Alright, what the fuck is embedded systems and how does it differ from regular programming? I am not getting jobs because I know the languages requested, but I don't know embedded systems. How do I learn it? Get a Raspberry pi?

Embedded systems is basically everything microcontroller.

And no... i'm not talking rasp and arduino only ...

I mean all the good stuff programmed in hardware languages like assembler, vdhl, maybe c and so on...

Learn how memory works and what types there are (volatile and non)...

Learn processor architecture...

Try programming on a good old 8051 or something like that... perfect for beginners...

@Andi to add to that, an arduino is a microcontroller and programmed in c - with a board around it, just makes things like using the pins and programming it easier, since it already has everything on it.

@JoshBent True that but I wouldn't say that I know how to work with embedded systems just because I can operate on an arduino.

@Andi companies nowadays call anything embedded software, so could a visual basic program running on cashier winCE env. also be called embedded development. Just need to look for what specs they are actually asking.

And depending on how much you know about the "Arduino", it can actually be mentionable, since its really just the atmega strapped on for easier use.

Also I think @FrodoSwaggins knows a lot about it iirc, so I'll tag him.

@JoshBent Interesting. For me this topic always was this very specific thing I learned about in school.

...probably a really limited point of view.

@FrodoSwaggins so is an API similar in concept? It waits for input then reacts. Or is it less like that, as the API does not maintain a state.

I guess to clarify my question, does it maintain a state between inputs? Is that a requirement?

@Andi wow 8051 blast from my past 20 years ago.

FWIW I work with embedded systems but they are PLCs.

I know you asked this for work stuff, but thanks for asking it, because my search for "what the fuck is an embedded operating system" returned your rant, and now I can have somewhere to start to answer this damn question on my final.

Previously, I also did not understand the difference between normal development and embedded development. But a friend of mine who works for this company - https://sam-solutions.com/services/... explained the point to me, and now I can clearly see the difference. You should also talk to someone who is knowledgeable about this topic.