[bb88]

> "if software engineers only understood hardware better we might have smartphones that last a month on a charge and never crash".

I mean... is that wrong, though? In 2024, C++ will still segfault -- 45 years after it's creation in 1979. No one steering the language seems to be bothered by it. Even Bjarne Stroustrup works in the financial industry now raking in the large paychecks.

Turns out, I'm pretty cynical of software as well.

Look, I'm not saying "Software is the utmost gloriousness that will save humanity!" But what I am saying is that hardware does seem to have fallen well behind software in terms of tooling. VHDL and Verilog are still the tools used to describe hardware today as they were 30 years ago.

If you can fix the barrier to entry into hardware, you'll probably increase the demand for custom hardware.

[vrinsd]

Your example about Bjarne says it all -- it was financially more in his interest to leave academia / standards comittee / "hardcore work" for something more financially lucarative.

There's maybe another bigger point here that a lot of "great tools" or "good ideas turned into reality" happened either because the person/people working on it were so motivated and/or they were in the right environment that supported this type of creativity.

Sadly, most hardware-oriented organizations are the exact opposite of creativity or "great ideas" because if they fail the physical cost to fix something is staggering.

In software you can try something, if it doesn't work, call it a learning experience, re-factor, potentially re-use and have another go at it.

In hardware if you do that few people will high five you for a valiant effort.

Historically academia was a place that could "birth" new ideas, help explore them with a pure intent to see how it worked out. These days I think people are dying to finish with school and not live a pauper's life.