There was once a very clever man who invented a device which changed the world and for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
But The Nobel Prize came many years later. At the time of the invention, critics pointed out three major things wrong with it:
- It used germanium to make its resistors and capacitors, while everyone knew that the best material for making resistors was nichrome and the best material for making capacitors was Mylar.
- It would be hard to make. An estimated 90 per cent of the devices would be faulty.
- It would put established circuit designers out of work.
"These objections were hard to overcome because they were all true", said the inventor and later Nobel Laureate.
FABLE: Don't expect instant recognition for great inventions.
David, If you are referring to Jack Kilby, you should also mention Robert Noyce, who was a co-inventor (actually the current IC's that are manufactured resemble Noyce's idea more).
Jack was a smart engineer but Noyce was a great engineer who championed for the whole semiconductor industry!
When looking back from the viewpoint of the solution the path taken to get there is often blindingly obvious, and the only possible option. From the other end of this same path, however, the view is rarely as clear.
Spoken like a philiosopher, if I may say so, Ian.
But sometimes it's not clear from either end. For instance how many materials did Edison go through before he found carbonised bamboo as a filament for a light bulb? Hundreds.
Of course, of course Bipin, but this little fable was never trying to be a comprehensive history of the IC industry - just a little story illustrating how carping, unaccepting and critical people can be when wonderful new things are done
:)David, I agree with you on the Fable and it can strengthened by the fact that maybe you would not even live to see the impact of your inventions.
Yes indeed, Bipin