Device Drivers
Although drivers are seldom seen directly by the end user, they are a tremendously important part of the user’s experience with hardware, as well as a major factor in system stability. Art & Logic has been moving large amounts of critical time-sensitive data since 1991, and we have extensive experience with key issues such as synchronization, user/kernel communication, Plug and Play, and much more. In addition to our years of experience with the Windows and Mac OS Classic driver models, our partnership with Apple has given us exposure to OS X since its earliest development releases, and our skills and experience there are already well evolved.
As hardware devices propagate it becomes increasingly difficult to differentiate your product in the market. We realize that sometimes success rests on having data buffers which are just a few bytes smaller than those of the competition; offering a control panel which loads just slightly faster; or displaying images that update more smoothly and look a bit more polished. Problems that impact system stability are devastating. We offer you not only skill and expertise, but attention to the details.
Device Driver Technologies
We have specialized in writing software for custom hardware since 1991. Driver writing requires a number of skills:
- The ability to determine the expectations of an operating system
- Experience with chip specifications, data sheets, and related technical information, as well as some understanding of hardware and related theory
- A deep understanding of low-level operating system concepts such as synchronization, memory addressing, and more
There’s a first time for every type of driver, and our experience shows that the combined resources of Art & Logic equip us to learn new technologies quite efficiently. Fortunately, we also have a comprehensive grounding in a wide range of driver types:
- USB
- FireWire
- PCMCIA
- Audio/MIDI
- Networking
- Image Capture
- Others
Art & Logic uses the following tools for driver development and debugging:
- Visual Studio (with and without MFC)
- CodeWarrior (with and without PowerPlant),
- Project Builder
- InstallShield
- Installer VISE
- BoundsChecker
- SoftICE
- SoftICE Driver Suite
- DCon
- Others
Long-Term Technology Relationships
Art & Logic takes a flexible, long-term approach to technology and design decisions. We use our knowledge of most major software technologies to help you choose the best platform for your application. If the right tools don’t exist, we can build them from scratch or assemble pre-existing components.
Of course, your long-term support plans, existing systems, schedule, and budget weigh heavily into these decisions. We take the time to get to know our clients and the business requirements for their software.
Learn more about advice and planning.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Sherbrooke
Lead Engineer
Please use the become a client form to begin a discussion about your project.
