Household hints for embedded systems designers

I spend a lot of time working on tools for embedded system design-hardware-software codesign, system scheduling, software optimization. I´ve worked on them because I think that good tools are important. They help make design tasks possible that would otherwise be impossible; they also help provide the discipline that produces working systems and minimizes working nights. But tools don´t necessarily have to be complex or specially designed for embedded systems. just as you can use a screwdriver to open a can, you can adapt existing, everyday programs to new uses for embedded computing.