[sdiy] TI to buy NatSemi!!!!!

[David G. Dixon]

> Jumping in late, so apologies if that was already covered by 
> a post I have yet to read, but...

...<major snippage>...

> learning/experience and saving money.

Yes, this was a factor, but I doubt that anyone without the inclination to
build electronic gizmos in the first place would have taken up DIY
electronics just to save money.  They'd have done without or waited until
they could afford what they wanted.

> However, not all is lost...

> Of course this moves the DIY aspect from soldering to 
> software, therefore some skills of the past (like remembering 
> pinouts of your favorite part or resistor color codes) become 
> less relevant.

...which brings us right back to where we started: if you want to get into
electronics today, you basically need computer skills, and perhaps not much
else.  If this isn't "strictly" true today (Joe Grisso), then give it five
or ten years and it probably will be.  That'll be the day I find a new hobby
(or maybe start practicing the piano again...).