Innovation in the Midst of Cautious Spending. (industry watch).(SolidWorks 2001 Plus from SolidWorks, Architectural Desktop 3.3 from AutoCad)

Cadence, December, 2001 by Williams, Arnie

We are smack-dab in the middle of a hunker-down economy. With the slope in the negative direction for so much of the business sector, our daily papers are filled with reports of layoffs, business shutdowns, and cost-cutting-induced mergers. Even cautious prognosticators I've spoken with figure we have a good two years ahead of us before we can consider ourselves on the road to recovery.

What happens to an industry that depends so much on innovation in order to stay viable during times like these? Do technology developers close down their R&D and hunker down with everyone ...