So first off what's the difference? In very basic terms firmware describes the fixed, typically compact code that is embedded into various electronic devices, controlling them internally; where software depicts code that performs set tasks on an operating system.

As the dependence on firmware & software into today's cutting edge products intensifies, so ANDs platform of code development services has diversified. Initially starting out developing inventory & point-of-sale (POS) software for Bookshops AND today offers a complete portfolio of software & firmware development services.

Gaining an understanding of the problem & identify the right type of software that could be constructed for your project are important factors in determining the ultimate success of a product. Options include:

□ Firmware to run on a microcontroller (MCU), microprocessor (MPU), etc.
□ Software to run on a PC, Apple Mac or Linux machine.
□ VHDL/pre-programmed logic to run on FPGA, CPLD, etc.

At AND, strong emphasis is put into understanding exactly 'what problem is trying to be solved', investigating possible solutions & working closely with the client to determine the best solution.

Definition & specification

Be it developing a new product or upgrading a faithful best seller decisions about authoring new software, re-engineering existing software or using off-the-shelf software stacks have to be taken. Similarly the tools to be used, operating system, etc., must also be defined.

AND offer full project definition & specification facilities to define the specific requirements of a new project incorporating software/firmware. Once the specification has been defined, written descriptions, lists , &/or UML diagrams showing the logic blocks & the means by which they will be constructed, sourced & authored can all be produced.

Coding

Generation of the all-important source code, while on the face of it a seemingly straight forward task, actually requires in-depth knowledge of software development & system architecture in order to produce a robust, reliable & ultimately user-friendly end product.

ANDs team of professional software & specialist embedded engineers have a wealth of experience in developing firmware, software & programmable logic code for a range of real-world applications. As you can imagine over the years AND has built up considerable expertise in a number of programming languages to meet project needs, including:

□ Assembler
□ 'C', C++, C#
□ VHDL
□ Java
□ Visual Basic