Hardware abstraction layers (HALs) are an important layer to every embedded software application. A HAL allows a developer to abstract or decouple the hardware details from the application code.

Writing embedded software that is portable in C is not a trivial endeavor. A developer needs to be disciplined and take the time up front to create a design that will be scalable and easily adaptable.

Embedded-software technology appears to lag behind new trends. That's largely because embedded developers have a cautious, conservative attitude that comes from years of experience contending with ...