[Elecraft] Interesting Read: Dinosaur Concepts - why are we always so conservative

[Jon Perelstein]

A paean to the good old days of analog is nice, but the primary reason for
digital processing having becoming the dominant form is that it's more
accurate, can do more things, is more flexible, and generally speaking
(there are exceptions) can do them at a lower cost than equivalent analog
methods (to the extent that there are equivalent analog methods).

 

Analog computers cannot begin to process payrolls, run accounting systems,
or even run logging programs.  Similarly, one can do more/be more flexible
in terms of filtering or other radio operations.  For example, while digital
processing can be programmed to remove interference that is on the same
frequency as the desired information.  Doing the same with analog processing
is almost never (I'm sure there are exceptions) possible because analog
processing cannot separate out noise on a frequency from the information
being carried on that frequency.

 

Yes, it does take a lot of lines of programming to do it, but it can be done
(versus analog where most times it cannot be done).  And that programming
can be used again and again and again and again to stamp out circuits that
all work exactly the same with relatively cheap components.  Analog
processing, on the other hand, requires very very very careful matching of
components to make sure that they are exactly perfectly the same each time.

 

It's fine if you prefer the sound of analog signal processing to that of
digital signal processing.  It's fine if you prefer vinyl records to CDs.
It's even fine if you prefer tubes to transistors.  That's all personal
taste and to each his own.  But never forget that the reason that digital
won is that it can do more, be more flexible, and do it at a lower cost.

 

Jon

KB1QBZ