This book represents the first comprehensive text in English on real-time and embedded computing systems. It is addressed to engineering students of universities and polytechnics as well as to practitioners and provides the knowledge required for the implementation of industrial computerized process control and manufacturing automation systems. The book avoids mathematical treatment and supports the relevance of the concepts introduced by practical examples and case studies. Special emphasis is placed on a sound conceptual basis and on methodologies and tools for the development of high quality control software, since software dependability has been identified as the major problem area of computerized process automation.