Free Is Right Price In Hard Times

Many high-frequency companies are reconsidering their cost structures in recent months, trying to work with customers on pricing plans or payment packages to help maintain a healthy level of business. But nothing beats giving a product away for free. For the sixth time, Sonnet Software has prepared a full free release version of its popular Sonnet Lite (now Version 12) electromagnetic (EM) simulation softwarean excellent tool for students and engineers to learn about applying EM simulation software to their designs.

Admittedly, this version is limited to about 1 MB of random access memory size for files, which restricts it to small problems such as transmission lines. This is not the software to use for larger problems or for full-scale simulations But it does embody many of the features of the fully functional Sonnet Professional Suite of EM software tools, and serves as a no-obligation introduction to EM simulation. In fact, more than a few working engineers still rely on "freeware" or free downloads of software to analyze their designs, and the various versions of Sonnet Lite have long served as fine training tools for those wishing to learn more about EM simulation.