EEVblog Electronics Community Forum

Electronics => Microcontrollers => Topic started by: Stonent on September 05, 2013, 01:45:05 am

Title: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: Stonent on September 05, 2013, 01:45:05 am
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/systems-interface/4420230/MCU-popularity-perceptions (http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/systems-interface/4420230/MCU-popularity-perceptions)

Surely I would have thought AVR or PIC would have been most popular. Here are the results:

MSP430 - 53%
MC6800- 19%
PIC16 - 10%
AVR - 6%
Other - 6%
STM32 - 4%
Cypress PSoC - 1%
Silicon Labs C8051F33x - 1%

They said 8051 was not included because Intel no longer makes them, but they are still made by everyone else pretty much.
I also think that AVR was a bit low, maybe because most people don't think of Arduinos as AVRs.
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: nctnico on September 05, 2013, 01:55:13 am
The article is a shining example on how to create statistical nonsense! If internet had a delete button I'd use it on that article.
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: c4757p on September 05, 2013, 02:03:32 am
Quote
Responses to the question: "Which of the following MCU families would you say is the most popular?"

Wow.  :palm: |O :bullshit: :wtf:
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: adam1213 on September 05, 2013, 02:06:28 am
The poll is meant to be about what is perceived to be the most popular, as opposed directly looking into which is the most popular. e.g. the poll could be influenced by publications about which MCU is the most popular. Coincidently 7 days earlier edn published an article on this topic http://www.edn.com/electrical-engineer-community/industry-blog/4419922/1/Slideshow--The-most-popular-MCUs-ever  (http://www.edn.com/electrical-engineer-community/industry-blog/4419922/1/Slideshow--The-most-popular-MCUs-ever)
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: EEVblog on September 05, 2013, 02:40:11 am
I believe that EDN viewership is very non-hobbyist and very upper crust big company industry centric. Lots of old time fuddy-duddies been at the same company for 30 years, hence big numbers on the likes of the freescale 6800.
They also don't get huge engagement on their online stuff, so I reckon the poll result numbers would be low, which they don't publish. Wouldn't surprise me if they only got a few dozen people voting total.
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: PA0PBZ on September 05, 2013, 02:26:32 pm
Wouldn't surprise me if they only got a few dozen people voting total.

How would you end up with 1% if that was the case?
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: mrflibble on September 05, 2013, 02:49:09 pm
For sufficiently large values of "a few" ... by blatantly rounding up/down. I was pleasantly surprised that at least it added up to 100%.

Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: PA0PBZ on September 05, 2013, 02:56:43 pm
For sufficiently large values of "a few" ... by blatantly rounding up/down. I was pleasantly surprised that at least it added up to 100%.

Ok, but 1% of 'a few dozen' would be something like 0.3 votes  :palm:
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: tinhead on September 05, 2013, 03:11:35 pm
Ok, but 1% of 'a few dozen' would be something like 0.3 votes  :palm:

a few is less than 10, dozen is 12. So you can perfectly have 9 x 12 which is more than 100 which is necessary to get 1% step and it is still within "few dozen"  :-//
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: PA0PBZ on September 05, 2013, 03:59:03 pm
a few is less than 10...

If that is the definition of 'a few' I stand corrected, my idea was it is around 3. But then I'm not native English, so...
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: Dongulus on September 05, 2013, 04:00:18 pm
a few is less than 10, dozen is 12. So you can perfectly have 9 x 12 which is more than 100 which is necessary to get 1% step and it is still within "few dozen"  :-//

Actually, I think this is the official definition of "a few": http://xkcd.com/1070/ (http://xkcd.com/1070/)
Title: Re: TI MSP430 voted most popular MCU?
Post by: tinhead on September 07, 2013, 10:11:40 am
Actually, I think this is the official definition of "a few

official? i prefer something like :

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/few (http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/few)

that said, few means small amount and it is not 'numeric' defined. However from logical point of view with combination of dozen the 'few dozen' need to be smaller than 'ten dozen' therefore 9 x 12 is max. However, he said already 'around 3', which can be ... (ok, i stop here and now)^^

my idea was it is around 3