[Thumbgps-devel] Build vs. modify vs. what should we be doing anyway?

[Patrick Maupin]

On Mon, Mar 12, 2012 at 4:37 PM, Eric S. Raymond <esr at thyrsus.com> wrote:
> Good point.  Then, though, we're dealing with the risk that our supplier
> will EOL the product we're blue-wiring.  I can tell you from experience
> that consumer-grade GPSes like these have ridiculously short lifetimes.

Which is why the most important thing is to get the process down of
identifying what works and be able to vet a new device quickly.  As I
explained in my original posting, even high-dollar modules can get
EOLed, and then you're out money on your PCB blanks.   The only other
alternative is to pick a reasonable build size and always build that
many at a time.  But the problem with that batch mode is that you're
either carrying a lot of (more expensive than $23/unit) inventory, or
you're always out of stock when somebody wants one, or (more likely)
you oscillate between those two states.