Skip to main content
USENIX
  • Conferences
  • Students
Sign in
  • OSDI '12 Home
  • Organizers
  • Registration Information
  • Registration Discounts
  • At a Glance
  • Calendar
  • Technical Sessions
  • Workshops
  • Poster Sessions and Receptions
  • Birds-of-a-Feather Sessions
  • Sponsors
  • Activities
  • Hotel and Travel Information
  • Services
  • Students
  • Questions
  • Help Promote
  • For Participants
  • Call for Papers
  • Past Proceedings

sponsors

Diamond Sponsor
Diamond Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
Bronze Sponsor
General Sponsor
General Sponsor
General Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Media Sponsor

twitter

Tweets by @usenix

usenix conference policies

  • Event Code of Conduct
  • Conference Network Policy
  • Statement on Environmental Responsibility Policy

You are here

Home » Experiences from a Decade of TinyOS Development
Tweet

connect with us

http://twitter.com/usenix
https://www.facebook.com/events/284007718333937/
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/USENIX-Association-49559/about
http://www.youtube.com/user/USENIXAssociation

Experiences from a Decade of TinyOS Development

Authors: 

Philip Levis, Stanford University

Abstract: 

When first written in 2000, TinyOS’s users were a handful of academic computer science researchers. A decade later, TinyOS averages 25,000 downloads a year, is in many commercial products, and remains a platform used for a great deal of sensor network, low-power systems, and wireless research.

We focus on how technical and social decisions influenced this success, sometimes in surprising ways. As TinyOS matured, it evolved language extensions to help experts write efficient, robust systems. These extensions revealed insights and novel programming abstractions for embedded software. Using these abstractions, experts could build increasingly complex systems more easily than with other operating systems, making TinyOS the dominant choice.

This success, however, came at a long-term cost. System design decisions that seem good at first can have unforeseen and undesirable implications that play out over the span of years. Today, TinyOS is a stable, selfcontained ecosystem that is discouraging to new users. Other systems, such as Arduino and Contiki, by remaining more accessible, have emerged as better solutions for simpler embedded sensing applications.

Philip Levis, Stanford University

Open Access Media

USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.

BibTeX
@inproceedings {180265,
author = {Philip Levis},
title = {Experiences from a Decade of {TinyOS} Development},
booktitle = {10th USENIX Symposium on Operating Systems Design and Implementation (OSDI 12)},
year = {2012},
isbn = {978-1-931971-96-6},
address = {Hollywood, CA},
pages = {207--220},
url = {https://www.usenix.org/conference/osdi12/technical-sessions/presentation/levis},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = oct
}
Download
Levis PDF
View the slides

Presentation Video

Presentation Audio

MP3 Download OGG Download

Download Audio

  • Log in or    Register to post comments

Diamond Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

General Sponsors

Media Sponsors & Industry Partners

© USENIX

  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us