Abstract :
A decade ago, it was possible for a talented design engineer or computer programmer to devise a simple but effective tool as an aid in the design of electronic systems. However, CAD software systems of today are so complex that it may take months or years for a new tool to be added to a massive CAD system. Because of this increase in complexity, computer aids for the development of new tools, user interfaces, and data management facilities are essential. But what constitutes computer-aided software engineering for design automation? The options available span simple but effective tools for the management of subroutine libraries and data structures to organized and constrained flowcharting techniques that generate target software automatically. Following a tutorial which reviews many of the options available for CASE for engineering application, a group of CASE experts will debate the advantages and disadvantages of their respective approaches to this pressing problem.
