retiSoft recognizes that there are many excellent Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools that promote the development of high quality embedded software systems. These widely available commercial products are designed to assist in the development of software systems with up to hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of Source Lines Of Code (SLOC). Such CASE tools are in themselves very large software systems that have justifiably expensive license fees that run thousands to tens of thousands of dollars with liberal annual maintenance fees.

Although most embedded software developers would likely desire to have such CASE systems available, this is not always economically feasible. Small company developers, in particular, must consider the costs of state-of-the-art CASE systems against the size and complexity of the product to be developed. Unfortunately, high license and mandatory maintenance fees, added to training and other less tangible costs, make such tools impractical.

However, all is not lost. Development of most smaller embedded systems would benefit greatly from CASE tools with more limited capabilities that address specific development functions. Software systems of thousands to tens of thousands of SLOC involve fewer developers (sometimes even only one) writing software with a limited set of features. The high-end, commercial, highly integrated CASE product suites are really overkill if a company only develops very small systems using small development teams.

This page is dedicated to identifying sources of low cost and free CASE tools that can assist the embedded software developer not blessed with liberal tool budgets. Some of the tools listed below are utilities and other similar products developed by retiSoft for distribution as shareware. Others are available from other sources, with either a downloadable file or link to the source site. (Listing here does not necessarily constitute an endorsement by retiSoft for anyone else's  product.) Of course, we'd like to encourage you to try and use retiSoft products.

Software Engineering & Embedded System Products

Development Management Aids
	Software Cost Estimation Program (SCEP):  For almost 20 years, Dr. Barry Boehm's Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) has been a de facto  industry standard for estimating the effort and development time required for a software project. This Win95/98 program implements the "detailed" COCOMO 81 model with extensions, such as providing cost estimates based on organization pay scales, including user annotation to projects and individual components, and an integrated project database. Project data may be shared use of the included export/import function.  Step-by-step instructions for the use of all SCEP features are included in the online HELP files. Source:  retiSoft, inc. Product Features: View product features page Current Version: 1.3.1 - (Release: 27 Aug 2001) PAD Files: SCEP131PAD.xml, SCEP131PAD.htm. Download: full-featured "shareware" program. Self-extracting zip (SCEP131.exe) file. (5.51MB). Normal zip (SCEP131.zip) file. (5.48MB). Registration: $35 per copy after 60 days evaluation use; quantity discounts available & site licenses negotiable. Product registration forms included in installation package, or download here: ASCII Text (.txt) format (2.77KB). MS Word (.doc) format (60.5KB). Register on-line and receive an invoice. Product Support retiSoft on-line support. Contact:  sales@retisoft.com This shareware product is fully compliant with requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
	Change Request Tracking Program (CRTrak):  Change Control is a key component of  Configuration Management (CM) and many software projects have failed due to poor or absent CM. This Win95/98 & Win2000/WinXP program supports a comprehensive single-user Change Request (CR) tracking system, suitable for use on small to medium sized software development projects.  The CRTrak database supports multiple concurrent projects, and includes information on key project and user personnel. The optional (selectable by project) e-mail notification system sends messages to designated recipient when CRs change state. Also, the flexible CR report system creates reports that can be powerful management aids. Step-by-step instructions for the use of all CRTrak features are included in the online HELP files. Source:  retiSoft, inc. Product Features: View product features page Current Version: 2.1.1 - (10 Aug 2004) PAD Files: CRTrk211PAD.xml, CRTrk211PAD.htm. Download: full-featured "shareware" program. Self-extracting zip (CRTrk211.exe) file. (6.79MB). Normal zip (CRTrk211.zip) file. (6.75MB). Registration: $40 per copy after 60 days evaluation use; quantity discounts available & site licenses negotiable. Product registration forms included in installation package, or download here: ASCII Text (.txt) format (2.77KB). MS Word (.doc) format (60.5KB). Register on-line and receive an invoice. Product Support retiSoft on-line support. Contact:  sales@retisoft.com This shareware product is fully compliant with requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
	CS-RCS (Standard & Pro):  ComponentSoftware RCS (CS-RCS) is a powerful, inexpensive revision control system for Win95/98/Me and Windows NT (versions 3.51, 4.0, 5.0, 2000). Based on the widely used GNU RCS, it is fully integrated with the Windows Explorer, providing the most intuitive and easy-to-use configuration management and change control solution in the market. CS-RCS supports multi-platform workgroups, making it the ideal solution for sites that share common files on UNIX and Windows platforms. CS-RCS handles all types of documents including program files, project files, resource files, HTML documents, MS-Word documents, pictures and drawings and can be used for Web Objects Management (WOM). CS-RCS can use any file server or local drive to store the archive repository. Network connection to the archive repository can be LAN, corporate wide-area network (WAN), dial-in connection (RAS) and the Internet. The standard edition of CS-RCS is used for general-purpose document revision management as well as for entry-level software configuration management. CS-RCS PRO includes advanced features needed for complex software and web development projects. Included with CS-RCS is ComponentSoftware Diff (CSDiff), a free advanced file difference analysis tool for Windows 95/98/NT. Use it to analyze what have changed between two revisions of the same file or folder. CSDiff is usually used to analyze program source files, HTML documents and MS-Word. Source: ComponentSoftware Inc. Download:  CS-RCS (1.4MB). Download:  CS-RCS Pro (2.6MB). Registration:  CS-RCS is freeware for a single-user license for personal use, $295 for a 5-user license pack, etc.. CS-RCS Pro is $145 for a single-user license, $495 for a 5- user license pack, etc. Contact:  sales@ComponentSoftware.com
	C/C++ Source Lines Of Code (SLOC) Counter:  An accurate count of the Source Lines Of Code (SLOC) in a program is an important management measure for planning, progress tracking, cost containment, quality evaluation, and other such functions. This Win95/98 utility gathers a number of commonly used counts (physical SLOC, "semi-colon" counts, C & C++ style comments, etc.) for individual programs or all C/C++ programs in a common directory. It stores the results in text files for inclusion in project technical or management documents. Additionally, an output option generates a comma-delimited text file that can easily be imported into MS Excel (or other common spreadsheet programs) for analysis or charting (step-by-step instructions included in the online HELP files). Source: retiSoft, inc. Product Features: View product features page Current Version: 1.1.1 (Release: 17 Jul 2001) PAD Files: CpCnt111PAD.xml, CpCnt111PAD.htm. Download: full-featured "shareware" program. Self-extracting zip (CpCnt111.exe) file. (2.62MB). Normal zip (CpCnt111.zip) file. (2.60MB). Registration: $20 per copy after 60 days evaluation use; quantity discounts available & site licenses negotiable. Product registration forms included in installation package, or download here: ASCII Text (.txt) format (2.79KB). MS Word (.doc) format (60.5KB). Register on-line and receive an invoice. Product Support retiSoft on-line support. Contact:  sales@retisoft.com This shareware product is fully compliant with requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
	Bugger:  Bugger is a bug tracking system designed to network the application development community with the user community to provide a medium for communication and accountability. Bugger contains Bug Reports for the user/tester to document bugs, Resolution Reports for the programmer to document that a bug has been fixed, Printed Reports to output Bug Reports on paper or to the screen, and a Bugger Maintenance Utility for the system administrator to connect users (testers and programmers) to a central Bugger data base and to perform general system maintenance. Additionally, Bugger can be automated to collect bugs. Sample code and instructions are provided illustrating a Visual Basic error-trapping scheme that can be integrated into to existing applications. The error-trapping scheme will automatically add a Bug Report to a Bugger data base and ask the user if they would like to further annotate the error. The huge benefit of automating Bugger is errors are documented with 100% accuracy. Source: Ben Woodruff Information Services, Inc. Download:  full-featured "demo" program that has a 10-bug size limit in its database (7.4MB). Registration:  $60 per copy gets the full program that tracks an unlimited number of bugs. Contact:  benwoodruff@msn.com
Engineering Development Tools
	Source Program Lister: This Win95/98 utility program generates 'printed' source program listings to user controlled formats with embedded pagination control. The user format include page orientation, type size, and header content. The programmer can embed 'page eject' codes in C, C++, or assembly language source files. Output can be directed to any installed printer or pseudo-printer, including fax and Adobe® Acrobat®. Source:  retiSoft, inc. Product Features: View product features page Current Version: 1.1.1 (Release: 17 Jul 2001) PAD Files: SList111PAD.xml, SList111PAD.htm. Download: full-featured "shareware" program. Self-extracting zip (SList111.exe) file. (2.62MB). Normal zip (SList111.zip) file. (2.60MB). Registration: $20 per copy after 60 days evaluation use; quantity discounts available & site licenses negotiable. Product registration forms included in installation package, or download here: ASCII Text (.txt) format (2.74KB). MS Word (.doc) format (60.5KB). Register on-line and receive an invoice. Product Support retiSoft on-line support. Contact:  sales@retisoft.com This shareware product is fully compliant with requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
	File Display/Dump Utility:  Developers frequently capture test or other developmental data into online files. This Win95/98 utility allows the user to display the contents of any file (text or binary) in ASCII text format, hexadecimal format, or both simultaneously, and then to print either or both formats to any installed printer or pseudo-printer, including fax and Adobe® Acrobat®. Source:  retiSoft, inc. Product Features: View product features page Current Version: 1.1.1 (Release: 17 Jul 2001) PAD Files: FDisp111PAD.xml, FDisp111PAD.htm. Download: full-featured "shareware" program. Self-extracting zip (FDisp111.exe) file. (2.44MB). Normal zip (FDisp111.zip) file. (2.44MB). Registration: $20 per copy after 60 days evaluation use; quantity discounts available & site licenses negotiable. Product registration forms included in installation package, or download here: ASCII Text (.txt) format (2.76KB). MS Word (.doc) format (60.5KB). Register on-line and receive an invoice. Product Support retiSoft on-line support. Contact: sales@retisoft.com This shareware product is fully compliant with requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
	Serial Port Monitor: Embedded system developers frequently use serial data ports to transfer system control commands, information, or program status. This Win95/98 program overcomes the shortcomings of common terminal programs (such as HyperTerminal) by providing timing data and displaying non-printable characters in hexadecimal format, both of which can be very important to developers. The program automatically detects all available serial ports and the user may designate any for monitoring.  It also allows the user to specify character, line, or string mode and to optionally direct output to a file and/or a system printer. Source:  retiSoft, inc. Product Features: View product features page Current Version: 1.2.1 (Release: 27 Nov 2001) PAD Files: SrMon121PAD.xml, SrMon121PAD.htm. Download: full-featured "shareware" program. Self-extracting zip (SrMon121.exe) file. (3.78MB). Normal zip (SrMon121.zip) file. (3.75MB). Registration: $20 per copy after 60 days evaluation use; quantity discounts available & site licenses negotiable. Product registration forms included in installation package, or download here: ASCII Text (.txt) format (2.75KB). MS Word (.doc) format (60.5KB). Register on-line and receive an invoice. Product Support retiSoft on-line support. Contact:  sales@retisoft.com This shareware product is fully compliant with requirements of the Association of Shareware Professionals.
	Agent Ransack:  Agent Ransack is a tool for finding files and information on your hard drive fast and efficiently. When searching the contents of files Agent Ransack displays the text found so you can quickly browse the results without having to separately open each file! Agent Ransack provides compelling advantages over similar search tools: (1) Regular expressions that allow complex rule based searches; (2) Immediate contents results view; (3) Various wizards to walk the user through the searching process. Source: David Vest (www.agentransack.com) Download: fully operational "freeware" program. Registration: FREE, but registration is requested to receive notifications about future releases. Contact:  comments@agentransack.com
	eCapture Schematic Capture Software:  eCapture is a free version of OrCAD's popular Capture schematic program. Like OrCAD Capture, eCapture does: (1) graphical schematic entry, (2) electrical connectivity rule checking, (3) automatic generation of netlists, structural models, and human readable reports of hardware part lists. eCapture provides entry to the online OrCAD component catalog, from which you can research and place parts from more than 600 component manufacturers. The activeparts.com site gives you immediate access to datasheets, graphical parts, PCB footprints, pricing, and availability from the manufacturer. eCapture is perfect for the embedded software developer who must interact with hardware developers using OrCAD Capture (e.g., to display and print schematics), or who have only light need for a schematic capture tool to breadboard circuits or other such infrequent hardware support functions. Source: SpinCircuit, Inc. Download:  fully operational program that requires an active Internet connection during use and displays an active advertising panel (38.5MB). Registration:  required at download, but free. Registration establishes a user name & password that must be entered each time eCapture is started. Contact:  info@spincircuit.com

retiSoft Product Licensing Policy
retiSoft makes designated products that it has developed available for general distribution and use as "shareware". They may be freely used in either private or commercial environments for a period of 60 days. Thereafter, continued use requires registration of each copy of the product remaining in use with retiSoft. License fees for continued use vary from product to product, but will be kept as low as practical. Discounts are available for quantity licensing in larger organizations and site discounts may be negotiated.

retiSoft developed "shareware" products may be individually downloaded from this page, or are available on request with the full line of products on a single CD-ROM for $5.00 to cover materials and shipping (in U.S. funds, check made payable to retiSoft, inc. ). Please send request via e-mail to sales@retisoft.com or by fax to (321)255-2404. Directions for payment will be returned.

Copies of retiSoft products may be freely distributed only in their complete, original installation package with the copyright/license notice preserved.

retiSoft products may not be directly sold by any distributor, either from a CD-ROM, web site download, or any other means without explicit written permission from retiSoft, inc.. Only retiSoft, inc. is authorized to collect the registration fee for post-evaluation use of its product. These product must be clearly identified as shareware and that their continued use is not free.

Of course, licensing policies for products from other than retiSoft are established by those holding the rights to those products. Information is generally available from the appropriate source web sites or through contact information available there.

Association of Shareware Professionals
retiSoft inc. is a member of the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman can help you resolve a dispute or technical problem with an ASP member, but does not provide technical support for members' products. Please contact the ASP Ombudsman online at http://www.asp-shareware.com/omb.