Embedded microprocessor systems are affecting our daily lives at a fast pace, mostly unrecognised by the general public. Most of us are aware of the part they are playing in increasing business efficiency through office applications such as personal computers, printers and copiers. Only a few people, however, fully appreciate the growing role of embedded systems in telecommunications and industrial environments, or even in everyday products like cars and home appliances. The challenge to engineers and managers is not only highlighted by the sheer size of the market, ' 1.5 billion microcontrollers and microprocessors are produced every year ' but also by the accelerating innovation in embedded systems towards higher complexity in hardware, software and tools as well as towards higher performance and lower consumption. To maintain competitiveness in this demanding environment, an optimum mix of innovation, time to market and system cost is required. Choosing the right options and strategies for products and companies is crucial and rarely obvious. In this book the editors have, therefore, skilfully brought together more than fifty contributions from some of the leading authorities in embedded systems. The papers are conveniently grouped in four sections.