This blog post “What Do You Mean When You Say…?” Introducing the ELISA Glossary for Safety-Critical Open Source” was written by Simone Weiss, Linutronix.
You’re reading a blog post, and three sentences in, you encounter a term and wonder, “What does the author mean when they say that?” You could research it, but you keep reading, telling yourself, “I’ll figure it out later.” We’ve all been there.
The world of embedded and safety-critical open source uses specific terms that can make it hard to understand what’s meant. That’s why we created the ELISA Glossary—a single place for all those terms.
Take a look at the glossary here:
https://directory.elisa.tech/glossary/index.html
What Is the ELISA Glossary?
The ELISA Glossary is a collection of definitions for terms that frequently come up in the ELISA project. Each entry tries to provide not just the theoretical meaning but also the way of how it’s used within ELISA.
You’ll find definitions covering:
- Safety and certification concepts
- Embedded and real-time software terms
- Open-source processes and tools
- Standards, specifications, and compliance-related language
The glossary is useful for things like:
- Reading an ELISA blog post and needing a quick refresher
- Joining a new working group and encountering unfamiliar terms
- Ensuring consistent language across documents and discussions
The glossary is work in progress. As tools evolve, standards shift, and best practices change, the glossary will continue to grow. We rely on community feedback – if there’s a term you think should be added or a definition that needs refinement, let us know!
Why the Glossary?
The ELISA Project brings together engineers, safety experts, and organizations working on Linux-based safety-critical systems. This diverse mix of industry, standards, and technical backgrounds is one of ELISA’s strengths—but it also means we use a language that’s not always obvious to newcomers, occasional contributors, or even long-time members diving into new topics.
Since ELISA began, we’ve created:
- Technical documentation
- Working group deliverables
- Presentations
Certain terms pop up again and again, which is where the ELISA Glossary comes in—to help make those terms easier to understand, reference, and use consistently.
Explore the ELISA Glossary
https://directory.elisa.tech/glossary/index.html
Clear language may not solve all the challenges in safety-critical software, but it sure makes collaboration easier.