Pete,

Benchmarks, in my opinion, do not show the "WHOLE" story in the use of
CAD tools. In the benchmarks I've seen, it seams the up front work is
done before the "show" starts. The setup, system admin, training, tech
support. The engines are running waiting for the green light. All the
behind the scenes work is already done. The set up required of a system
can make or brake it once the sales people are spending their
commissions, and Engineering needs Boards.

Benchmarks also don't show the quality of post process data either. How
easy is to plot. How easy is it for PCB Manufacturers to take our data
and make boards. You asked what I would like to see in a benchmark. This
is it:

 I want it all!

 The test should be done on a Cellular Phone or Pager that has A Logic
and a RF board. Bring in New systems. Right out of the box with no
software loaded. Give the designers schematics and data sheets. They can
be judged on the following:

 The time it takes from breaking the seal on the software to getting
boards in house.
 Ease of setup
 Tech support
 Library creation time
 Schematic capture
 Schem -> board time
 Design time
 Post process time
 No of calls from PCB Manufacturer

Add or subtract extra points for:
 No of aspirin taken
 Cuss words used
 User enjoyment
 How the Phone/Pager works when assembled.

This would be a true benchmark.

Wayne Moltz
Senior Designer MTCC/Panasonic
Happy Intergraph VeriBest User

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