An Introduction to Real-Time Java Technology: Part 1, the Real-Time Specification for Java (JSR 1)

Real-time computing is often associated with high speed, but this is only one part of the picture. At its core, real-time computing is about predictability - the knowledge that the system will always perform within the required time frame. The deadlines involved need not be very short - though they sometimes are - and the consequences of missing a deadline may not be dire - though they sometimes are. The key to whether an application is a real-time one has to do with whether its requirements include temporal constraints. The developers of the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ), JSR 1, use this definition of real-time computing: The programming environment must provide abstractions necessary to allow developers to correctly reason about the temporal behavior of application logic.