Analog Devices buys Linear Technology

[Tomorokoshi]

Please just rebrand the Linear website to be AD, rather than keeping the rubbish site and trashing the good one.

Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should make that prototype with LT parts or not.

Yes, I have a design in the schematic stage right now with an LT switcher in it. I could ask the FAE or the sales guy about it, but the veracity of their information would be at the noise level at this point.

[David Hess]

I do not have any problems with ADI (new and old), TI (new and old), Maxim (new and old) and LT websites, and I seriously think if one can not accommodate changes in web UI, how can one accommodate to the daily evolving electronics business?

The ADI and TI and Maxim web sites have two problems: at least in my case they usually do not provide the right selection data that I am interested in but more importantly, they are incredibly slow.  The LT site is not fast by any means but at least it does not waste my time.

These web sites perform so poorly that it is faster for me to download lots of datasheets, pour through them manually, and make my own selection table.  In the case of TI's, it often leaves older parts off.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Here's another one to be concerned about:

If you are doing something in small volume, LT would sell you parts direct. Try to get a handful of high(ish) speed ADC's from LT and ADI. They are quite competitive with each other in larger volumes. Go to the "build a few prototypes" end of the scale .... ADI gets very expensive.

We'll see how that one shakes out.

Bob

[XFDDesign]

The ADI and TI and Maxim web sites have two problems: at least in my case they usually do not provide the right selection data that I am interested in but more importantly, they are incredibly slow.  The LT site is not fast by any means but at least it does not waste my time.

These web sites perform so poorly that it is faster for me to download lots of datasheets, pour through them manually, and make my own selection table.  In the case of TI's, it often leaves older parts off.

When you know the part number, google becomes the new "website" for a lot of these vendors.

As to small volume sales, those will go away. Everything will get sucked into the ADI SAP system.

[Jeroen3]

Well about the who's next. There are rumors Qualcomm and NXP are going on a date.

[tszaboo]

When you know the part number, google becomes the new "website" for a lot of these vendors.

As to small volume sales, those will go away. Everything will get sucked into the ADI SAP system.

Ah, they have SAP. Good for them. 

[blackfin76]

I hope they keep the LT application notes online, those are so valuable for engineers.

[tszaboo]

I hope they keep the LT application notes online, those are so valuable for engineers.

We should backup them while they are still there. Probably keep a hard copy printed. And one on microfilms in a lead box in a nuclear bunker.

mod... It is 147 MB.

[razberik]

So true, I backed up something valuable few times and a good choice it was. It vanished.

And always backup your favourite videos on YT. You want them to watch again after months and they are not there anymore.

[blackfin76]

I do not have any problems with ADI (new and old), TI (new and old), Maxim (new and old) and LT websites, and I seriously think if one can not accommodate changes in web UI, how can one accommodate to the daily evolving electronics business?

I think it has more to do with people being annoyed having web sites changed all the time. If it aint broke don't try to fix it.

It seems to be a software related thing, changing the UI, change the way things look, add features no one asked for in the first place, don't fix bugs that should be fixed. Stuff like that can make one wonder what de real purpose of all this is.

Having an up to date look and lots of eye candy doesn't make up for a bad user experience imo.

[tszaboo]

I do not have any problems with ADI (new and old), TI (new and old), Maxim (new and old) and LT websites, and I seriously think if one can not accommodate changes in web UI, how can one accommodate to the daily evolving electronics business?

I think it has more to do with people being annoyed having web sites changed all the time. If it aint broke don't try to fix it.

It seems to be a software related thing, changing the UI, change the way things look, add features no one asked for in the first place, don't fix bugs that should be fixed. Stuff like that can make one wonder what de real purpose of all this is.

Having an up to date look and lots of eye candy doesn't make up for a bad user experience imo.

It has more to do with the website usefulness. The old Maxim website was terrible, the recent one is good. Analog went from OK to bad. TI made huge improvements, the online datasheet is just awesome. It is the difficulty to reach the information. I talked with AD support engineers, they said themselves that the new website is terrible.

[David Hess]

I hope they keep the LT application notes online, those are so valuable for engineers.

We should backup them while they are still there. Probably keep a hard copy printed. And one on microfilms in a lead box in a nuclear bunker.

mod... It is 147 MB.

I have all of their paper databooks and application books which include useful articles which are *not* available online.

I had most of their online application notes and some of their design notes but now I have them all except for DN416 and a couple of the later application notes which apparently never existed.  Those plus design solutions add up to ... about 239 MB so far.

I am going to grab the LT Magazines next as they also have useful articles.  At some point I will scan the missing articles which were only available in their paper application books and hold them for ransom for 1 million dollars. 

[David Hess]

I think it has more to do with people being annoyed having web sites changed all the time. If it aint broke don't try to fix it.

Change I could live with but every change they make makes the web sites less reliable and slower.

[Someone]

I do not have any problems with ADI (new and old), TI (new and old), Maxim (new and old) and LT websites, and I seriously think if one can not accommodate changes in web UI, how can one accommodate to the daily evolving electronics business?

I think it has more to do with people being annoyed having web sites changed all the time. If it aint broke don't try to fix it.

It seems to be a software related thing, changing the UI, change the way things look, add features no one asked for in the first place, don't fix bugs that should be fixed. Stuff like that can make one wonder what de real purpose of all this is.

Having an up to date look and lots of eye candy doesn't make up for a bad user experience imo.

Breaking up OPAMPS into arbitrary "types" so you can't do a parametric search across their entire range... fail.

[Sal Ammoniac]

Don't forget Cypress

The most aggressive buyer on town

Broadcom

That's somewhat misleading. Cypress didn't buy Broadcom, Avago did. Cypress bought some of Broadcom's wireless assets. Avago has a history of buying companies (LSI, Broadcom) and then selling off bits and pieces of the companies they acquire.

[FuzzyOnion]

A quick question for all you guys that hate ADI's website- Have you told anyone at ADI about your frustrations with using the search tools?

When I worked there, the web guys and the Field App guys were very interested in making the site useful.  They took input willingly from everybody - especially engineers.  I've been gone a few years, but with the web being a central point nowadays, I can't believe that if all you dissatisfied folks expressed your frustration, ADI would ignore it.  The web presence is just too valuable these days to intentionally piss folks off.

Just a thought...

[MT]

Then they should not have changed it in the first place. AD, ST etc used to have well functioning web interfaces, then they started to dick a round multiple times.. Dont see the point of customers have to tell them they fucked it up. Yet again a management problem, as always.

[ECEdesign]

For those of you downloading all of the LT notes if you compiled them onto a file on dropbox that would be sweet!

[David Hess]

For those of you downloading all of the LT notes if you compiled them onto a file on dropbox that would be sweet!

I will no doubt do that and include nice scans of the articles which are only available on paper but have no projected time to completion.  Currently I edit the file names to be more descriptive while watching a movie but I estimate that I am lots of movies away from being completed and the current rate of new Hollywood movies worth watching is low.

[Bud]

When I worked there, the web guys and the Field App guys were very interested in making the site useful.  They took input willingly from everybody - especially engineers

What ADI need to understand - and this may be a surprise to them - that engineering is not done on smartphones. I really doubt engineers would say - hey i want that stupid carousel banner on the front page and please make it huge to make sure the useful stuff can not be easily found.

[razberik]

I remember talking to one application engineer (somebody from austrian site) on ADI seminar. I told him that I like ADI products, but I don't use them, because their web is harsh and I prefer LT instead.
He agreed with me and he dislike their new web too.

Could Dave make some video about websites ? I would love to hear some rant about useless webs from Dave, rather than pointless videos about free energy and solar roadways (waste of time making it and watching it).

[Jeroen3]

For those of you downloading all of the LT notes if you compiled them onto a file on dropbox that would be sweet!

Put them in a torrent. That way you don't exceed Dropbox share limit.

[FuzzyOnion]

Then they should not have changed it in the first place. AD, ST etc used to have well functioning web interfaces, then they started to dick a round multiple times.. Dont see the point of customers have to tell them they fucked it up. Yet again a management problem, as always.

Wow! You're absolutely right.  The concept of customer feedback is clearly inapplicable.  I can see that a more rational method would be to assume that the web designers will magically intuit how someone may or may not want to use the site.  I totally agree that the reasonable, effective approach of pissing, moaning and complaining about it rather than taking initiative by providing constructive criticism that may result in improvement is ingenious.  It's an exemplary plan.  Let us hope that the nebulous, non-sentient entity known as "management" does not thwart this enviable construct.

Cheers

[David Hess]

Wow! You're absolutely right.  The concept of customer feedback is clearly inapplicable.  I can see that a more rational method would be to assume that the web designers will magically intuit how someone may or may not want to use the site.  I totally agree that the reasonable, effective approach of pissing, moaning and complaining about it rather than taking initiative by providing constructive criticism that may result in improvement is ingenious.  It's an exemplary plan.  Let us hope that the nebulous, non-sentient entity known as "management" does not thwart this enviable construct.

I tried that but Steve told me I was holding it wrong and that skeuomorphic interfaces were the future.

[XFDDesign]

When I worked there, the web guys and the Field App guys were very interested in making the site useful.  They took input willingly from everybody - especially engineers.  I've been gone a few years, but with the web being a central point nowadays, I can't believe that if all you dissatisfied folks expressed your frustration, ADI would ignore it.  The web presence is just too valuable these days to intentionally piss folks off.

Which site did you work at? Internally the site has had the piss taken out of it by everyone not of mid-level management.