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Letters to the Editor -
***************************** ** Letter No. 1 ** Peggy, A very nice piece on the VA Hospital event. Thank you. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 2 ** Peggy, I just wanted to tell you that your Ideas column this week made me cry. Thanks for writing it. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 3 ** Peggy, The article brought tears to my eyes, and some not completely welcomed memories of a confusing time in my life. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 4 ** Oh Peggy, Now I'm crying, too. In the office, no less. The article was so hard to read I could barely get through it. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 5 ** Peggy, Did you know there's just been a couple hundred people laid off at [one of the Big EDA Companies]? I just don't see how this endless hire/fire cycle in high-tech accomplishes anything. Am I missing something here? How does this make companies better and the remaining employees more efficient and/or loyal? Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 6 ** Peggy, The only problem with what that guy was saying about the press is that the customers WILL NOT talk to the press about what the are using, what is going right and what is going wrong. They are prohibited from talking to the press because regardless of whether the tools work, it is a "competitive advantage." The only reason they talk to analysts is because they will be kept anonymous. Note the number of "Anon" comments in Cooley's column. If there were more customers with the courage to speak up, something might get done. You might want to recontact that guy and say, "OK for the record, what are you using and why?" Lou Covey ***************************** ** Letter No. 7 ** Peggy, I LOVED your coverage of the panel at DVCon. Will the players in this industry ever become mature business people? I think not. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 8 ** Peggy, As always, a most enjoyable read. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 9 ** Peggy, I just wanted to say a big thanks for your review of John's panel. I just read it and it was a riot. John certainly does put on a show, doesn't he? Wish I had been there, sounds like it was fun. Anon ***************************** ** Letter No. 10 ** Peggy, Your DVCon Bigwigs panel coverage was hilarious. I had attended the panel this year, and it was fun to relive the more memorable highlights. You even caught some items that I missed amidst the laughter, thanks. As for the commentary from 'anonymous' on the purpose of the DVCon panel, I too have contemplated what purpose this panel serves and why it has become a 'standing room only event' each year, but reached a different conclusion. I believe that at minimum, it provides a vehicle for those of us in EDA to take a break and laugh at ourselves once a year. To make this point more clearly--would someone outside of EDA even get the jokes or pointed questions and comebacks that get the audience roaring? I would bet not...it is an insiders-only event. Which begets the question: Why do the EDA vendors attend, given the event's irreverence? I believe they benefit from participating for two reasons: first, it allows their customers and EDA vendor colleagues to see them as people, and second, those questions are in people's minds anyway, so the panel provides an opportunity to present their point of view. Because John Cooley publicly posts the questions in advance, the EDA vendors are not blind-sided by them--they have a chance to think about their answers. Especially for public companies, this enables the panelist to more fully engage in the dialog without concerns regarding repercussions. As to the audience's apparent laughter and delight at the questions posed, I surmise that it is not so much the 'drawing of blood' to which the audience responds. Rather, it is the delightful, reckless feeling of the breaking of rules in having their burning, yet not very diplomatic, questions asked boldly and publicly--and actually being able to expect answers. The audience cheered many of the questions, but if the panelist delivered their response with some wit and personality, they cheered them also. After all, the best teachers know that a little humor goes a long way in engaging your audience. Kudos to the EDA vendors that participate. People buy from people, and I think that the EDA vendors would do well to carefully select who sits in that hot seat each year. For better or worse, I think it is hard not to end up characterizing the companies themselves to some degree based on how their panelists respond to the questions--were they: Direct? Arrogant? Clever? Open-minded? As for this panel being characterized as a sequel, based on the overflowing room and rolling laughter in the aisles, I would say it was a big hit with the audience, and would place my bets on next year's event being another success. Honesty and humor never get old. Kind regards, Gloria Nichols ***************************** ** Letter No. 11 ** Peggy, Peggy, What a brilliantly perfect typo in the BigWig panel write up:
" In the past, DAC was about telling our fiends and neighbor what each of us is doing." Anon [Editor's Note: The typo has been fixed.] ***************************** ** Letter No. 12 ** Peggy, A comment on: http://www.eedesign.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleId=60401565 {Mike Fister's] focus on the customer "gain" seems very Intel-like. That is - royalties, physical improvements in the chip, etc. His own company would barf (a technical term) at any of this, but this approach could change the landscape. EDA is actually the fuel of the engine driving the world economy. Anon *****************************
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