Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!umd5!eneevax!noise
From: noise@eneevax.UUCP (Johnson Noise)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: A Cynic's Guide, part 1
Message-ID: <1300@eneevax.UUCP>
Date: 11 Mar 88 01:30:39 GMT
References: <2541@Shasta.STANFORD.EDU> <3584@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU>
Reply-To: noise@eneevax.umd.edu.UUCP (Johnson Noise)
Distribution: na
Organization: Elec. Eng. Dept., U of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Lines: 20

In article <3584@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> tada@athena.mit.edu (Michael Zehr) writes:

>
>In other words, the software people are under more pressure to get
>their product out fast.  [yeah, i know -- all the hardware people
>who've ever had a deadline are going to flame me...]
>
flame(on);

	No, really, I agree with you, but I think there is a larger
amount of incompetence in the software industry (too many hackers,
not enough _real programmers_).

>Another possible reason is that a lot more custom software is produced
>than custom hardware.
>

	That may be true in pure numbers, but I think it scales. I don't
know anyone who designs TV's and radios.  I do know people who design low
light level imaging systems, 500 Mw pulsed power modulators, laser
initiated semiconductor switching systems etc.