The embedded muse is always filled with interesting links and articles. In the last issue I read this: Compared to what? about cost of firmware. In fact I think that the main problem we programmer face when trying to have our work recognized by non-programmers (usually those who sign paychecks) is that it is very hard to describe what we do to non-programmers. Going in details to explain how hard it is can be out of our reach.That’s like to say that programming (real programming, not integration or recompiling demo projects) has a non-intuitive grade of complexity.
This reminds of a recent project which I routinely failed to have the upper management appreciate the complexity, since they perceived it as a replacement for an electrical system (a couple of lights, buttons and wires). In fact the firmware equivalent of such simple system was completed in a short time. The rest of the time (actually quite a large amount of time) went in what couldn’t be done by a plain electrical system (graphical display, history, complex priority and communication management).