Many misconceptions exist regarding the meaning of real time (in application programming and OS contexts). Real time essentially means that not only do the real-time thread (or threads) perform their work correctly, but they must perform within a given worst-case deadline. Actually, the key factor in a real time system is called determinism. Deterministic systems have a guaranteed worst-case response time to real-world (or artificially generated) events; they will process them within a bounded time constraint. Determinism leads to predictable response, under any conditions—even extreme load. One way in which computer scientists classify algorithms is via their time complexity: the big-O notation. O(1) algorithms are deterministic; ...
What is real time?
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