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

[Eric S. Raymond]

Patrick Maupin <pmaupin at gmail.com>:
> 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. 

I believe that.  But I also know some things about this corner of the
market that tend to reassure me on thast score.

1. The NRE on GPS modules (like the SparkFun GP2106) is a lot higher
than it is on the PCBs and enclosures for the consimer products.

2. Accordingly, they have longer product lifetimes. 

So by dropping down a level we'd trade higher up-front costs for a
substantial reduction in supply-chain volatility.
-- 
		<a href="http://www.catb.org/~esr/">Eric S. Raymond</a>