Software Summary

Prehistory

• Demonstrator programme used a C based DAQ system created from various CERN and OPAL components.
• It also used a C++ and Tcl/Tk based suite of diagnostic software.

Recent Strategy

• New diagnostic package, HDMC, was developed by Heidelberg to overcome some deficiencies of the old package. HDMC is all C++, using Qt as the graphics toolkit.
• Aim has been to build new DAQ related software using ATLAS DAQ group packages, ie Backend/Online and Dataflow.

Recent Reality

• Uncertainties over the direction of ``ROD crate DAQ'' have delayed related aspects of our work.
• Changes in scope and timescales of new prototype (slice test) hardware has meant continual revisions of what we think we can do in time.
• More effort has gone into software/system aspects of hardware design than into software itself.
• Even with regular meetings, with roughly one person working on software per institute, effective communication continues to be a challenge.
• There has been some waste of time and effort...