Tag Archives: Surfcam

Autodesk Sez Don’t Worry Be Happy!!

Posted on December 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is going to be a long post today. It covers a topic that is in direct response to people like Carl Bass at Autodesk 2012 and Teresa Payton former Whitehouse CIO who was a speaker there. In thinking about this whole cloud thing and the amount of blatant deception that accompanies it I can only say I am disgusted with how patronizing and duplicitous cloud purveyors have become towards people who are their target markets. This will quote from the Cadalyst articles on Autodesk 2012 and I respond accordingly. This will also quote from Verizon Data Breach Investigations.

http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/events/2012dbir/

These are lengthy reports but I will quote from two of them. These individual reports for 2011 and 2012 can be found at the link above.

Two quotes of interest. 2011 pg 4 “We are often asked whether the cloud factors into many of the breaches we investigate. The answer is “No–not really” It’s more about giving up control of our assets and data (and not controlling the associated risk) than any technology specific to the cloud.”

2012 pg 33 top “Web applications abound in many larger companies and remain a popular (54% of breaches) and successful (39% of records) attack vector.”

The common thread in all these problems in the above reports is reliance on the web. Autodesk when they demand you go to the web forces you to be subject to a myriad of things forever beyond your control. They know this and will leave you on your own when problems strike. Proof of this is found by their own words as you read on. One of the more disturbing aspects of the above studies where CAD creation is concerned is that they feel that many IP thefts are not detected and so subsequently not reported. Unlike financial data where a loss is generally quickly detected because of math discrepancies IP theft may never be detected as how do you police an idea incorporated into competing products? Maybe you find out when your competitor beats you to the patent office with your design. Maybe you find out when knockoff products flood the world designed with your time and money and produced by the Chinese and their shopping carts.

http://www.cadalyst.com/collaboration/autodesk-and-cloud-part-1-customers-039absolutely039-will-have-a-choice-15251

And

http://www.cadalyst.com/cad/product-design/autodesk-and-cloud-part-2-fusion-360-will-deliver-professional-level-cad-cloud-15

These first two segments go together because it concerns Bass’s statements and Fusion 360 and deceptive promises of concern for customers security.  From part 1.

“I think there are a huge number of obstacles to every organization, you know, adopting cloud technology, and I don’t think they’re insignificant,” Bass told the media. “The … one that jumps to everyone’s mind is the question of security — privacy, liability — something around levels of service in some ways and concern about confidential information. I think some of those will fall by the wayside; I think others will be there. … Do you expect to see dramatic breaches of privacy? Yeah, we’ve already seen them. … That will continue to happen. To the extent we [store data on the cloud] or anywhere else, there will be serious things to consider. I think that is not [a concern] that goes away easily.”

Another concern I hear frequently but that Bass didn’t address is the issue of data ownership. Rumors persist that any customer data stored on the Autodesk cloud becomes the property of Autodesk; however, that isn’t the case according to the Autodesk 360 Terms of Service (rev. 9/6/2011):

2. Proprietary Rights  2.1 Your Rights. As between You and Autodesk, and subject to Section 2.2 (License by You; Disclosure), You and Your licensors have and will own all right, title, and interest in and to Your Content.

From part 2

 “When it comes to moving from desktop software solutions to cloud-based options, Discher said, companies today are most concerned with data security and how to make a successful transition to new cloud-based tools and workflows. Her advice: “Take the cloud tools that will improve the processes you have in place. Don’t reinvent processes.” Regarding security, she said, “Concerns are real and valid, so customers will have to make some moves they might not be 100% comfortable with in order to tap the tremendous benefits” of cloud-based tools.”

And

  “Contrary to what is true for some popular cloud-based solutions today, Discher told me that users of Fusion 360 maintain ownership of data the created and stored there. This is true of all Autodesk 360-based services, she added, except for some parts of PLM 360. (See Autodesk 360 Terms of Service [rev. 9/6/2011]).”

So who exactly does own your data online? Contrary to the attempts at Autodesk promising that you do there are some exceptions to this. http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/11/02/1737219/us-government-you-dont-own-your-cloud-data-so-we-can-access-it-at-any-time  will take you to the Megaupload site problems where many  legitimate businesses still  to this day do not have their data back. When a site is seized it is the position of the US government that you put your data there it does not belong to you irregardless of empty promises made by those who sold you a service. Clouds work off of server farms right? Is there a single server farm in this world that is totally squeaky clean and not subject to this?  Is it impossible now to see the Chinese who are expert at IP theft declaring the same and seizing server farms to go grocery shopping? The right the US government gave themselves afterall has been established and now can be used worldwide by any country. I would also mention the Patriot Act here. This gives sweeping powers to the US government to seize or view things and never notify those who are affected. I think we have entered a period of Chicago style pervasive corruption in Washington with the Fox now guarding the Hen House. This is also happening around the world with other countries and is endemic in places like China. I can easily see a government deciding to gain advantage for whatever reason for a variety of special interest groups by selling or leaking your data to them.

This server farm based cloud thing opens up in new ways the can of worms you could suffer from legally. Is it unreasonable to consider the numerous legal problems the life blood of your company could be subject to? How about bankruptcy with the server farm and everything is tied up until it is resolved. How about an equipment provider suing a server farm for non payment or say a record company suing for piracy and now it is all locked down.  We know for sure with the piracy aspect it has happened and could happen again. You readers are smart enough to extrapolate the ways this could happen so I won’t go on.

This however brings us to the crux of the situation where Autodesk is concerned and let us go to the  Terms of Service for Fusion 360 as referenced by the link above.

 

          4.3      Service Providers; No Sensitive Personal Data. You acknowledge that Autodesk may use third-party service providers in connection with the Services, including without limitation the use of cloud computing service providers which may transmit, maintain and store Your data using third-party computers and equipment in locations around the globe.  You acknowledge that any data storage functionality associated with the Services is not intended for the storage of Social Security numbers, credit or debit card numbers, financial account numbers, driver’s license numbers, medical information, health insurance information, sensitive data about personal characteristics such as race, religion, or sexual orientation, or other personal data that may pose a risk of harm to the individual if improperly disclosed (collectively, “Sensitive Personal Data”).  You agree not to upload or otherwise submit any Sensitive Personal Data in connection with the Service and further agree that Autodesk Parties will have no responsibility or liability with respect to any such Sensitive Personal Data that is processed, transmitted, disclosed, or stored in connection with the Service.

Is the definition of sensitive just this or do these things include your invention and the data used to create it. Who is “your”. Is it unreasonable to think lawyers for Autodesk would construe this to mean “your company” to? Now also think about what they are saying here. Your data is not secure with third party vendors.

            5.      Indemnification.   You shall, at Your sole expense and to the fullest extent permitted by law, indemnify, defend (at Autodesk’s request), and hold harmless Autodesk Parties against any and all losses, liabilities, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) suffered or incurred by Autodesk Parties by reason of any claim, suit or proceeding (“Claim”) arising out of or in connection with: (a) Your Content or use of Your Content, including, without limitation, any assertion that Your Content or the use thereof may infringe any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property or other rights of any individual or entity, or are a misappropriation of any individual or entity’s trade secret, or contain any libelous, defamatory, disparaging, pornographic, or obscene materials or use thereof caused death or bodily injury or damage to the real or tangible property of any third party; (b) any breach of or failure by You to comply with these Terms (including, without limitation, any Policies and Additional Agreements); or (c) use of the Service Offering by You (or anyone who accesses the Service through You pursuant to Section 1.3). If requested by Autodesk to defend a Claim, You will not agree to any settlement without the prior written consent of Autodesk, and Autodesk shall have the right to participate, at its own expense, in the defense of any Claim with counsel of its own choosing.

Does the above sound like Autodesk is confident of the security on the cloud and on server farms beyond their and your control?
 

6.2      Warranty Disclaimer.  NOTWITHSTANDING ANY WARRANTY APPLICABLE TO THE SOFTWARE IN THE LICENSE AGREEMENT, THE SERVICE OFFERING IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.”  AUTODESK PARTIES MAKE NO, AND HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL, REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED (EITHER IN FACT OR BY OPERATION OF LAW), OR STATUTORY, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OFFERING, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ALL WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT, AND ALL WARRANTIES THAT MAY ARISE FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, OR USAGE OF TRADE. YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE OFFERING IS AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK. AUTODESK PARTIES DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY USE OF OR ACCESS TO THE SERVICE OFFERING WILL BE ERROR-FREE, COMPLETE, SECURE OR MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS; THAT OPERATION OR AVAILABILITY WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED; OR THAT ERRORS OR FAILURES WILL BE CORRECTED OR REMEDIED; AND AUTODESK PARTIES HEREBY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL LIABILITY IN CONNECTION THEREWITH.  AUTODESK PARTIES DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE OFFERING WILL PERFORM IN ANY PARTICULAR MANNER AND HEREBY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR NEGLIGENCE AND GROSS NEGLIGENCE.  WITHOUT LIMITATION OF THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR (AND AUTODESK PARTIES ASSUME NO RESPONSIBILITY AND WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY OF ANY KIND FOR) (i) THE DECISIONS THAT YOU MAY MAKE REGARDING THE SERVICE OFFERING, (ii) USE OF THE SERVICE OFFERING INCLUDING ANY CONTENT, DATA, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL ACCESSED BY YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE OFFERING, OR (iii) ANY EFFECTS ON YOUR BUSINESS THAT MAY RESULT FROM SUCH USE.  AUTODESK PARTIES MAKE NO WARRANTIES TO ANY THIRD PARTY.  YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE OFFERING INCLUDING ANY CONTENT, DATA, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL ACCESSED BY YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE OFFERING, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA. AUTODESK PARTIES DO NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE OFFERING IS OR WILL BE APPROPRIATE OR AVAILABLE FOR USE IN ANY PARTICULAR JURISDICTION AND YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT AUTODESK MAY LIMIT A SERVICE OFFERING’S AVAILABILITY, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, TO ANY GEOGRAPHIC AREA,  JURISDICTION OR LANGUAGE THAT AUTODESK CHOOSES, AT ANY TIME, IN AUTODESK’S SOLE DISCRETION.  This Section 6.2 will be enforceable to the maximum extent allowed by applicable law.  No information or advice (whether written, oral or otherwise) provided by Autodesk Parties or their representatives will create any warranty or in any way affect the disclaimers of warranty or limitations of liability expressly provided in these Terms. 

Basically I read this as  yes our leader may stand behind the lectern at Autodesk world 2012 and make statements about security and reliability but we here at the legal department responsible for CYA tell you we make no service or security promises and you are on your own. So you have those pesky NDA’s with your customers as a condition of doing business with them? Don’t look to Autodesk for help when what we make you use violates these.

         6.3      Functionality Limitations.  THE SERVICE OFFERING IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR OWN JUDGMENT (INCLUDING PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT) OR INDEPENDENT TESTING, DESIGN, ESTIMATION OR ANALYSIS, AS APPLICABLE.  DUE TO THE LARGE VARIETY OF POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS FOR THE SERVICE OFFERING, THE SERVICE OFFERING HAS NOT BEEN TESTED IN ALL SITUATIONS UNDER WHICH IT MAY BE USED AND MAY NOT ACHIEVE THE RESULTS YOU DESIRE.  WITHOUT LIMITATION OF SECTION 3.2 (RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR CONTENT) OR 6.2 (DISCLAIMERS), AUTODESK PARTIES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER FOR ANY RESULTS OR OUTPUT OBTAINED OR OTHERWISE VIEWED THROUGH THE SERVICE OFFERING OR ANY MATERIALS DEVELOPED BY YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE OFFERING. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SUPERVISION, MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL OF THE SERVICE OFFERING. THIS RESPONSIBILITY INCLUDES, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, THE DETERMINATION OF APPROPRIATE USES FOR THE SERVICE OFFERING AND THE SELECTION OF THE SERVICE OFFERING AND OTHER PROGRAMS TO ACHIEVE YOUR INTENDED RESULTS. YOU ARE ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR ESTABLISHING THE ADEQUACY OF INDEPENDENT PROCEDURES FOR TESTING THE RELIABILITY, ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF SERVICE RESULTS, OUTPUT OR MATERIALS DEVELOPED BY YOU IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE OFFERING (IF ANY), INCLUDING ALL ITEMS VIEWED OR DESIGNED USING THE SERVICE OFFERING.

We make a lot of implied promises when we talk about our pay for play strategy and our desire to try to end piracy by making you check in and work off of remote servers. However we know the infrastructure you must work off of stinks and to bad, so sad that we have just thrown a huge monkey wrench into your ability to streamline your data creation. Oh and by the way, single threaded applications still are so at our end too even though we have 10,000 server cores you can rent. And by the way, we are not responsible for all the new fees you will have to pay your ISP plus the third party server dudes for data storage. Pretty much they are telling you if you were silly enough to believe anything we say about clouds saving you cash and being more capable than what you could do for yourself you get what you deserve.

 

7.       Limitation of Liability.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW AND NOTWITHSTANDING ANY FAILURE OF ESSENTIAL PURPOSE OF ANY LIMITED REMEDY OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, (A) IN NO EVENT WILL AUTODESK PARTIES BE LIABLE HEREUNDER FOR SPECIAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (HOWEVER CAUSED AND REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER DERIVED FROM CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE), INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF DATA, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES OR OTHER COVER, OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL OR ECONOMIC LOSS OF ANY KIND, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY THEREOF, NOR WILL ANY OF THE FOREGOING PARTIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM A FORCE MAJEURE OR AN ACT OF A THIRD PARTY OR OF NO FAULT ON ITS BEHALF, AND (B) THE TOTAL CUMULATIVE COLLECTIVE LIABILITY OF AUTODESK PARTIES FOR ALL COSTS, LOSSES OR DAMAGES FROM ALL CLAIMS, ACTIONS OR SUITS HOWEVER CAUSED OR ARISING FROM OR IN RELATION TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE OFFERING SHALL NOT EXCEED THE LESSER OF ALL AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU FOR THE SERVICE OFFERING GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM IN THE TWELVE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100). 

Icing on the cake for all of us Autodesk corporate types. We don’t care what happens to you when/if we force you to the cloud and you run into trouble there. We appreciated your loyalty and your business but now because you have run into trouble using our stuff it is time for you to go away and shut up.

 

Last but not least we come to the culmination of Autodesk corporate babblespeak, deception and legal CYA nonsense.  http://www.cadalyst.com/cad/product-design/autodesk-and-cloud-part-2-fusion-360-will-deliver-professional-level-cad-cloud-15

 

“You have a right to be concerned about security of your intellectual property on the cloud,” she said. Data security should always be your first priority, whether it’s stored on the cloud or in your own systems. “You need a prenup with your cloud vendor,” she advised. If the company goes out of business or if you move off the platform in the future, what happens?

“I believe with the right best practices and the right conversations with your vendor, you can actually be safer in the cloud,” Payton concluded. “Pick your partners wisely. Everyone is penetrable. The key is figuring out what guidelines to follow when your digital assets are gone, and figuring out how to handle the incident and how to let your customers know.

“You cannot protect that which you do not have in your line of sight. And that is what makes you nervous about the cloud. But, in some regards, you’d be better off going to the cloud because you can hold that provider contractually liable and ensure that your data is secure.”

 

This is from a former Whitehouse CIO. Remember this person was hired by Autodesk to speak as an authority on data security so they must think she is. So now we have the whole security liability protection plan for users and the reason to go to the Autodesk cloud. You can put your data on a third party server farm and since they know you can sue them THEY will make your data secure. Unless of course you had to sign an agreement with them like you had to sign with Autodesk. Oh, and by the way Autodesk, about that prenup thing your guest speaker mentions. I think a snowball in you know where has a better chance of surviving than one of your customers getting one of these prenups from you. And while we are at it here are some other questions for you to address that apply to you as well as Dassault and no I won’t hold my breath waiting for honest answers.

http://worldcadaccess.typepad.com/blog/2011/01/41questionsaboutthecloud.html

Any of you who adopt these Autodesk cloud services under these conditions truly deserve every bad thing that may happen to you. The company that wants you to stand loyally behind them with your continued financial support does not intend reciprocity.

 

Oh, before I forget I am sure Autodesk wishes you all a happy and prosperous 2013!

 

 

 

 

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CAM for Solid Edge Moves Forward

Posted on December 20, 2012 | 4 comments

As I sit here using a CAM program I have grown to despise this journey to CAM integrated with Solid Edge has been an endless journey. Geometric is working with Siemens to develop this with a partnership that was started I assume just prior to SEU2012 last June in Nashville. Bruce Wiener with Geometric was there with a cobbled together idea of what could be. Of course getting to a full blown product that has been tested and all the little “i’s” dotted and “t’s” crossed is not a simple thing so we have to wait.

Siemens is releasing a new product called “3DSync” http://secure.campaigner.com/Campaigner/Public/t.show?YaOe–H3Zq-1Sazih2 will take you to a page that will allow you to read up on it and download a free trial which is good until May 15th 2013. As a word of warning here if you have a seat of Solid Edge on your PC you can’t run this unless you set up a virtual machine through something like VMware and according to support this is not recommended.

I find the expiration of the trial interesting for a particular reason.
The principle drawback for many CAD users where Solid Edge has been concerned was not the basic capabilities of the program but the lack of an ecosphere of integrated apps. Just after the release of ST4 for the first time this became a priority for SE when a position was created solely for the purpose of creating this ecosphere. Since manufacturing is the only reason for CAD to exist it makes sense that the first long overdue major integration with SE will be CAM.

This takes me to why I find the timing of 3DSync so interesting. Now keep in mind I am just connecting dots here and I am not speaking as though I have certain knowledge but I bet I am right. For the users of HSMWorks and Camworks there is a reduced function version of Solid Works that allows you to directly use SW files in an associative fashion and to do things like feature recognition and auto-updates of geometry changes. And it allows you to do so without having to spring for a full blown seat of SW. When I was checking into HSMWorks and Camworks for example the reduced capability solids SW program was $1,000.00. I believe this is the reason for 3DSync and all this is leading up to the ST6 release this June in Cincinnati at the SEU2013. By the way, if you are a Solid Edge user or just interested in seeing what Solid Edge and the user community is all about it would benefit you to be there.

I see indications in the questions being asked of users by Dan Staples and Karsten Newbury on the Solid Edge BBS forums that there are a number of things to be included in ST6 that will make it the most powerful release of any of the ST series and I would include even the first one. By the way, for those of you accustomed to the idea that the leadership of a company never spends time interacting with users because that is how your CAD authoring company treats you. That is not the way it is with Solid Edge and the leadership here actively interacts in meaningful ways with users that helps to drive what is in the final product.

The reason I say ST6 will be the most powerful release is because while ST1 saw the advent of a new way of modeling ST6 will be a mature product that will among other things include powerful surfacing for all of you that hold this single thing out as the reason SW is better. ST6 will also see the rollout of actual products integrated with Solid Edge to the point where for the first time you will be able to completely design and manufacture products without ever having to leave the GUI you are familiar with in Solid Edge.

I waited impatiently for this point in time for Solid Edge and the more I find out and the more I see reading between the lines this will be a very beneficial year for SE users.
Look folks, Autodesk is going cloud stupid, Dassault is going berserk with experience insanity + cloud stuff they have yet to make work + the joy of kernel change. Bass and Bernard are telling you what you will get like it or not and if you don’t agree you are, well you are just backwards looking and un-enlightened and need to be educated as to what you should like. Siemens, SE, Karsten Newbury and Dan Staples are on the other hand looking to put useful geometry creation and manufacturing into your shop without the cloud nonsense and top down edicts.

I can honestly say I am glad to be here and that says a lot in this day and time.

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Corporate Stability, Philosophy and YOUR CAD Dollars

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

There are some huge fundamental changes that are happening in the CAD world right now and it would behoove anyone who uses a CAD program to make a living to start paying attention. Look, the I don’t care everything is alright your just crazy for thinking SolidWorks (and perhaps others too for differing reasons) is going away or changing into something I can’t use mind-set does not allow the possessor of that mindset to evade the inevitable forthcoming reality.

Before I go any further please look at the following.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Systemes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens

What we have here is a snapshot of value and how it is derived. It is also an indicator of why companies are making decisions that directly affect you.

Dassault has made the decision based I believe on things like the value of Google and Facebook to change the fundamental core philosophy of what they do to social engineering and away from basic pure engineering. It is the only thing I can see that explains all the seemingly irrelevant acquisitions and the odd concentration of R&D dollars into social engineering programs and Minimoys and gamification and crowd sourcing and on and on.

Why? It is a lot harder to develop something that has to deliver concise exact results like engineering programs do and judging by relative values nowhere near as valuable. Dassault has taken since 1981 to get this far and Facebook and Google have sailed way past them in far less time. I think Dassault looks at those dollars and contemplates jettisoning their traditional designer  for more lucrative less demanding markets.

There is also a robber Barron element there in their thinking where they want you to have to pay to play with their stuff.

The push is really on right now for usurpation of property rights and usage rights. Ranging from not being able to resell something you own like books (legislation currently being proposed in Congress) to the attempts by companies to stop online piracy they all center on one thing. More cash for deep pockets from your pockets. Their solution in the area of companies like Dassault is to prevent permanent seats of anything and to force users to be subscribers and to end permanent seats. They want the ability to say to you that every day you use their software you have to pay a fee. As a matter of fact they want you to pay for every day whether you use it or not. This is why Dassault will talk about how things will remain like they are with permanent seats but never give a written guarantee for this. Facts do speak louder than mealy-mouthed corporatespeak.

Which brings us to dear little Autodesk. Autodesk at this time appears to want to remain primarily a CAD company. The major problem with them is that per their announced earlier this year corporate policy they will be adopting the robber Barron cloud only security breaching paradigm.  Your reward for years of loyal usage will be pay to play. Yeah, the fight against piracy is a wonderful excuse for punishing your loyal cash paying customers. I figure that the hackers will find a way around anything these CAD companies do so what is the true motive here? I believe that it amounts to a desire to end the ability to use software without a user fee—-forever. No more of this junk like using a permanent seat for multiple years without having to cough up funds to Autodesk.

Don’t believe me? Get your guarantees against this in writing from Autodesk. I am sure they will provide you with one. Along with the one that says your intellectual property will remain yours and you won’t have to be current on your monthly subscription to use it to make a living. This is no different from the mob guy who walks into a business and “sells” you fire insurance. That Autodesk intends to do this to its loyal customers says a lot about how they regard their partnership with their customers. They desire you as chattel.

Now regard Siemens and here we have a completely different concept. UGS/SolidEdge was bought because Siemens is one of the major manufacturing corporations on the world. They wanted to own software that they could control and implement in their corporation to improve their own manufacturing processes and efficiencies. They intend to use this software to make things. Just like you. You want to own and use it and so does Siemens. They have no intention of being trendy with social media junk. It is not what they do or will ever do. There is not even a hint that they are spending R&D$$$$ in this area like Dassault is. I have spent some time looking in cracks and crevices and under rocks for any hint that Siemens is going to force customers onto the cloud with their design software and I can’t find any. They darned sure aren’t looking to foist Minimoy’s or gamification on us thereby catering to this stupid social media iPhone XGen (or whatever this weeks trendy label is for slackers) generation bunch that expects to be allowed to spend up to half their paid days doing other things besides what they are being paid to do. It is far better for your bottom line that your employees never have to go online to use your design software both in elimination of wasted time and in preventing security breaches. There is also no hint of the robber Barron stuff here.

I have not asked for a written guarantee from Siemens as I expect that it would be met with the same stony silence as this request would get from Dassault and Autodesk. I do have a reason though for making these statements. Dasssault and Autodesk are the ones who are making huge changes in your future against your desires and wishes. They are the ones who are having to make reassuring promises of future intent to users who are rightly quite worried. Siemens is not in this boat as they are not out there selling their customers down the river and no one needs reassuring on this side of the fence.

It was an entirely unintended consequence of my purchase of Solid Edge that I would find myself in the only major CAD program concerned with manufacturing and users needs. Five years ago so much of this cloud stuff and this pay to play stuff was not regarded as serious. The only  pay to play CAD effort I remember from this time frame was SpaceClaim and their subscription model failed miserably and was precisely why they never got a look from me. If I can’t own it I don’t want it. I don’t want an apartment I want my own house.

Corporate philosophy has today become just as great a benefit to me as Synchronous Tech is. I believe in these guys and I believe they have long-term plans that dovetail quite nicely with my desires for best in class design software that will be stable and useable and that I would desire to use for the rest of my working career which I figure to be at least ten years and more if I am able.

You guys in the Dassault and Autodesk worlds better start waking up to reality and begin the process of deciding just what you want to use and the conditions under which you want to use it. A decision to make no decision is of course a decision just as binding as the one made to take action. The one who makes choices though is far better off than the one who has them made for him.

I have gone through this with VX/ZW3D so I understand legacy files blah blah blah. I understand hating the idea you have to learn a new program. Believe me I do as I never even owned a computer until 2001 and never had a CAD program until 2005. I am now 59 so don’t talk to me about lack of desire to have your little world changed I DO understand those thoughts. I am currently looking for CAM which is another thing I never wanted to do. But what do my personal wishes have to do with corporate CAD decisions? Absolutely nothing as they don’t call me to sit in on the planing meetings. I am left to look out for myself.

Today I recommend without any serious reservations Siemens NX or SE. These are the only major players that have no current or future plans to upset your apple cart. If stability and the ability to plan for the future is as important to you as it is to me regard the philosophy of the company you are doing business with as seriously as you investigate their programs as they have both become critical things to jointly consider.

As an aside here. I complain a lot about lack of CAM in SE and it does gripe my rear end in a major way. I believe these kinds of problems are being solved though so my last remaining major complaint against these guys will soon be history.

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Solid Edge Promotions

Posted on October 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Sorry to disappoint you if you came here to get the latest updates for wonderful and terrific Solid Edge promotions. There have not been any since the release of Synchronous Tech 1 (ST1) when I came on board. What drew me at the time were the capabilities of Synchronous tech in its infancy. I could see the potential in it. What really clinched the deal though was the offer of $3,000.00 for a seat of SE Classic and the first years maintenance. How could I refuse? Let me tell any corporate guy who may be reading this if you don’t think this means a lot to a small customer who is being asked to leave behind lots of accumulated work and something already paid for you are sadly mistaken. I cant explain the  all the psychological reasons behind why users hang on to something they don’t like anymore. All I can say is that in most cases they need incentive to change above and beyond just the capabilities of the software you sell and your wonderful PR campaign. Solid incentives are important and extremely influential and it is what will take users who hate what they use off the fence and into your back yard.

But my main reason for posting today is the idea of concepts in promoting your product and what you think will get potential customers attention.

SO, how do you get traction on promotions above and beyond offering the above mentioned idea? I see various companies offering incentives to participate in a contest. SE had the $6,000.00 prize for this thing that only lasted two weeks.

http://blog.industrysoftware.automation.siemens.com/blog/2012/08/01/edison2-local-motors-and-solid-edge-team-up-and-launch-6000-design-competition/.

ZW3D offered $300.00 for design winner recently. Others offer an iPad or phone. In general what all these things have in common is that almost all of them are promoted by big companies with varying degrees of hoopla and really trivial prizes.

I am in the process of acquiring a new company as a customer. They are a health food encapsulating outfit looking for a local machine shop to produce both replacement parts on a regular basis and to bail them out in emergencies. I don’t just tell them what I can do nor do I just say see my customer list and maybe I will even find you a referral who will talk to you. I get in there and offer my time for free in designing parts and producing samples and making sure what I produce is up to specs and works well. I am charging nowhere near the value of the current time I have into this. I am betting that when, not if, these guys become good customers I will more than make up for what I put out upfront in “promotions”.

As an aside here. As a percentage of my gross it is a far more serious promotion of my company as a percentage in actual cost than anything I have ever seen a major CAD or CAM company offer. I am beating the pants off of the silliness that most CADCAM companies believe in that a thirty-day trial is all they need to offer as incentive. I am also GOING to have these guys as customers because I am taking positive and meaningful actions that really matter to them to guarantee this.

Promotions I think in order to be successful and to really get attention have to be out of the ordinary and offer potential users a reason to be there. Maybe it should be broken down into two categories with existing and potential users as separate categories if this promotion is open to both.

I like the current design concept contest over at Matt Lombard’s blog

http://ontheedge.dezignstuff.com/on-the-edge-project-mini-flexcavator/643

but it lacks that little zinger that would push it seriously into the public eye. All it is right now is basically bragging rights incentive for a few disgruntled SW users and a few enthusiastic SE users. This is to me a perfect vehicle for enticing potential users if it would offer some serious incentive. At the least would be free seats of SE for certain category winners. The top winner would have a real cash incentive as an additional bit of inspiration to all who participate. It has to be a closed time frame but long enough to allow people to spend some serious time with the program to learn it. Using the seat you have provided to registered contestants for the length of this contest. Remember, considering what is currently being offered you are expecting here that these guys are going to spend their own time out of their hopefully busy schedules learning this software just for curiosity’s sake. Primarily SW users I presume since this is I would think your primary potential market.

Once you have serious incentive there then you have to promote it and get it aggressively into the CAD users world. Is it too much to ask when you hope to profit by millions in capturing new customers that you show these potential new customers you are serious about how good your software is? It does not go un-noticed by cad users who are expected to cough up the dough and buy your products that typically the, ahem, grand prize is less than a single seat price of the software you want to sell them. It is a niggardly attitude and it is noted as such by the users you want to reach.

I think  the concept behind the “Flexcavator” is a great idea that needs to have some time and incentive devoted to it by Siemens and SE and I mean beyond the participation of people who work with SE.

Just how do you get curious but busy people to look your way at what you sell? You compel them. Just how do you get reluctant buyers to buy what you sell? You entice them.

Just for the records sake I am speaking here of my own experience and what compelled me. I am also reflecting on what I have been told by other users as to what motivated them besides things like largest market share and most jobs on jobs boards. Never think these two things are not important. Even in the disintegrating world of SolidWorks this is still the most compelling sales tool out there and it drives their numbers more than anything else. No one else can compete in these two areas so you have to compete against them with a different incentive.

Local Motors and this two-week long contest is to me something that never even gets to the starting gate much less out of it. It is academically oriented and not targeting the professional user market at all. It is to short time wise and not worthy of mention otherwise in most places and that is exactly what it got. I find sadly that it is typical of what major CAD and CAM companies seem to think is sufficient inducement worthy of potential customers spending many thousands of their hours of irreplaceable time to take a peek.

I fully expect in the first quarter of 2013 that Solid Edge will have for the first time an integrated CAM partner. IF Autodesk does not buy them out too and who knows what they will do in light of the HSMWorks bomb. In any case assuming this will not happen this is a milestone in the SE path to the future. It is my hope they will get behind this and seriously compel potential users in both word and deed. To do this in ways that mean something to those they want to reach and not just to some marketing department sitting in a closed room debating things and budgets that appeal to themselves and not potential users. That closed room atmosphere that seems to be so conducive to the attendees talking to each other but somehow never getting good results.

It’s a strange world we live in when those you mean to appeal to are never asked what is appealing to them.

 

 

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Dassault + Autodesk + Cloud = You Are Screwed

Posted on October 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Reading with interest the comments by Autodesk this past week referencing the acquisition of HSMWorks as part of their strategy to move users to the cloud. It is appropriate to discuss exactly what this wonder of software utility will have to use to work. Yes, it is true, this thing has to use the internet.

In congress this past week has been the discussion of Huawei telecom equipment from China. Your friendly provider of internet shopping carts for those who want to know all about what you don’t want them to know about. This comes in the same year that brings us the reports of Dell server boards with back doors built-in and military components with the same from China among many other reports. Look, there is a lot of proof of these things out there and if the idea that your internet stuff is secure is the world you live in you better start researching for yourself and see.

Anyway so the Chinese governments partner Hwawei makes stuff for the world’s internet and does whatever they have to in order to get it in place. I had to laugh while reading about this stuff today as about a half a year ago I jokingly said if I were the Chinese I would provide this internet stuff for free. Now I find out they are providing the equipment for free in some cases just to get their foot in the door.  China is a very corrupt nation with contempt for the idea of your intellectual property rights and the ties of the military have tentacles all through Chinese finance and industry. This is not a group of people who can be trusted in any way.

http://www.zdnet.com/hack-in-the-box-researcher-reveals-ease-of-huawei-router-access-7000005600/

SO, now that they have a shopping cart in place in your facility just what do you do about it? Well you yank it out and get a different piece of equipment first off. Better yet your internal network for important things has no acess to the internet.  But what about the web which neither you or Dassault or Autodesk can or ever will control? Web is safe right? I mean these people from Autodesk and Dassault are capable management and would not tell you a lie just to get into your pockets right?

Now look I am not a millionaire nor a billionaire and I am not the head of a major or even medium size company. I can read however and do a smidgen of research. What I find is indisputable proof of jeopardy for those who adopt any cloud based service without complete indemnity from the cloud company. Like the ones Finance has had to offer. Ironclad and in writing. I have to believe that I am not uniquely suited to find this information out and therefore the only conclusion a rational person can reach is that the cloud as these guys promise it is a fraudulent promise.

Last year there was an  event that most of you are not aware of. This little jewel made sweat pop out on the foreheads of every major military contractor and security agency around the world.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/15/internet-traffic-was-routed-via-chinese-servers/?page=all

So just remember, any company that tries to sell you or force you into the cloud and is not willing to completely cover your risk there does so with malice aforethought. They are interested in only locking you into a solution that will in short order make you a data hostage subject to extortion where pay to play with your own intellectual property will be the new norm. Comments to the contrary about providing stand alone desktop solutions never come with written guarantees of longevity nor is there an available contractural agreement to provide such a thing for any time frame. Not one provides proof of concept nor a real world ROI study to demonstrate how this will be of true benefit to customers that I have seen. It is purely about your money in their pockets and more of that over time and in ways you can’t stop except by leaving.

It is a profoundly cavalier attitude towards your future these cloud companies like Dassault and Autodesk bring to the table. Let me rephrase that. It is a contemptible one where they can’t prove security nor cost justifications for their business model. They do however have endless supplies of Koolaid at the negotiating table though so at least you won’t be thirsty while discussing things with them.

On second thought I can reference a recent real world study although an inadvertant one. COFES 2012 internet meltdown. Providing proof of concept we have here http://www.deelip.com/?p=7485#comments

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The pitfall of CAM as a Partner

Posted on October 8, 2012 | 9 comments

With the purchase of HSMWorks I have to wonder if this will begin some sort of acquisition effort by Solidworks and Solidedge. I don’t think as a percentage of customers that the loss of HSMWorks was all that big of a deal financially to Solidworks. But it does affect every CAM user out there that relies on an integrated CAM program that is not owned by their CAD company and it is a big deal to them.

Autodesk has proven that last week with this HSM event that absolutely no one had ever dreamed of. SW,SE, you have been given notice. Whatever you thought was safe and an asset you could point to is not unless you control it outright. VARS found that out to as basically they were told a day later if there was an Autodesk VAR in their geographical region they were toast. I figure that means every one of them. I also figure it means SW style HSMWorks user support has ended as how can those who have no comprehensive SW/HSM background, experience or training provide this?

I want to quote from a post over at the official Autodesk HSMWorks forum a comment by an Autodesk guy. Now as far as I can tell this is a VAR employee which kind of indicates the quality of support SW/HSM users will get. My main point in bringing this up is because Autodesk cares so little for the opinions of the HSMWorks users whose world they have just wrecked that they allow this stuff to be there.

Jerry, I can see that you are one of those guys that can’t be reached…Someone went and moved your cheeses. Boo Hoo! You’ve resorted to spreading you vitriol all over this post. You also assumed that I have no experience in industry besides being in sales. On most points, you have been wrong! I have owned a manufacturing company for twenty years, and began my CAD journey with pencil and paper. I’ve lived through the DOS years (Ugh!), and stepped up to Solidworks, and Inventor. I also understand that they are just tools. I have also spent many thousands on software programs, only to see them discontinued, or the companies sold (Try investing in a 90s MRP system, and you will know what I mean). The fact is that you have no idea what the future of the software is, yet you throw out your doom and gloom like a monkey slings its own feces. I deal with the other companies that Autodesk has purchased on a weekly basis, and know firsthand that they have not only grown in their capability, but that it was the best thing that could ever happen for the companies and the customers. Better product. Bigger budgets for programming, and new markets. You obviously have the time to sling mud at Autodesk, but it has gotten to the point where it is just offensive. It serves no purpose but to make you look foolish. Dassault and Autodesk are both big companies, vying for an increased market share. They both have a solid product. I chose Autodesk over Solidworks because they were more responsive to my needs, not less. It was not an easy decision, and in the beginning, I had regrets, as SW had a better product. But I liked the people who went out of their way to understand my business. I see now that I made the right choice. But that was my choice. I would be remiss is I just stood back and let you troll all over these people with your armchair idiocy. You sir are WAY out of line. If you just can’t stand “evil Autodesk”, then switch platforms. Just stop your bitching!! OK I’m done Smiley    End Quote.
   I think it is safe to say that Autodesk bought this for the technology and the SW HSMWorks users are well and truly screwed. There have been and will be I imagine no contractual offers given to these users to prove the words of future support will be true. In any case SW will not co-operate with Autodesk when it comes time to share the little code goodies Gold Partners have access to so HSM as it is know today is toast.
  Every CAM user who has an integrated CAM program and a half a lick of sense, if they are even aware this has happened yet, has to wonder if this could happen to them. It is amazing to me how many CAD and CAM users are oblivious to events in the software world so I have no idea how quickly word of this will spread. But for those who do follow things this is bad.  I have to admit that while I wait for Geometric to integrate with SE this is now worrying. What guarantee do I have that Autodesk or SW won’t do this to me with Geometric?
  I think at this time Siemens and SE offer the safest mid range MCAD program out there in regards to corporate direction and long-term stability in three important ways.  They own the geometry kernal they use, I don’t belierve they can be bought out ever again, and there is no current move I know of to force cloud junk down users throats. Key words when you don’t want to periodically have to make new software purchases because of dumb corporate decisions.  I think they are less than a year away from completing the last part of the MCAD puzzle adding complex surfacing capabilities much which will be better than current ones and will be in ST6.
 To me there is nothing close to Synchronous Tech out there and I had to laugh last week. Happens to be that a new customer uses a version of Inventor from a few years back and I imported a SAT assembly file from him. Met with him on Friday and clicked on a part in the assembly, a cutter blade from a “Jaws of Life” extrication tool, opened it up for edit and did so right away on his dumb imported geometry. Seeing is believing as they always say 😀
   For some reason however SE’s masters  have never until recently thought they needed more than just CAD. I trust the current leadership of SE to truly have the interests of users at heart and I base this upon what I have personally seen and heard behind the scenes and then watch happen in public and there has never been a divergence between promises made to me and subsequent actions. But this CAM thing with HSMWorks has me worried because without owning the CAM solution outright all the good intentions and promises could be out the window overnight. Guys, consider what has happened here and make sure you nail Geometric down. You don’t want  your first CAM integration to be swiped from you and neither do your future users. We want what the big guys want too. Stability and the ability to securely plan for the future in the tools we elect to use.
  I have waited for this for a long time and I don’t want the rug yanked out from under me like has happened with the HSM users. But in light of what Autodesk has done to SW it is clear that all integrated independent CAM programs represent real potential economic jeapordies and disruptions to the businesses that use them.

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Manufacturing IS the real end goal of Solidedge, Inventor, and Solidworks

Posted on October 2, 2012 | 6 comments

I am watching the beginnings of the shakeout over the acquisition of HSMworks by Autodesk. I see them coming up with a plan to implement a complete manufacturing solution for Inventor as they pursue the MCAD market and ancillary manufacturing that is the only reason for MCAD to exist.

Now I want you to read this again. Manufacturing IS the only reason for MCAD programs to exist. Why this has been such a blind spot for these three mid range MCAD programs for so long is a mystery to me. And furthermore when in doubt remember that CAD when it was born was implemented  as a method of feeding the fledgling CNC manufacturing base that had to have a way to talk geometry to machinery. It quickly spread into every area but ALL the areas were and are based upon producing a real thing.

Solidworks for some time has come the closest of the three to realizing the truth of this and has developed partners along the way to cover disciplines they had no interest, for whatever reason, in writing code for. The problem for Solidworks is that they never did more than grant partner certifications for companies that ultimately they did not control with anything more persuasive than a carrot held in front of the vendors.  So today we see the fruit that myopic vision harvests. HSMworks is no longer listed as a partner anywhere on the Solidworks site I can see. If I were Solidworks I would be wondering who is next to jump ship since none of the CAM programs out there are owned and therefore truly controlled by SW.

What does this say about customers who have to make things after the design who have been sold down the river here? And they have been. SW is already saying with the removal of HSMworks from their site that the war is on. I fully expect Autodesk to put the squeeze on SW users to switch to Inventor if they want to keep using HSMworks. OK, yeah the promises are out there of support for HSM’s user base with SW but does anyone really think Autodesk bought this company without an eye in part to  the peripheral benefit of scavenging SW customers? Users trusted SW when they bought HSM and figured they had a long-term integrated solution.

I like HSMworks and it was on my short list of programs to consider since SE really does not have integrated CAM yet and truthfully when they do next year I have no idea how good it really will be. It was the program I wanted integrated with SE to begin with and I can see now why HSM was not at all interested in SE. They were negotiating to be bought out lock stock and barrel. I have to wonder with Geometric who had a demo version of CAM software integrated with SE at SEU2012 what will happen to them as a Gold partner with SW when Geometric becomes a partner with SE?

Partner integration apparently is not sufficient to protect the interests of CAD companies and their users who wish to make parts and designs. When your time and effort and money can be yanked out from under your feet because your CAD of choice does not truly control your CAM of choice this can be a major problem. This is the lesson to be learned by SE and SW users here. Because SW saw no reason to have their own in-house CAM solution (but at least they did and do have integrated ones) all those who invested in HSMworks are I believe in short order going to be screwed. This Autodesk acquisition demonstrates the jeopardy we as users all face with any CAM program not owned by the CAD company whose products we use. I would not put it past Autodesk to buy out Geometric either and then where would SE be?

SE has never had any CAM partner except for NX Cam Express. Cam Express can be made to work with SE but so can a ton of other programs and the common problem with them all is that NONE are completely integrated with SE on the level that HSMworks is currently with SW. CAM Express is also complicated to learn and I know from personal experience watching shops close by me that HSM was easy to implement and produced pretty decent toolpaths. That is not going to happen with Cam Express and while there is good output it takes gobs of time to learn and program compared to HSM.

I think after all these years SE now understands that they have to be more and offer more than just CAD to their customers if they want to have a chance at knocking SW off of their throne. These ancillary programs are not optional if you want to be Mr. Big. Hope they back Geometric into a corner they can’t be bought back out of by Autodesk. There is sadly not much to say about SE in the integration area except that they know they have to change. But in the mean time multiple years pass swiftly and their competitors are not going to wait for SE to catch up or pass them up. Only concrete actions and not good intentions will take the throne of MCAD king away from SW.

I despise the model that Autodesk’s boss has espoused for the cloud and his comments that they are going to force people there. Look, I did not create the words that came out of his mouth nor did I put them there. You doubters just go and research for his comments earlier this year and see for yourselves. Jeff Ray on Steroids could not have beat this guy.

BUT,  I am in admiration of a company that has a plan to produce a manufacturing environment for Inventor, label this as midrange MCAD if you will, that seeks as its goal to control outright the pieces needed to do so and prevent the capability of any external source to interfere. Heck, they did not even have to go through the agony of arguing over endless integration details when they bought HSM. HSM clearly had spent the time to develop a good product and integration while complicated I am sure is a formality that rests on the solid CAM features in HSM and can be adapted to work with any CAD program. So Autodesk removed the headaches of develop from scratch and bought a proven product outright and now it is THEIRS.

I have to admit to being discouraged with having to shop for a CAM program this morning. There are lots of programs out there and they all have problems along with the good. But getting sold down the river is not one I had really considered as a part of planing for what do I buy to replace ZW3D. I had almost requested another trial of HSMworks as I was quite seriously considering how much longer can I wait for SE to get something going. Make no mistake here, my first choice would be something good integrated with SE but I have long-term CAM problems I am getting REALLY tired of having to deal with.  At some point in time the wait must end and I will buy something from someone but the choices in CAM are grossly complicated in comparison to the easy choice I had in CAD with SE.

I have a headache just thinking about all this and I think it is a good time to quit this post.

 

UPDATE

As an additional comment here. Going to the HSMworks forum today is pretty ugly. One poster in particular talking about $20,000 for HSM and somehow all these vacuous promises about the future, none of which I figure will be put in writing and contracts with existing customers, are at all assuring to him and others posting today. I think SW will also lose customers out of this because buyers get tired of smoke and mirrors from corporate bigwigs and negative comments are showing up there about Catia Lite too. People expect to be treated as valued customers for the amount of money they are spending with SW and HSM and they most definitely do not expect to be taken for granted or as CADCAM chattels with no choice but to fork over the dough. It is going to be interesting to watch this unfold and  I SURE am glad I did not go further with HSMworks.

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CAD Goblins Arrive Before Halloween

Posted on September 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Reading Ralph Grabowski’s article http://novedge.com/i/114113 this morning about Autodesk and the cloud. Also reading about how Microsoft wants to force everyone to the cloud in some form or fashion to use Office 2013. http://www.zdnet.com/what-you-gain-and-lose-with-office-2013-subscriptions-7000004386/   .

I have to conclude that the idea of having a superior product to sell to willing buyers is not enough anymore for some companies. They look to be trending towards models that will force a constant revenue stream from customers that prefer to lock in their costs with a permanent seat of software. How many people do you know who are currently using software years old in their business and doing quite well with it. I have to admit that within two years I may well be in a position that the software I have at that time will last me for the rest of my career. I manufacture primarily from my own parts and as long as my CAD can communicate with my CAM and my CNC equipment I don’t HAVE to get anything else from these software companies. I was using an 11-93 Haas VF3 and in part Surfcam from 2006 and VX from 2009 and doing good enough for quite some time. Now with current stuff in my shop I can go for many years without changes or costs to keep current and do just fine. There are lots of companies that can make the same claims and indeed use software from the past to make a lot of money. The true beauty of permanent seats. This includes major corporations like Boeing too where they still have a large CAT4 presence so it is not just the small players.

Don’t you know how much companies like Dassault and Autodesk (yes and Microsoft evidently) hate the idea you can earn money legally with their stuff and not have to pay them each time you do so?

So back to Ralph’s article today and I have some comments about  what Autodesk proposes. It is all about follow the money and how to force customers into never-ending cash cows. It has nothing to do with those mythical cloud efficiencies so oft talked about but never clearly and concisely demonstrated. It is about the iPhone model where you start out with unlimited downloads and in quick order after a level of market penetration is achieved it goes away to be replaced with data caps and charges. In other words after a short period of time your costs will go up. In the case of files your autonomy will most likely go away and indeed perhaps even the right to use your own intellectual property if you can no longer open and edit files because you decide to quit the pay to play extortion racket.  Assuming you have read Ralph’s article and are up to speed let us proceed. You do need to read it for the first paragraph below to make sense..

What would be of interest is the complexity of the jobs allowed for the count or are all jobs created equal for the purpose of counting? My bet would be for a data cap somewhere and that brings me to this point. For around $10,000 you get a Dell mini supercomputer with astounding capabilities for FEA and rendering which seem to be the current sweet spots for multicore usage and which utilizes the Cuda tech for the GPU. The first out of the box is always clunkier and more expensive than what follows so I think it is reasonable for there to be greater capabilities at a lower cost within a year.

Now this will sit in your facility and have no internet related problems with throughput or security (yes that dirty little cloud cuss word) and for the price of one years usage be available for three years. I am basing that upon how long my replacement cycles seem to be. NO data caps from your ISP or from benign corporations like Autodesk who no doubt would never ding you extra for high data uses compared to the norm.

Ah yes, the cloud. That wonderful vehicle for corporations to get you and hold you and charge you. Except that other corporations are building the casket for this cloud model with super computing power cheap enough to sit on most desks in the CAD world and do I bet 95% of what will be needed in a timely fashion. I dare say that the majority of companies that have large complex analysis or renderings also have the wherewithal to buy the more expensive models to sit in their facilities and not go on the cloud and save money and time to.

Don’t you just love the deliberate ambiguities from cloud vendors about exact details and the TOTAL lack of any real ROI true life studies where they take a desktop or server and directly compare it to a cloud doodad with same files usage? And I mean all costs as these cloud guys never cover the ancillary costs associated with their services from tech and IT support to the cost of data over the ISP’s and any special gear needed to make this work on the customer’s end.

https://solidedging.wordpress.com/2011/12/08/last-body-part-needed-for-frankencad-identified/

I vacillate between Frankencad or Draculacad and have a hard time some days deciding which is most appropriate. Today I think I will opt for the bloodsucker.

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Prepackaged Malware for you and the Cloud

Posted on September 14, 2012 | 3 comments

I think the rush to embrace new for the sake of new because a group of people see a way to make money is a foolhardy thing. Yes I know the cloud is going to be used in some areas as I have said before but not for critical data like CAD as far as I am concerned. I am rethinking even for banking as there are more and more problems and at some point in time people will lose out. At the very least to be safe you have to hire something like Lifelock to protect your identity online. There is a price to pay for convenience in either stolen identities and or cash or at the least fees you have to pay each month for insurance like Lifelock.

Cool, tech savvy, cutting edge etc but mostly executives looking to reduce expenses any way possible and believing too much in hype. My favorite types are of course MBA’s and CPA’s without a primary or secondary degree in real world disciplines like Engineering or manufacturing. Basically the same group of clowns that brought you tech support from people who can’t speak English and have to read from the script while they try to solve your problem. Big money saved for them but what about their customers?

Today I read this. http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2012/09/13/microsoft-disrupts-the-emerging-nitol-botnet-being-spread-through-an-unsecure-supply-chain.aspx

This follows what was recently revealed with Military items which were similarly compromised because our MBA CPA types have moved huge chunks of our manufacturing to places like China. Word to the wise. If the company that wants you to put CAD on the Cloud will not make a clear and binding commitment to you as a customer to make you whole from any damages from forced usage of the cloud can you afford to be there? The world is getting more complex all the time and you can ill afford to purchase a service that the offering company will not stand behind when it is you and your company who will be left holding the bag.

If you are wondering about the cloud or considering useage of the cloud for CAD perhaps this would be a link of interest. http://www.zdnet.com/topic-security/ Read this for a few weeks and see for yourself about why none of these cloud for CAD vendors will stand behind what they want you to buy into.

As an aside here. Our government is a serious participant in the undermining of the US manufacturing base. They inflict ADA, EPA, OSHA,  affirmative action, and tons of other things that have gone so far past reasonable or justifiable, like Homeland Security has become, and into the realm of confiscation and socialism that it is hard to imagine this is America anymore. Then they allow companies to relocate to places like China where they can do what they want with ten times the pollution introduced into the atmosphere as what would have happened here and no alphabet agencies to ruin their days.  This November there will be perhaps the last time to vote against all this crap before we slide over the cliff if indeed it is not to late no matter who gets in. I am afraid we are in for a time of real trouble which will last for years no matter what and the best we can do is limit the damage by getting rid of the big government socialists in BOTH parties and begin reconstruction for the future.

I don’t normally put politics in here but sorry, it does affect me as a CAD user and as a company owner and I am getting tired of being walked over by big bad government and lazy people who want to stay at home and goof off while I have to work. Oh, and 100,000 dollar a year teachers that can’t teach in Obama’s back yard. His buds don’t you know.

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Could the Cloud be the Death Knell for Your Company?

Posted on September 4, 2012 | 4 comments

I get emails on occasion questioning me as to why I am so adamant against putting things like CAD data on the cloud. I know the cloud is going to be common place for many more things in the near future than it is today. But the seriousness of your jeopardy there can’t be understated nor plausibly denied. Reading ZDNet stuff today and two articles rear their frightening heads.

http://www.zdnet.com/apple-patent-could-remotely-disable-protesters-phone-cameras-7000003640/

In part I quote.

“U.S. Patent No. 8,254,902, otherwise known as “Apparatus and methods for enforcement of policies upon a wireless device,” was granted in late-August, and would allow phone policies to be set to “chang[e] one or more functional or operational aspects of a wireless device […] upon the occurrence of a certain event.”

What that means in real-terms is “preventing wireless devices from communicating with other wireless devices (such as in academic settings),” and for, “forcing certain electronic devices to enter “sleep mode” when entering a sensitive area.”

What this also means is what can be disabled can be enabled and can be set up no doubt to transmit data back to whomever. I thought people figured I was over reacting to this kind of stuff when I talked about just this type of vulnerability with iPhones and the Chinese who make them. I am quite certain they would NEVER take advantage of this for back doors now would they. ” Could you prease turn you iPhone little, we need better picture” was a comment I made then and now this is in the news. Courtesy of the Cloud and Apple which has a really bad rep for creating hostages and data mining anyway we have your complete junior corporate/hostile government espionage kit soon to be included with every new iPhone. Now it’s not just iPhones that could be capable of this but I think they seem to be leading the way in this corrosive technology.

One of the other things is how much access your government has to your data because you allow it online. http://www.zdnet.com/bad-assumptions-about-cloud-computing-and-the-patriot-act-7000002614/

It was my assumption originally that the Patriot Act which was supposed to provide for the protection of US citizens had as its primary goal a George Orwellian motive and utilised hysteria from 9-11 to get it through. Well Animal Farm is here and along with it the ability of many to access your data and never have to tell you about it. ( By the way, Ayn Rands book “Atlas Shrugged” and George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm” are worthy reads for you and your children if you have not already  done so.)  Apparently when BAE defense in Europe decided to not renew various Microsoft Office products based on what they perceived to be security risks to their data because they felt the US government could access everything as Microsoft was an US company. It turns out there is no safe haven and the Europeans are doing the same to their own citizens to.

Corruption and crony capitalism involving government officials is well-known and sadly appears more and more to be widespread. How easy it has now become to force access to your data through this mechanism of domestic security via the vehicle of bribery or influence peddling. Do you dear reader trust the foxes guarding the hen-house to leave the eggs alone? Do you see any justification anywhere they are trustworthy? I see Eric Holder in this country doing as he pleases with your stuff for whatever reason and who is going to chasten the corrupt top cop? I see companies like Google harvesting tons of things to be used for whatever reason and not telling you what or why. I see the Chinese government who has built a huge economy in part through theft of intellectual property utilizing subpoenas to get what they want when they can’t hack it their way into it.

Now I have laid some actual and philosophical reasons out here for you to consider. I want you to think seriously about what I have said so far and then remember what is the common single thing that makes all this jeopardy possible. It is a method of data mining that you can’t stop or prevent except by one thing and that is to not allow it to happen in the first place. The ONLY known method to stop this type of breach is stay offline. Yes I know the iPhone has a camera that could be used just like a camera for later uploads but remember that the back door I am talking about here is enabled and directed over the web.

I don’t have any good answers for companies that are geographically diverse and feel the need for data transfers. It is in many ways a competitive advantage I know but how can any of this stuff be made truly secure?  I do believe it is time for companies to start a serious review of security measures however from allowing iPhones into your facility and onto the shop floor to what data can you afford to lose by exposure to the internet.

I remember reading of a story where the Russians were interested in some of our aircraft some time back. Well of course they were not allowed to take cameras into the facility but they did take sticky soled shoes in there and wandered around machining areas where they captured alloy samples which they took back with them. The jeopardy for your data lifeblood today is far more pervasive. I fear in many cases the thief is invited in through the corporate boardrooms where promises of security are believed and myopia prevents anything past purview of cost cutting for the next quarter. And make no mistake, the thief IS invited in when you use the cloud. Now you have to determine if the jeopardy is worth it.

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