Is it just me or does it seem the electronics/hardware community
really is behind the times when it comes to modern computer
technology.  Perhaps I am a bit biased as I have always been more a
computer hacker than hardware hacker and probably more on the bleeding
edge than normal but it seems that hardware people are behind the norm
from even a non technical person standpoint.
 
     A couple recent observations have resulted in this opinion. First
it seems that a vast majority of the hobbyist resources and projects
online still are written for windows 9x. Admittedly I am a BSD/Linux
whore in many ways and would never use 9x even if it were new but I
have no problem with win2k or XP or win2k3 server, while a bit
bloated, they are for the most part powerful stable operating systems.
I would never want to discourage someone from learning because they
don't have the money to buy modern equipment but it just seems like it
is the overall trend still, and Linux is always free and can run on
some of the oldest legacy equipment there is.

     When I was at Barnes and Nobel yesterday I was looking at the
magazine rack and found an article in an electronics magazine (either
Servo or Nuts & Volts, for the life of me I cant remember) where the
gist of it was that the Internet is not worth while for electronic
suppliers. They said users find it much easier to just call them up
for inventory and price quotes.  Now I understand some older engineers
who never used computers in the first place and are stuck in there
ways would agree and that there are parts of the world were Internet
access can be problematic. I am not suggesting they refuse phone
orders BUT I cant imagine 90% of people would agree its easier to call
than to do a quick search on the distributors web page.  I place most
of my electronic orders through digikey and find there site very easy
to navigate and find what I want.  I guarantee you that says call for
a price quote I wont.  I view it as inefficient and also don't want to
be tried to be sold anything.  This article did keep me alert to this
attitude when I was browsing the web and I have noticed quite a few
electronic supplier sites just being a front to give an address and
phone number to call them often without even listing products.

     I really hope the attitude isn't that "I'm just a hobbyist and
cant do anything more complicated." As stated earlier my background is
more in the computer hacking/programming side of things were for the
most part the community is more bleeding edge than there corporate
counterpart and the attitude is that anything can be done with open
source projects rivaling million dollar company products every day.
  
     I don't mean to insult anyone here or tell anyone they shouldn't
continue doing what they enjoy doing or to stop learning. I am just
stating an observation and wondering if anyone else has noticed this
or agrees with me. Perhaps I am just looking in the wrong places and
there are great bleeding edge things going on else where.

Justin

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