( ESNUG 218 Item 5 ) ---------------------------------------------- [5/19/95]
From: vincent@dtc.Kodak.COM (John Vincent)
Subject: Hey! - Mentor Graphics And Other EDA Tools Suck, Too!
John,
I understand from seeing a recent article or two of yours that you are an
independent consultant on CAE tools. Kodak has recently chosen to
standardize on Mentor tools for most CAE. Having used probably half a
dozen different tools over the course of my career, I have a basis for
comparison. I recently took training on Mentor's Idea Station (Design
Architect and Quicksim). I was really disappointed in the user interface
compared to other tools I've used. (It seemed needlessly complex and
confusing, giving the impression they had been developed by people who
had never really had to do a real design with them and had little concept
of structuring the user interface for ease of use for either productivity,
efficiency, or learn-ability.)
I recognize that I am quite spoiled by my exposure to other tools, and
want to see all the best features of each one, but I never cease to be
amazed by how poorly so many EDA tools are implemented. You would think
that by now something simple like schematic capture packages (for example)
would be pretty well settled, with convenient user interfaces. (After
all they have been around for about twenty years!) Yet it is amazing that
the major players (and I have worked with them all) have such significant
holes in very basic areas in their tools which I would have expected to
have been remedied a long, long time ago.
My question is whether in your experience you are aware of whether any
Mentor Graphics users have customized the user interface to the Mentor
tools by defining their own menu structures, function key setups, etc.?
Is there by any chance a third party which is selling an improved user
interface? Do you think there would be benefit in such a custom user
interface? John, have you ever considered the possibility of doing this
as an additional offering from your company?
- John Vincent
Eastman Kodak Company
[ Editor's Note: I couldn't help but get a chuckle out of this
item & the first ad in the Networking Section! :^) - John ]
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