded Systems - hardware and software together forming a component of some larger system. The compactPCI (and accompanying PICMG 2.16) platform is an embedded system and performance technologies' IPnexus product family has been designed to maximize these form factors.

An embedded system is a special purpose computer that is used inside of a device. For example, a microwave contains an embedded system that accepts input from the panel, controls the LCD display, and turns on and off the heating elements that cook the food. Embedded systems generally use microcontrollers that contain many functions of a computer on a single device.

An embedded design, is an electronic design that contains an embedded micro-controller. The design will therefore consist of electronic hardware, including a micro-controller, and well as embedded software (also known as firmware).

PLATFORM :
There are many different CPU architectures used in embedded designs. This in contrast to the desktop computer market, which as of this writing (2003) is limited to just a few competing architectures, mainly the Intel/AMD x86, and the Apple/Motorola/IBM PowerPC, used in the Apple Macintosh.

One common configuration for embedded systems is the system on a chip, an application-specific integrated circuit, for which the CPU was purchased as intellectual property to add to the IC's design.

TOOLS :
Like a typical computer programmer, embedded system designers use compilers, assemblers and debuggers to develop an embedded system.
Those software tools can come from several sources:
• Software companies that specialize in the embedded market
• Ported from the GNU software development tools.
• Sometimes, development tools for a personal computer can be used if the embedded processor    is a close relative to a common PC processor.
• Embedded system designers also use a few software tools rarely used by typical computer    programmers.