In this paper, we examine design trends in the development of distributed real-time system. Many real-time systems developed over the last ten years share common characteristics including use of communications, imprecise computations, the object-oriented paradigm, multiprocessor node hardware, dynamic time-driven scheduling and the inclusion of fault tolerance mechanisms. By examining the major design decisions made in previous systems, the best attributes of these systems can be coalesced together to form the "ideal" real-time system. This paper examines such a system and the advantages and disadvantages of the design decisions involved.