Embedded/Real-Time Operating Systems - VDC Research

Scope & Methodology
To develop this report, VDC employed the following research methods:
• Phone Interviews – VDC conducted phone
interviews with executive managers, senior
managers and product marketing managers at
leading operating system suppliers.
• Web-Based Surveys – An extensive survey
was distributed to the embedded engineering
community with the primary purpose of
understanding the market’s interest, opinions,
and trends. Developers surveyed to date
include subscribers to eg3.com, Embedded
Gurus, and Ganssle Group, as well as
Research Now, and VDC’s internal developer
panel. Entry into a drawing for an Apple iPad
as well as guaranteed $10 Amazon.com gift
certificate or choice of a $10 donation to
FIRST (a charitable organization helping to
promote the sciences to the next generation of
engineers) for the first 400 respondents to
complete the survey was offered as an
incentive to respond.
o VDC’s 2012 Embedded Engineering Survey is
open and still in the field. Data collected from
the survey will be delivered as part of Track 3:
Embedded Systems Engineering Survey Data
series of reports, as well as other reports
within the Strategic Insights 2012: Embedded
Software & Tools Market service year as
required.
• Secondary Research – Secondary sources
of information include government trade
statistics, financial documents including 10Ks,
10Qs and annual reports, trade press articles,
trade association statistics, websites, and
business directories.
• Data Analysis – VDC used SPSS, an
industry standard statistical software
package and Microsoft Excel for most of
the statistical analysis and modeling within
this report. These analyses were performed
using proprietary VDC tools and techniques.
• Foreign Exchange – VDC used oanda.com
to develop a calendar year average for
vendors who report their data in foreign
currencies.
• Calendar Year Revenue Adjustments –
Because the full study analyzes shipments of
software development solutions on a
calendar year basis, vendors’ fiscal year
revenues had to be adjusted accordingly.
Adjustments were based upon internally
developed metrics of industry participants’
monthly and quarterly revenue profiles.
vdcresearch.com
© 2012 VDC Research Group, Inc.
Embedded Software & Tools
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