Charles has one of the analogies I like to share about EDA software
salespeople.  I finally told Altium to stop calling me once a month.

Regards-
Michael Howell
*Howell Electronic Services <http://home.earthlink.net/%7Emhowell777> *
4474 Hillcrest Road, Medford, OR 97504
541-734-2666 tel / 541-601-0887 cell


Charles Gervasi wrote:

>The sales people will love to recommend what you need, but you have to
>do what you suggest.  You have to itemize what every module actually
>does for you. =20
>
>And then you have to negotiate.  It's amazing how much you can get them
>down.  The entire process reminds me of buying a car.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: DesignerCouncil [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
>Mitch S. Morey
>Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 3:30 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [DC] EDA Software-- Any opinions?
>
>Great article Bill.  :)
>
>One point to clarify that I've noted in the last 3-5 years, "real" costs
>of the tools. Cadence and Mentor seem to have taken the 'bean-counter'
>mentality and think we all know this new-fangled module pricing scheme
>(and I must emphasis SCHEME!) It can get VERY confusing pricing a tool
>to
>meet your needs. The Cadence tools for layout can range from $10K-$60K,
>but what do you get? You'd need to be a lawyer to understand all the
>jargon. For me? Design Studio plus the performance package (but that
>doesn't really fit the product ID). Mentor PADS is the same. Want
>layout?
>Want autorouting? Want DFT? Want Extended rules? Good luck pricing it
>out
>without knowing the real tool.
>
>My point? Make a list of the features you absolutely need and have the
>vendor do a breakout and pricing accordingly. Then go back to their
>website and find what the modules contain and whether you need more or
>less. It can be a daunting task, but you (hopefully) won't be left
>shorthanded after purchase.
>
>Good day.
>
>Mitch
>
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