EPICS: A control system software co-development success story☆

The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control Systems (EPICS) is the result of a software sharing and co-development effort of major importance now underway. The initial two participants, LANL and ANL, have now been joined by three other labs, and an earlier version of the software has been transferred to three commercial firms and is currently undergoing separate development. The reasons for EPICS`s success may be useful to enumerate and explain and the desire and prospects for its continued development are certainly worth examining.