Embedded Muse 76 Copyright 2002 TGG October 16, 2002


You may redistribute this newsletter for noncommercial purposes. For commercial use contact jack@ganssle.com.

EDITOR: Jack Ganssle, jack@ganssle.com

CONTENTS:
- Editor’s Notes
- Embedded Seminars
- ESC and SD Double Header
- Jobs
- Thought for the Week
- About The Embedded Muse

Editor’s Notes


What awful economic times! I can’t pick up a paper without reading of massive layoffs. The embedded world is suffering more than most since so much of it revolves around datacom and telecom, which are two of the hardest-hit industries in this recession.

In my October column in Embedded Systems Programming (http://embedded.com/story/OEG20020926S0063) I mentioned a CAD program named Designworks Lite (http://www.dwlite.com). Quite a few readers wrote in to say that EAGLE (http://www.cadsoftusa.com/) is also a great and cheap CAD program. I haven’t used it, but have never had so many people write about one product. What a loyal following! It sounds like another winner.

Software Development Magazine’s most recent issue (November 2002) has a salary survey for software folks. Check it out or catch it online at http://www.sdmagazine.com/documents/s=7664/sdm0211a/sdm0211a.html. Bottom line – average programmer salaries in the USA run about $89k.


Embedded Seminars


I’ll be presenting my Better Firmware Faster seminar in Irvine, CA on December 4 and Dallas, TX on December 6. See https://www.ganssle.com/classes.htm for more information. This is the only non-vendor class around that shows practical, hard-hitting ways to get your products out much faster with fewer bugs. The crummy economy is putting pressure on all developers– come and learn the tricks you need to be more efficient.

I often do this seminar on-site, for companies with ten or more embedded folks who’d like to learn more efficient ways to build firmware. See https://www.ganssle.com/onsite.htm.


ESC and SD Double Header


This year’s Embedded Systems Conference in Boston runs November 18-21 at the Hynes Convention Center. I’m giving two talks (Managing Embedded Projects, and Really Real Time), and will be running a shop talk as well. Please stop in and say hello. There’s more info at http://www.esconline.com/.

And this year the SD (Software Development) Conference runs in the same location at the same time. This is too good to miss – two conventions in one. SD runs November 18-22, also at the Hynes Convention Center. See http://www.sdexpo.com/ for details.


Jobs


Thought for the Week


Check out:
http://www.plexus-technologies.com/FunStuff/Movies/movies_we'd_like_to_see.shtml

Fun movies we’d like to see. Included:
- Indiana Jones and the Processor of Doom
- Commando Engineer
- Force 10 from Silicon
And more. It’s worth a gander.