From: blockedofcourse@foo.invalid   
      
   On 2/5/2026 9:22 AM, Don Y wrote:   
   > On 2/5/2026 7:52 AM, Liz Tuddenham wrote:   
      
   >> There is a wider problem: we have become 'travel junkies' and rely too   
   >> much on transport.  "I can get it cheaper from..." doesn't take into   
   >> account the hidden costs such as liability to supply disruption, loss of   
   >> control over the design and the fundamental need to teach underlying   
   >> principles and train people in making things themselves.   
   >   
   > People are always looking for "more value" -- ignoring the costs   
   > they incur in getting there.   
   >   
   > Look at how many product use Linux kernels -- yet likely have no one   
   > on staff that understands or can maintain such a big chunk of code   
   > ON WHICH THEIR PRODUCT DEPENDS.   
      
   > Employers want "new hires" that are familiar with TODAY'S   
   > technology.  There is no concern for how well suited they   
   > will be for TOMORROW'S!  ("We'll just replace them!")   
      
   We discussed this, tonight.  But, instead of focusing on how much   
   "cheaper" (in many senses!) products have become, we thought   
   about how much cheaper *development* has become!   
      
   No, per-employee costs haven't fallen.  But, we require far fewer   
   people and man-hours to achieve the same goals as previously.   
      
   E.g.,  I don't draw with a pencil on a drafting board and   
   reproduce those sheets with a Diazo machine.  Instead, it's all   
   done on a glass screen and reproduced on whatever size hard   
   copy I desire.  Or, consulted on other "glass screens".  How   
   much easier it is to move a whole section of a schematic to   
   accommodate a new component, etc.  Bye-bye, electric eraser and   
   erasing template!   
      
   I don't have to check the power dissipation of each component   
   because the EDA tools can do that.  Nor the setup and hold times   
   of every signal path.   
      
   I don't have a technician prototype my design but either   
   simulate it or prototype it in foil.  The "guy" who used to   
   tape the layouts is gone.  And, the time required to do so   
   is reduced almost 10-fold with EDA tools.   
      
   I can guarantee the final assembly will fit in the envelope   
   defined by the ME/IE who designed the enclosure because I   
   can view a model of the assembly before it is built.   
      
   I can get a feel for how the design will react to temperature   
   changes with modeling tools.   
      
   I can have boards shot overseas and turned around in a couple   
   of days -- instead of relying on in-house facilities or   
   "local" service bureaus.   
      
   I can have multiple copies created so others can evaluate   
   specific aspects of the design without tying up "my" copy.   
      
   I can use 4GLs to develop the codebase instead of dicking around   
   with ASM.  And, use code coverage tools and symbolic analysis   
   to identify the "edge cases" and verify the logic.   
      
   I can load the code into RAM (instead of burning ROMs) and   
   probe it dynamically -- instead of having to purchase an   
   expensive "development system" seat (per developer!).   
      
   Each of these things made possible by advances in technology   
   (AI) that, in turn, was made possible by reductions in costs   
   because of interacting and competing markets.  Each coming at   
   the "expense" of some previous "job position".   
      
   Of course, we only have our own memories of each past project   
   but we came to the concensus that things are probably 4 times   
   faster than at the start of our careers.  And, in adjusted   
   dollars, probably a similar amount.   
      
   But, a consequence of those economies is a narrower set of   
   hiring constraints.  You don't NEED a PCB guy.  Or, as many   
   technicians (esp in development -- how much hardware do   
   you need to tinker with to justify those seats?).  Or,   
   *engineers* (this being a win on multiple levels as the   
   cost and risk of communication is elided as the number   
   of minds is reduced).   
      
   The partitioning into "hardware" and "software" talent is   
   largely gone; you can BUY hardware that has already been designed   
   and debugged saving much of that development effort AND TIME.   
   When was the last time you designed a power supply vs. resorting   
   to a brick/wall-wart or drop-in-module?   
      
   The real value-added comes in the modeling and software skills   
   (software design is a modeling exercise) you can throw at a   
   problem and the variety of domain experts at your disposal.   
   Expecting "regular" engineers to make design decisions that   
   are visible/exposed to the user is usually folly.   
      
   All these advances are a consequence of people, parts and services   
   becoming more affordable from "globalization" -- "travel/transport"   
   in your terms.  Imagine being forced to living without them or   
   their consequences.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)