Latest Blog Posts

There are no intrinsic barriers to using open-source compilers in safety-critical domains. With the right process, any high-quality compiler can become a trusted part of a certified toolchain. This “black box” approach works well...

In safety-critical software development, trust is earned, not assumed, and must be built on evidence. Open-source compilers such as GCC and Clang are widely used: they are powerful, mature and continuously evolving. Ultimately, what...

In avionics and aerospace software development, trust alone is not enough. Compilers are sophisticated tools, but because even the smallest defect in generated code could compromise safety, engineers are understandably reluctant to...

The <threads.h> header, introduced in the C11 standard, provides the necessary programming interfaces to develop multi-threaded C code. Multi-threading breaks strict sequential execution into a more parallel and dynamically...

Staying on top of state-of-the-art software testing methods is important for our work on functional safety. Therefore, innovation is one of the four core values at Solid Sands.  We achieve this by continuously delivering improvements...

The <chrono> header from the C++ standard library provides applications with various types to abstract clocks, points in time and operations thereon. However, there are dangers lurking beneath some of its convenient features:...

Compilers and libraries play a critical role in any software development process. That is why functional safety standards such as ISO 26262, IEC 61508, EN 50128, and IEC 62304 require that compilers and libraries are qualified. If...

Remain flexible and in control Are you looking for a solution to qualify standard libraries? The most important thing is getting the right software tool to ensure you remain flexible and in control. Why Library Qualification is...

Choosing a C or C++ compiler for safety-critical application development can be challenging. You may be torn between a compiler that is already qualified or an open-source compiler that still needs to be qualified. While already...

  The tuple is one of the most versatile and powerful data structures in C++, allowing you to combine related data without declaring a full-blown class – for example, x-y coordinates, name-address records, or the properties of a...