COFES - what did we learn?

Being part of the orgnization team of COFES has many advantages, but sometimes I realize that I am often too close to the event to truly gain value from it. My participation in Discussion Groups gets cut short while I work to keep other discussion groups on schedule. When the award plaques disappear, I get pulled from an intense, but quite funny, conversation with 'The Brit Pack' (Martyn Day, Al Dean, Allan Behrens and a few more.) I come away from the event so exhausted that I am unsure quite what I did and learned until a few days after.

So now it's a few days after. Here goes:

Comment from some bright spark - the two biggest companies in the CAD/CAM field are now Adobe and Google. hmmm. Is this a trend or an abberation?

What was the biggest activity at COFES? - Besides talking, which everyone did a lot of, it was companies and technologies looking to be sold to the highest bidder...the trend for M&A gathers strength.

What causes Dick Morley to innovate? - usually being pissed-off about something results in him innovating something to address it. The guy's a problem-solver extraordinaire.

Where do ideas for innovations generally come from? No one knows.

Why was Apple there? - my take: with a new set of hardware, the company is increasing its push into engineering applications yet more. I predict more announcement activity in that area on the next few weeks and months.

What is the future of engineering software? - my personal view judging by the new technology we saw this last week: working holographically (virtual 3D) with various 'pointer' tools while being able to rapidly manipulate highly flexible curves, shapes and lines interactively and fluidly, without worrying about history-trees, features and the like.

Who are innovating in the CAD/CAM industry? With one exception, it is the old guys of the industry, not the young things. (if anyone saw different, speak up.)

Does interoperability (or lack of) still upset people? yes.

Will AEC and GIS truly integrate? With Google around, I believe so.

Where is the Internet taking engineering? No one knows, but Peter Marks is doing some very interesting research into that side of things.

Do the british editors drink too much? Absolutely, but as a happy result I am awash in speculation and gossip that i cannot tell you about...yet.

What is the future of COFES? With the addition of blogs, forums and wikis on the cofes.com web site, I think we will see a number of interesting conversations added to the industry.

What companies should we watch? Sketchup/Google definitely; SolidWorks which has attachments to a bunch of interesting technologies that are in skunkworks mode right now; FreeDesign from Dick Sowar; Geomate; EASA.

More coming in next bulletin when I have had yet more chance to digest what occured.

Comments

[al dean]

British Editors do NOT drink too much.. you lot don't drink enough so we, as ever, have to bail you out... and what is it with bloody American's stealing all my ciggerettes?

Where does innovation come from? people's head.. simple as that, nothing to do with software, hardware or systems... thinking = innovation

Interoperability. Buy some software (talk to elysium for a start) and it'll work. Wait for the main vendors to sort the problems - it'll be a cold day in hell first...

What did I learn at COFES? Not to mix red-wine with gin in industrial quantities, hot tubs are fun, US cornflakes taste different, Ed Miller is a poolshark - and that people still think this software is hard to use.. seriously.. and that, if they'll have me, I'll be back for more next year

Final thought: there's nothing more delightful than a very drunk italian writer telling you filthy jokes in a second language.. its not a record - BUT its a good size.