end-of-life
What do vintage cars and embedded boards have in common?
September 26, 2012
They both get harder to maintain as they get older, and if you don’t plan for obsolescence, they can both fail. It’s common sense. As things get older, they become more expensive to maintain. For example, an antique car was state-of-the art when it first came out. It performed beautifully, and the parts were easy…
Does Innovation = Forced Obsolescence?
July 25, 2012
Is there a downside to new technology innovation? We all love and encourage innovation, but what is the hidden cost? Critical embedded applications in the Defense and Medical industry are a great example of where this question comes into play. Both these applications have people’s lives relying on them, and both require extended life cycles…
Does the prospect of overstocking kill your critical embedded systems?
April 11, 2012
The past few decades has seen exponential advancement in circuit board technologies and related industries. This unprecedented technological growth has devastated many older critical embedded applications and their manufacturers, with OEMs pushing for new technologies. In contrast, older technologies become harder to support. Pre-stocking has historically been used as the solution to the obsolescence problem,…
What does obsolesence, trains, and Embedded World 2012 have in common?
February 29, 2012
I must admit, I’m looking forward to the upcoming Embedded World 2012 presentation on Model Based Design and Testing of Embedded Systems for the Train & Transportation Industry by Franck Corbier, with Dassault Systèmes. Why? Because I have an old-fashioned side of me that loves nothing more than hours on a train, traveling across country.…
Could Stephen Hawking’s voice go end-of-life (EOL)?
February 8, 2012
Whether you’re checking out his illuminating talks on the nature of the universe, theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity; watching him play himself on Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Simpsons and Futurama; or geeking out to MC Frontalot’s rap, science, and quotations; chances are you’ve heard Stephen Hawking’s iconic voice. What most people don’t realize is that while…