Subject: The dirty unspoken truth of what really happens at DAC

Another crazy DAC is done for me this year and I'm spending 12 hours to get
back home to Boston.  As usual, Free DAC Monday was a mob scene of a mix of
EDA buyers and some EDA tire-kickers.  On DAC Tuesday and DAC Wednesday the
tire-kickers go home and the serious buyers stick around to have their
closed door meetings with the vendors.  

The annual EDA love-hate dance begins.

Their private conversations typically start with pleasantries yet quickly
cut to business.

"So, what's new in your tools this year?" is the EDA buyer's way of politely
threatening "Why should I keep paying you your outrageous subscription fees
for your current tools????  Why not buy your competitor's tools instead?"

Then the EDA vendor replies: "We've added 123 to our existing tools", which
is his way of saying "Please keep paying us what you're paying us!"  And
then when the EDA vendor changes the topic to the NEW tool he's now selling,
it's his way of adding: "You should be paying us even much more, too!"

On parting, like a dentist giving a lollipop to a kid whose cavity he just
drilled out, the EDA vendor typically gives the EDA user some sort of small
token freebie to sooth him.  Why?  Because after a little while, the savvy
EDA user will slowly realize he's now going to have to pay even more for his
tools that can now do even more with than before.  "But it's OK, cause I did
get this nice stuffed panda bear doll that my kid will love, though..."

This annual EDA love-hate dance happens thousands of times over the 3 days
that the exhibit floor is open at DAC.  And deep down it can be emotionally
tramatic for both the EDA vendor and the EDA user; but in the long run
everyone wins.  EDA vendors get money.  EDA users get better tools.

This is the dirty unspoken truth of what really happens at every annual DAC
migration; what's missing here are only the details -- which I'll provide
next week.  I gotta shuttle to LAX to catch now.