Clearly Cadence writes horrible, terrible, awful software. And they should
be shot for even thinking about releasing it. (The fact that they actually
∗did∗ release it means they should be tortured, THEN shot.) But as one of
those "C++ loving, JAVA-writing, RAM-sucking, I-need-300MB-on-your-drive,
so-called programmers"∗, I feel like I should point out a few things...
a) Likely, they need the TCP/IP software to generate something called a
GUID, which stands for "Globally Unique ID". The number is generated
partially by your network card's ID (which is unique-- no two assembled
cards ever have the same ID) and the current system time, and I think a few
other factors. I would imagine they use GUIDs to keep track of the parts
you're autorouting, to be sure they never confuse parts (R1, Q3, C6, etc.).
Now, the programmers could come up with a better way to handle the
uniqueness or parts, but I'd bet that the programmers are all on a LAN.
Which means they're on a network. Which means they get GUIDs for free.
It's their mistake that they would write software which uses GUIDs on
machines that aren't necessarily on a network. (Mind you, I'm talking out
of my arse here, as I'm not a Cadence programmer... thankfully!)
b) DUMB! DUMB! No user should ever have to even know the registry exists!
c) They should be able to keep their path structure to themselves; you
should NEVER have to type in a path.
d) Sounds like they need to come up with a better documentation staff as
well.
To be fair, you can't always blaim these things on the programmers, though.
Software is business, and as businesses get big, they hire marketing
managers who don't understand that late software is better than buggy
software. The company I work for (not to name names, but look at the e-mail
address) is guilty of this as well. Granted, we don't require registry
hacking, but we ship with known bugs. And I don't sleep as well as I should
because of it some nights. Something else, though... I rather doubt that a
CoCo or Sinclair could run a complicated autorouter. I'm pretty sure that
the TI99-4a which I grew up on couldn't have either. Yea, they booted up in
1 second (the TV took longer to warm up than the machine!), but
Boulder-Dash∗∗ doesn't draw reliable circuits. ;)
Paul S., perhaps you should complain to Cadence and get your money back?
They quite clearly have no business releasing that software and wasting your
time.
OK, having said ALL that, can anyone recommend a GOOD package (for Win9x,
NT, Linux, or BeOS) for circuit design, and hopefully testing? I've been
reading Don (?) Lancaster's "Active Filter Cookbook" and a few papers on
distortion boxes, and wouldn't mind playing with things.
--PBr
∗ OK, actually, I don't write in Java.
∗∗ OK, Boulder-Dash didn't, but perhaps there were some software packages of
that era that did. The earliest I remember there being circuit design
software was IBM PC/XT/AT era machines, running Dos 3.x.
> -----Original Message-----
> From:Paul Schreiber [SMTP:synth1@...]
> Sent:Thursday, May 11, 2000 11:20 PM
> To:MOTM listserv
> Subject:[motm] A very BAD day
>
> Remember the Color Computer, or the VIC20 or the Sinclair where you booted
> up in 1 second,
> never hade a page fault, never had to reset unless you dicked NMI?
>
> I spent 14 HOURS STRAIGHT trying to install 1 "upgrade" of my big pcb
> autorouter. I have never
> IN 27 YEARS seen a bigger pile of s∗∗t in my life as the horror these C++
> loving, JAVA-writing, RAM-sucking,
> I-need-300MB-on-your-drive, so called programmers at Cadence have come up
> with including:
>
> a) having to run TCP/IP even if you are NOT on a network!
>
> b) ∗requiring∗ you to edit the Registry manually
>
> c) Installing the software in a path (and I'm not making this up)
>
> C:\Program Files\Cadence Design Systems\Cadence Design License
> Manager\License File\Bin\Programs\Data
>
> and ∗requiring∗ you to type this in 6 FRIGGIN TIMES in various setup
> screens
>
> d) the Installation Guide is (I'm not making this up) 67 PAGES LONG
>
> and after all this, zip. Page crashes. Was on the phone 6 HOURS with tech
> support . NADA! My autorouter is dead.
>
> So, sad to say ZERO MOTM will ship tomorrow (or today) :( Sorry Sorry
> Sorry. Nothing I can do. I HATE computers.
> The single worse thing to happen to programming is the introduction of the
> 64K DRAM. Anyone remember
> NightRanger pinball for the Apple? 1,872 BYTES!!! THE WHOLE )(#$∗%∗#$%
> PROGRAM!!
>
> Paul S.
> signing off, apoligies to Celeste
>