( SNUG 99 Item 21 ) ----------------------------------------------- [3/31/99]

   "Interoperability: Panel took alotted time (plus 15 min into lunch) to
    give their presentations.  No time for Q&A.  Mostly yadda, yadda,
    yadda party line stuff. 

        Gary Smith - Dataquest - Moderator
        Dinesh Better - Intel - Good overview.
        Rich Collman??? - Synopsys - Sales pitch on TAP-IN (insync
             multi-vendor partnering) and SPINE99
        Michael ????? - Cadence - SPINE99 details. Warm fuzzies about
             new Synopsys and Cadence partnering 
        Priti Vijayragiya - Synopsys - TAP-IN details.  Have a lab for
             joint EDA usage, No Synopsys regulars aloud.  Multi vendor
             teams to work on interoperabilities. Need testcases, have
             teams and interoperability points defined.
        ?????? - ULTIMA - Small eda backend (parasitic and delay
             generator) company. Early TAPin. Warm fuzzies about first
             date with Synopsys.
        Rita Glover - Analyst (formerly Silc and Mentor). Good history
             of interoperbility & EDA vendor blunders.  Defined problem.

    That last person, Rita Glover, gave some much needed fresh air, by
    talking a little about Synopsys' past record in this area."

        - Peet James of Qualis Design


   "They're talking a good line but they're not doing it.  They're the
    only ones who can do it.  The whole industry is depending on them to
    become interoperable.  It's very frustrating.  I've even moderated
    panel discussions where, at the last minute, one of them would
    threaten to pull out if the other was going to mention some specific
    item.  I'm stuck being the peace broker behind the scenes.  What I'd
    really like to do is to have all of them come to Phoenix.  I have a
    pool.  I'll buy an extra picnic table and I already have a blender.
    They could sip margaritas and work out their differences.  Anyone
    who gets too pigheaded about anything gets pushed into the pool to
    cool off!  I'd really like to do that."

       - Rita Glover, an analyst at EDA Today, talking about how Cadence
         Synopsys, and Avant! give great lipservice to interoperability
         in public yet scratch and claw about it in private