Advances in Computers, an ongoing series since 1960, presents detailed coverage of innovations in computer hardware, software, theory, design, and applications. It has also provided contributors with a medium in which they can explore their subjects in greater depth and breadth than journal articles usually allow. As a result, many articles have become standard references and continue to be of significant, lasting value in this rapidly expanding field.

The ODYSSEY methodology takes an unconventional approach to designing at Electronic System Level (ESL): it expands the traditional definition of the processor instruction-set and introduces a new class of processors whose instructions correspond to the methods of an object oriented class library. These new processors, called Object-Oriented Application-Specific Instruction Processor (OO-ASIP), provide a versatile vehicle to explore the synergy between hardware and software not only when implementing an OO application for the first time, but also more significantly, when expanding an existing product for additional functionality or customization. This book provides ESL researchers and practitioners with the theory behind this methodology, as well as the practice of implementing it in a design flow from C++ to FPGA board