Into every rain –
******************************* When I was in college, I spent a term doing community service once a week at a local state mental hospital. Volunteers from my college would get in a van on Friday mornings, be ferried over to the state mental hospital, and locked onto the ward that we'd each been assigned to. I was assigned to a ward of severely autistic boys between the ages of 8 and 13. That was not a nice experience. On the ward, kids wore helmets to minimize injury if they were inclined to bang their head repeatedly against the wall. Kids were shooed away from the toilets if they were found just standing there, flushing over and over and over again to watch the water funnel down the drain. Kids who were unreliable in their bladder or bowel control wore diapers. Kids who tended to lash out physically wore boxing gloves to protect others. And in the midst of this organized chaos, not one of these children actually spoke. To the uninformed, it appeared that they didn't know how. I saw a lot of misery at that place when I worked there. I also learned a lot of nonsense about autism. In those days, autism was always the parents' fault – mostly the mothers'. The baby hadn't been held enough, hadn't been fed correctly, hadn't been encouraged to develop normally by heartless parents who had ice for blood and couldn't see that a baby needed to be nurtured both physically and emotionally to grow. Nowadays these theories have been debunked, although I'm no more an expert on autism today than I was back then. But no matter the cause of autism – then or now – I quickly learned one thing over the hours I spent on the ward. These kids probably didn’t recognize that you were actually there. If they approached you and took you by the hand, it wasn't because they were reaching out to you and wanted to be friends. It's not because they were concerned about you as an individual. They were reaching out to you because they saw you as a tool to help them navigate their lonely world. You could perhaps help unlock the door out to the playground. You might be able open the cupboard where the special toys were. You could possibly make something happen that they could not, and therefore you were a tool. You were only kidding yourself if you were duped into thinking that it was anything more than that. Especially, if you just showed up on Fridays and mysteriously weren't around the whole rest of the week. ******************************* Letter No. 1 Received on May 1st. There was no name and it came from an anonymous e-mail address. I ran this letter in the article called Trifecta. ************ Hello - I was browsing your website and saw obviously, the following, which is of course the topic du jour –> >> An EETimes article, published on April 12th, details a signed declaration from Lukas van Ginneken, available on a creepy unidentified website regarding his work at Synopsys and his subsequent work at Magma. Synopsys takes van Ginneken's name out of their suit against Magma. etc. etc. >> A few points – - If I may, there is nothing 'creepy' about the website disseminating what is public information (and yes, you or I can buy a subscription for about 8 cents a page to the "proceedings" of the Northern California court reportings/depositions etc etc). This particular individual has posted about 100 pages or so, do the math - and in my (humble) opinion - has done us all a service in that we don't have to go dig around for this information in the (no doubt highly convoluted) court websites. I would urge you to consider your choice of words and do a bit of homework too. - It is interesting concerning the depiction of Synopsys as the 'evil empire'. Hyperbole and over-the-top effusions seem the stock in trade for Wall Street, another reason I'm glad I have as little to do with them as possible. Plus, the verbal diarrhea about 'war' tell me all I need to know about that particular party (not that I didn't...) - You may suggest appearing on their own reality show as a 'backup plan' for Magma management. And yes, this is tongue-in-cheek. I personally think they are guilty as hell, but they have many millions to burn in legal fees ($9 million so far from what I've heard in their most recent 8-K filing on April 28 - out of total Magma cash reserves of $25 million) -- and oftentimes, the best lawyer can win anything. Will "justice" be served.. ? Wait and see.. Don't forget white-collar crime is still a crime - people get hurt etc etc -- but again, only time will tell... (and then perhaps, I can "de-cloak" – ) ******************************* Letter No. 2 I sent this on May 1st. ************ I'll run your letter tomorrow. Peggy Aycinena ******************************* Letter No. 3 I received this on May 6th. Again, there was no name in the e-mail and only an anonymous e-mail address. ************ 'the ether beyond, eh ?' :) - that is a good one.. Methinks 'tis time to write Rajeev Madhavan ******************************* Letter No. 4 I sent this on May 6th, and copied to various people at Magma and Synopsys. ************ I consider this to be threatening. I am forwarding this to people associated with both Magma and Synopsys, as well as someone in the Press. If they ask me to, I will contact the authorities. ******************************* Letter No. 5 I received this on May 7th. Still no name in the e-mail. ************ Peggy: This was intended to be a pun, "The pen is mightier Since the atmosphere around this entire situation ******************************* Letter No. 6 I responded to Letter No. 5 sent on May 7th and included the same group of people at Magma and Synopsys ************ All – [e-mail address here] seems to feel that his message was not threatening. I have reconsidered my position on this and have again concluded: If any of you ask me to, I will contact the authorities. - Peggy ******************************* Letter No. 7 I received this on May 7th as well. Still no name in the e-mail. ************ You could have first asked for a clarification, you know ! While I choose to remain anonymous as an EDA professional, I have **no** wish to further engage or comment on in this situation at all through you ! Please send out an explanation if you so choose. Goodbye! ******************************* Letter No. 8 I responded to Letter No. 7 on May 7th and again included the same group of people at Magma and Synopsys ************ All, I believe this will be 3rd and final installment in this drama. - Peggy ******************************* When people reach out to the press with letters for print, usually it is because they have an interest in being part of a virtual conversation that's underway. When people reach out to the press in the way illustrated above – anonymously and with a clearly personal agenda against a particular individual – I would argue that there's a much darker purpose afoot. People who write letters like this don't see themselves the way I do. They see themselves as "Professionals." I see them as kindred spirits to the autistic children on the ward. That's because the interests of the letter writer lie not in the subject, or the best interests of the editor or the editorial platform. The only interest here is in using the editor and the platform as a tool to inflict damage on someone or something. I won't be used as a tool by a cowardly individual who wants to throw weapons, but doesn't want to put a name on the damage done. The fight between Magma and Synopsys is not my fight. I don't know what happened. I don't know what will happen. I don't own stock in these companies and I'm not on their payroll. More importantly, I am not privy to any of the background or facts related to the case, other than those facts which have been made public. The fight between Magma and Synopsys, in my opinion, is mean-spirited and low – on both sides – and it casts a pall and a shadow over the industry, DAC, and my work. I don't really care who wins. In fact, no matter the outcome we're all losers. Who wants to be associated with people who act like mean, snarling dogs gnashing and slashing at each over bones in the gutter? Last year I quit a job because I was accused of showing "unprofessional prejudice" towards Synopsys in the way that I covered the Synopsys/MoSys fight, and then in the way I covered Nassda. Now I'm being accused of showing similar sorts of prejudice towards Magma. How hilarious is that? It was an error on my part in the first place to run Letter No. 1 – I shouldn't have done it. Of all people, I should have known better than to fall prey to ward antics. Now I'm checking under my car for trip wires and planning to wear a bulletproof vest to DAC. Hopefully if this courageous "EDA Professional" who has no name has to come to DAC, he or she will be wearing boxing gloves so that when he or she lashes out, others won't get hurt.
Peggy Aycinena owns and operates EDA Confidential. She can be reached at peggy@aycinena.com
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