Computer aided design of microwave tubes

The application of computers to the design of microwave tubes is discussed under four headings: 1) What do you intend to achieve? 2) What equipment or services do you need? 3) How should you use the equipment? 4) What can you really expect to get from it? The objectives include warning about danger points as well as simply designing to meet the specifications with minimum cut-and try. The relative merits of in-house and time-sharing computers are considered. The author favors time-sharing for its flexibility, but costs vary widely. It is recommended that computers be used directly by engineers, without intervening computer staff wherever possible. Examples are given of the way that computers can help develop understanding, as well as giving numerical results.