Amazing changes at TI

That's not new, first, at least for the parts I've been downloading, the component name has been the name of the file, nicely in lower case. Second, the no-futzing download has been there for a while too. Everything else, app notes, etc., still has a crazy alpha+number name.

In any case, it is nice that TI is making the PDFs easy to get for reference! Do they also have their Ap notes going back to #1?

Ap notes are very handy!

John :-#)#

I remember when the Internet had just been cut from it's umbilical cord and TI was one of the early adopters. I think they have mostly been an engine er driven company which can be seen in some of the mistakes as well as succ esses. Initially they had a great site with good access to data sheet with great information. No fuss, no muss.

As with many new things, trends happen with widening influence. The first I noticed on the web was the marketing driven trend to require users to "si gn up". TI climbed on board that train and made it harder to get data shee ts. About the same time they made it clear they would not be producing dat a books for new devices and eventually stopped printing data books already in print.

I think they dropped the sign up requirement before too long. But about th at same time they started "organizing" the web site in marketing ways so as to make it harder for engineers to find "info".

I think most suppliers web sites have been this way for many years now. I recall trying to find overall views of various products and not being able to tell which products did what. Essentially I would need to download ever y data sheet for every part they made to be able to find what I needed.

TI started using what look like spread sheets on their web pages to let you compare components. But for many, like their MCUs they group them in ways that only makes sense to marketing, not by the functionality as engineers see parts. Once I literally could not find the information I wanted becaus e the same family of parts had different members listed under different pag es of the site.

The fact that you only have to click one link at the product page to open t he data sheet is not a big improvement when you had to click so many times to reach the right product page. How many clicks was it before? I don't r ecall having much trouble with that. In fact, the data sheet link was alwa ys toward the top of the page at TI, no?

what's next, Maxim making chips that work the way the datasheet says??

Hey, let's not get crazy!

I thought that problem was they only even make enough for samples

... some time before they go EOL.

Must have been fun back in the day when you could just get a few transistors on the same die in a case for 50 cent like:

now everyone's like "that'll never sell"

Electronics has always been fun, now more than ever.

Perhaps Maxim selling chips for which they have produced a datasheet?

nd TI was one of the early adopters. I think they have mostly been an engi neer driven company which can be seen in some of the mistakes as well as su ccesses. Initially they had a great site with good access to data sheet wi th great information. No fuss, no muss.

But Texas Instrument data sheets have always being influenced by the market ing department. This was obvious back in 1974 when I had to identify second source parts and data sheets, and I've been reminded of it from time to ti me ever since.

t I noticed on the web was the marketing driven trend to require users to " sign up". TI climbed on board that train and made it harder to get data sh eets. About the same time they made it clear they would not be producing d ata books for new devices and eventually stopped printing data books alread y in print.

That made sense.

that same time they started "organizing" the web site in marketing ways so as to make it harder for engineers to find "info".

Marketing wants to push sales of particular parts. They aren't conscious of the fact that subtle difference between parts can mean that ostensibly si milar parts won't work in specific applications.

I recall trying to find overall views of various products and not being abl e to tell which products did what. Essentially I would need to download ev ery data sheet for every part they made to be able to find what I needed.

Marketing worries about what high volume users find important. There may be many more low volume users, but even if they collectively bought more part s marketing isn't going to put much effort into making them happy.

ou compare components. But for many, like their MCUs they group them in wa ys that only makes sense to marketing, not by the functionality as engineer s see parts. Once I literally could not find the information I wanted beca use the same family of parts had different members listed under different p ages of the site.

Typical.

TI sucks in organizing their stuff.

Ever tried the fancy Stellaris software libraries? Same mess as the website : non consistent approach, some stuff needs to be compiled in command line only (with non working makefile scripts and batch files), demo projects con sisting of linked files only, so no way to easily modify and share them wit h colleagues without breaking those links...

My personale solution is: I've estimated the hours needed to fix all that c r@p, and then I've persuated my company to switch elsewhere. As per today, next candidate is intel/altera soc for serious stuff and st (or nxp) for sm all projects.

Also avoid Ti and maxim devices as possibile.