You know, I don't really understand this 'whining' or what sounds like 'sour
grapes' or whatever... well I do understand it a little, but I just get
fatigued by it...sheeze.
I have been a designer for most of my life, going on 32 years at it
anyway... and I used what ever tools I could beg or borrow to improve my
efficiency and productivity as a designer/drafter/technician/engineer.
I was designing boards for 20 years before the IPC ever had anything to do
with my field in design... didn't know anything about them or care to then
either. They didn't train me, they didn't make the tools I used... they
didn't do anything for me that I knew of either.
The guys developing this software that you seem to resent their affiliation
with the IPC are fellow DESIGNERS... who saw a need and went after it...
God, I hope there are more people like them out there, who want to do things
to help me do my job better, faster, and more accurately too. I stay
gainfully employed because there are guys and gals just like them who are
willing to do more, step out on the ledge and make the leap and innovate...
I thank them for being creative and truly helpful to all of the designers
out there who benefit from what their vision has made.
If the IPC helped them then they should get some of the credit too. If
Mentor or Cadence or Altium or some other CAD or CAM company comes along
with software that works with the IPC specs... I am ALL for it! Bring it
on... we can always use more tools that make us heroes at work.
How many designers want to keep on doing the same thing with the same tools
for their entire career? Are we getting comfortable? Do we want to stagnate?
Or even go backwards? Sometimes I think we need to step back and look at
things from a different perspective once in a while... be grateful for what
you have, and try to get out there do the other guy one better. That's the
name of that tune... otherwise you might as well hit the unemployment line
or retire on social security... if there is still any left.
I remember vividly the guys who were designers for years on the board
looking down their noses at the 'new fangled CAD systems' that were coming
out for PC's and they swore they would retire before learning to do design
all over again on some damn computer... It didn't have a drafting machine
attached to it, or a decent scale, there was not place to sharpen your
pencil and frankly it was just 'way too small'. Besides, drafting was an
art, you see, you had to twirl that pencil while you drew the lines and make
sure not to smudge the lead on the paper, plan out your drawing and lightly
pencil it in with blue lead first so you could figure out how to get the
layout centered on the format... and an electric eraser was well a
necessity... for the big changes... or complete redraws... "Never draw more
in the morning than you can erase in the afternoon", they would say.
Come on...get a grip, quit whining and get back to work... you are a lucky
bunch and you aren't living in India or China or Bosnia trying to make a
living with a drafting table because your employer can't afford the
expensive CAD tools from America... put it into perspective, you are very
blessed. And please don't discourage the innovators who happen to be
designers like you too... they just might make your work load lighter and
make your life a whole lot more enjoyable, and mine too.
Stop and smell the roses once in a while... even though they have thorns...
they are pretty nice, and they smell good.
Best regards,
Bill Brooks - KG6VVP
PCB Design Engineer, C.I.D.+, C.I.I.
Tel: (760)597-1500 Ext 3772 Fax: (760)597-1510
_______________________________________
Member of the San Diego Chapter of the IPC Designers Council
Communications Officer, Web Manager
http://dcchapters.ipc.org/SanDiego/
http://pcbwizards.com
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