19 Jun
2004
19 Jun
'04
11:53 a.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "vrs" <vrs(a)msn.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 7:37 PM
Subject: Modern Electronics (was Re: List charter mods & headcount... ;-))
of
It seems to me
self-evident that *someone* does
understand how any one of those chips works -
they just didn't tell the rest of us.
Though I agree with most of your points, I think it is only self-evident
that someone *once* understood how any one of those chips works.
It is possible (and likely, once a couple of years have passed), that the
information about how it was done then has vanished, even from the hands those who once knew.
Vince
Chips are designed by a group of people these days, not by one individual.
These groups are split up for other projects when the first one is over ,
quit and find new jobs, or just get laid off and scatter to the wind. They
leave behind the blueprints needed to manufacture the part, operating
parameters, bug notes, etc so the knowledge of what the part does is still
with the company and is transferred if the company is sold or goes chapter
11. The problems come when the chip is no longer commercially sold or
supported, things tend to get lost.