elevator controller

elevator controller
 n.

   An archetypal dumb embedded-systems application, like {toaster} (which
   superseded it). During one period (1983--84) in the deliberations of
   ANSI X3J11 (the C standardization committee) this was the canonical
   example of a really stupid, memory-limited computation environment.
   "You can't require printf(3) to be part of the default runtime library
   -- what if you're targeting an elevator controller?" Elevator
   controllers became important rhetorical weapons on both sides of
   several {holy wars}.
    

elevator controller

   An archetypal dumb embedded-systems application, like
   {toaster} (which superseded it).  During one period (1983--84)
   in the deliberations of ANSI X3J11 (the C standardisation
   committee) this was the canonical example of a really stupid,
   memory-limited computation environment.  "You can't require
   "printf(3)" to be part of the default run-time library - what
   if you're targeting an elevator controller?"  Elevator
   controllers became important rhetorical weapons on both sides
   of several {holy wars}.