[sdiy] Another new hard to find part....

[Oakley Sound]

> Tell you what. I'll drop my Atem Sequencer on your foot and see if
that feels real or not.

This is a piece of hardware. You are writing firmware and this
ultimately means that you are creating real item. Richard brought up the
subject host based software like Reaktor and therefore I was mostly
talking about software that runs on PCs or Macs.

In writing firmware you have a limit set on you by the hardware it
controls. My point was that in writing a PC based piece of software, you
will probably want to tweak it when the next fastest processor came out.
Nothing wrong with that... but for me, I like the idea of finishing a
project and then moving on.

> With respect, Tony, this is a load of complete hogwash and it shows a
COMPLETE lack of understanding of the software process.

No. It shows years of frustration buying software that doesn't work
properly. But of course I could bung the manufacturers (I use the term
very loosely there) another hundred quid to buy the latest update and
find some more bugs.

Because it is easier to tweak software than hardware, it is felt by many
that one can put a product on the marketplace whilst its still
undergoing development. Whilst this is undoubtedly fuelled by purchasers
used to buying flawed products, the prescence of so many 'not quite
completed' pieces of software is distrurbing to me. What happened to get
it right first time?

If you do create a product that is both finished (ie. it works as
advertised) and doesn't crash that often then I salute you.

I might add I did code for a living too (mainly Pascal and Borland C)
and I am fully aware of standard engineering practices. However, I would
be the first to admit that coding didn't thrill me. In fact when my job
shifted its priorities from analogue design to firmware coding, I left.

And hardware will always need to have plenty of tweaks too. But because
of the inherent difficulties in arranging ECO (change orders) etc, the
demand for getting it right first time will always be higher. Someone
should have told Oberheim that though!

> The best software engineers will always design a system first....

And the marketing department will tell them when its finished. :-)

> I can't help but get the feeling that you're trolling for a fight when
you make elitist statements like this.

No I was giving my personal reasons for not writing VSTi packages. No
implication of elitism was suggested. 'Its horses for courses' as my mum
would say.

Regards,

Tony Allgood                         www.oakleysound.co.uk

Oakley Modular Synthesisers      Penrith, Cumbria, England