Real-Time System

Definitions

1. A computing system in which correctness depends not only on producing the right result but on producing it within a guaranteed time bound (deadline). Hard real-time systems (avionics, ABS braking) treat a missed deadline as system failure; soft real-time systems (video streaming, audio processing) tolerate occasional deadline misses with degraded quality.

   In plain English: A computer system where being late with an answer is just as bad as giving the wrong answer — timing guarantees are part of being correct.

   Example: "The flight controller runs on an RTOS with a 1ms hard deadline — if the control loop misses that window, the aircraft becomes unstable."

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