( SNUG 05 Item 22 ) ---------------------------------------------- [12/20/05]
Subject: About those Shoot-The-Messenger Retribution Fears
HUMAN NATURE -- While the majority of the DeepChip readers are the hands-on
chip designers, when Synopsys reads this survey they'll see 3 parts to it.
First, 12 links with "good" news:
Item 2: Overall Synopsys has 2X more "best" tools than Cadence
Item 3: Synopsys Hotline sucks less than the Cadence Hotline
Item 4: Synopsys Local Support beats Cadence Local Support
Item 5: SolvNET rates better than SourceLink
Item 6: SNUG liked better than Cadence Users Group
Item 7: Synopsys Sales liked better than Cadence Sales
Item 8: Synopsys catches up to Cadence in verification tool use
Item 16: Star-RCXT dominates RC Extraction space
Item 17: PrimeTime-SI mildly beats CeltIC; VoltageStorm rules
Item 18: NanoSim & Nassda HSIM dominates; Avanti HSPICE part of crowd
Item 20: Synopsys SolvNET & SNUG & support well liked
Item 21: Synopsys rates better than Cadence overall
In the 14 years that's I've run ESNUG, it's been my experience that when you
report "good" news about a tool, most people ignore it. Even the people it
effects (like the tool's R&D developers, marketing droids and support) will
say nothing to me. No thanks or nothing. For example, neither the Star-RCXT
people nor the SolvNET people nor the NanoSim people will contact me even
though they got "good" news here. It's not just a Synopsys thing either.
Get2chip and Magma came out very well in this report, yet I won't hear a peep
from their people, too. I'm not complaining -- it's just human nature.
Second, 3 links with "old" news (i.e. safe news because its not new):
Item 10: Synopsys & Mentor roughly equal in scan/ATPG niche
Item 11: Sequence Power Theatre better; Synopsys Power Compiler used more
Item 12: First Encounter rules; Jupiter-XT still weak in floorplanning
The "old" news people will sometimes contact me if its old "bad" news they
want to "correct" me on -- for example, the Jupiter-XT might contact me to
say that I got it wrong because in truth Jupiter-XT is doing much, much
better than I'm seeing. Mind you, the First Encounter people won't say a
peep to me; because this "old" news is "good" news for them. Again, I'm
not complaining here -- it's human nature.
Third, those troublesome 5 links with "bad" news:
Item 9: Cadence Get2chip & Magma Blast Create now viable DC alternatives
Item 13: Customers will drift to Magma; Synopsys/Cadence P&R in trouble
Item 14: IC Compiler has traction problems; Users indifferent
Item 15: Customers say Calibre is now; Magma Mojave is next generation
Item 19: Synopsys has support, price & arrogance problems
What's troubling me is the new "bad" news in this report. This is where
I've seen EDA people very angrily want to shoot the messenger. Even though
Gary Smith confirms a lot of what I'm seeing; it will be me that Synopsys
wants to kill. Yes, I know that this is human nature, but I dread how much
I'll have to pay for being honest in this report. Revenge is a dish they'll
serve cold. They won't wack me right away; that's too cause and effect.
It'll be one of those long term festering things that will get me when I
least expect it. Hell, I have a few hardcore Synopsys people who are still
mad at me for Behavioral Compiler's failure (ESNUG 262 #4) and that's from
8 years ago. Anger goes that deep when you're the bearer of "bad" news.
If I'm lucky, cooler heads will prevail and the more enlightened Synopsoids
will see the value of having an honest, open feedback mechanism for the long
term health of the company. I'm not trying to mess over Synopsys here. I'm
just reporting what the hands-on users are saying. Shooting the messenger
might make them feel good in the short term, but it won't make those damned
Get2chip/Magma/IC Compiler/Mojave/Arrogance issues go away. Only addressing
each of the issues themselves will make Synopsys grow stronger over time.
I'm anxious to see which philosophy prevails.
Wicked Witch: "Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East?
Was it you?"
Dorothy: "No, no. It was an accident. I didn't mean to kill anybody."
Wicked Witch: "Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents, too!"
Glinda: "Oh, rubbish! You have no power here. Be gone before
somebody drops a house on you, too!"
Wicked Witch: "Very well, I'll bide my time -- but just try to stay out
of my way. Just try! I'll get you, my pretty, and your
little dog, too!"
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