|
Letters to the Editor -
***************************** ** Letter No. 1 ** Hi Peggy, I'd be curious to read a response from DAC about the number of vendors this year versus last. Regards, Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 2 ** Hi Peggy, We’re writing in response to “Anon’s” Letter No. 4 As you might expect, it’s difficult to compare an exhibitor list six weeks before an event with the final list from the previous year since companies sign up to exhibit right up until the conference opens. That’s right. DAC lore has a vendor arriving Monday morning before exhibits opened at 10 a.m. with credit card and “pop-up” booth. Even though we are still six weeks out, as of Monday, April 25th, we’re able to report that 229 companies are currently signed up to exhibit at the 42nd DAC. To compare, we had roughly 210 at this point last year. The final number of exhibiting companies at last year’s DAC was 225. We’re not sure which “half-dozen” companies “Anon” was referring to that don’t exist anymore, but are still listed as exhibitors. Nonetheless, there is often a lag between an announcement that a company has been acquired or folded and the time they are removed from the exhibit list. This is because we don’t change the list until we get exact instructions from the company. As you might expect, these decisions often are not made for several weeks after an announcement hits the press and companies often hold their paid space as an asset when selling or merging. A couple of facts your readers may find of interest: * We typically have between 30 and 50 new companies every year, many exhibiting for the first time anywhere and demonstrating their first products. * We lose between 30 and 50 companies every year through mergers and acquisitions, companies folding, or deciding not to exhibit for a variety of reasons. * We won’t break a record for exhibiting companies this year … unfortunately! Our record year was 2000 with 259. * Attendees should see between 230 and 240 companies once we get to the conference. We consider this to be a terrific number in light of the current economics and slow growth of the EDA business. Please encourage “Anon” and anyone else with questions about DAC, the number of attendees or exhibitors, or anything else to call or email either one of us. Our contact information is listed below. We look forward to seeing you and your readers in Anaheim. It’s going to be a great conference with an exceptional program and a lively exhibit floor! Best Wishes, Nanette V. Collins Lee Wood ***************************** ** Letter No. 3 ** Peggy, Re: No. 8 on "The Top Ten" In fairness, there are only a few days at DAC where evening events can occur, so there has to be some contention. We'd heard about events on Tuesday, and none on Monday, so we went for it. I'll leave it to my friends in the editorial community to decide what to do should another company schedule something Monday evening. I can only promise good info and a good time. Regards, Ry Schwark PS. Peggy, what exactly will it take, food-wise, to entice you? PPS. You can ask Wally anything you want to. ***************************** ** Letter No. 4 ** Dear Mr. Schwark, Surely you know that an Editor's presence at an industry dinner cannot be bought! The decision as to what dinner to attend on any particular evening is made only on the basis of the highest principles of editorial ethics and independence. Having said that, I have been known to be partial to steak or lobster – or both. Regards, Peggy Aycinena ***************************** ** Letter No. 5 ** Peggy, Re: "The Top Ten" As to Cadence's New Orleans DAC party, you forgot the part about them taking us to Tipitina's *after* the dinner at Paul Prudhomme's restaurant, where they had hired Harry Connick Sr. and his band to serenade us as we continued to consume conspicuously (mostly dessert and after-dinner tipples). I can't even imagine how much money they spent that night. Regards, Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 6 ** Hi Peggy, Kudos for bringing up how Cadence seems to be copping an attitude re: how it now treats press. That's never happened in EDA before. EDA vendors, press and analysts, and PR folks have worked cooperatively and in collegial fashion since the inception of commercial EDA in the early 1980s. And it does seem that they are shooting the messenger re: Mike Fister's no-shows. I'm surprised Leno hasn't joked about it. After all, the bait and switch at DesignCon was a guffaw trigger, and that was only the first instance...or was it the second? Well, it wasn't the last. It's too bad that the collegiality amongst EDA vendors, press and analyst seems to be slipping away, at least in Cadence's case. But there must be a second side to this story. I'd be interested in hearing Cadence's. Any chance of getting that on the record? Regards, Anon [Editor's Note: For more discussion of the "collegiality" or lack thereof within the EDA industry, I would recommend John Cooley's recent posting of attitudes w.r.t. the Synopsys-Magma legal quagmire.]
http://www.deepchip.com/posts/0444.html ***************************** ** Letter No. 7 ** Peggy, In this weeks Ideas: "Some also contemplate the skillset of a management team that watched $1 billion in venture capital vaporize along with Webvan's manic, metoric rise into the anals of investment infamy." Uh, did you mean "annals?" I think it works your way, but just wanted to be sure. Lou Covey [Editor's Note: The typo has been fixed.] ***************************** ** Letter No. 8 ** Peggy, Re: the back issue of Electronics Magazine You've probably read this already, but wanted to pass it along just in case: http://www.latimes.com/news/custom/showcase/la-fi-intel23apr23.story Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 9 ** Hi Peggy, Congratulations on the 30,000 visitor mark! And I really enjoyed the last section of this issue, Maybe it is because of my age :) Best, Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 10 ** Hi Peggy, Enjoyed this issue of EDA Confidential very much, especially "A Silence in the Air". Take care, Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 11 ** Peggy, I can't believe you wrote that. You, of all people, know that you can choose to sit on the sidelines and whine about "the good old days," or you can adapt and stay in the party. You have been one of the most flexible people in the technology press for the past decade. You never quit. You are always trying something new. Yes, there is a change coming, and it's coming from people who, as yet, have not been listened to. That is always the case. I'm not what people would call young, but I'm just getting started. I have visions that need fulfilling This is a time for ideas. It is ALWAYS a time for ideas. Exploration is an inherent part of the human spirit. That's what keeps us alive. It's only those who give up the will to live that stop participating. That is the essence of what is wrong with the electronics industry: those in power have lost the ability to invent. And that is what will bring on the new leadership. But it has nothing to do with age or experience or what we've accomplished. It has to do with the will to live. And I still have that, in great supply. Lou Covey ***************************** ** Letter No. 12 ** Peggy, How does one become a 'taster' in this fabulous cook off ? Regards, Anon [Editor's Note: The rules allow for only one judge, but rest assured it's a judge that cannot be swayed – see below.] ***************************** ** Letter No. 13 ** Peggy, Just a reminder of my recipe! I'd be happy to prepare this for you, so you can make a truly objective choice of who should be the contest winner! Best regards, Anon *****************************
|