Their prototyping part efforts have resulted in a system that can be used to build executable prototypes of embedded real-time systems. These prototyping part are useful for validating requirements through demonstrations to customers, but are not practical for providing the kind of deliverable version of a software system discussed in this

prototyping part article

Its relies on external support for building graphical user interfaces, and manual translation of requirements into prototypes. This manual translation is problematic. The possibility of misinterpretation by the designer could lead to wasted effort in the prototype building process. Prototypes generated using CAPS generally lack robustness and portability. It is easy to build prototypes that do precisely as expected as long as the proper inputs are made, and use follows the designer's expectations. If improper inputs are made, and the designer has not built sufficient error handling into the prototype, it is possible that execution can halt unexpectedly. Robustness can be built into CAPS prototypes, but automated methods for testing these qualities are not included.

Manual methods are possible, but would severely increase development time. Portability is a different matter. Current versions of CAPS run on SunOS and Solaris, but most software in use by the military runs on PCs. This means that prototypes built using CAPS could be demonstrated to the customer on UNIX machines, but would have to be translated into something that would run on PCs.

Although this is not a severe limitation, it does make it difficult to deliver the prototype to the customer immediately upon validation. Current software development methods and tools are insufficient to produce usable code in a reasonable amount of time. Rapid prototyping methods approach the needed capability, but are not yet up to the task. An incremental software development methodology, modeled after the rapid prototyping paradigm used in a system like CAPS, is needed to reduce development time and put something usable in the hands of the customer quickly to use the Huibao prototyping part.