The traditional approach to proprietary printer drivers is to found a software movement that reimplements the entire operating system from scratch, and invent licenses that prevent distributors from keeping their changes to the system secret.
This is how layers of process accrete around an organization, each to address a previous screwup. Until nothing gets done at all, except fulfilling the requirements of the process.
There is a tradeoff between frequency and severity of screwups and rate of progress. This tradeoff should be made deliberately; just going from "screwups always bad" will not reach the best balance for the health of the organization.
Analog scopes are still a thing, especially when compared with cheap digital ones that often distort things or flatly don't show them. If one has only 150 bucks to allocate for a scope, unless the digital scope added functions (math, storage, etc) are needed, the best choice is often an used analog one. Digital scopes start to become interesting when they go up in features and price, 12/14 bit ADCs, much higher s/r, high res screens, etc.
I second this advice, and would add another reason: Buy an analog scope while you can still find them for cheap! They don't make good ones anymore. The analog scope is a lifetime purchase.
But the calibration point still applies. On my Tek 454, there are calibration knobs built right into the UI. The user is expected to tweak and calibrate as they go, and depending on the measurement. (Often the shape of the waveform is all you are trying to see.)
I un-second it, if that's 'a thing', I think that was solid advice 10+ years ago, but not any more. The decent ones are less often seen, and they're collectors' items so they go for more than they're worth (to the audience the advice is directed at).
Unless doing something very particular straight off the bat (like audio or power or something) a beginner is better advised to get a cheap MSO / multichannel DSO, IMO, even computer based.
As of my order last week, Mouser no longer offers economy shipping.
Most of my orders from Mouser are things that are out-of-stock at Digi-Key. Maybe this is how they lose and join the also-ran, only-for-big-companies distributors like Allied and Newark.
only-for-big-companies distributors like Allied and Newark.
Huh? I'm strictly a hobbyist and I order from Newark all the time, and have never had any issues with them. If anything they are my first "go to" site to check for parts, or possibly it's a "1A / 1B" thing with them and Mouser. Nothing about my interactions with Newark have ever given me a "only for big companies" vibe, FWIW.
That would make sense. I know at least in my own mind, I see Arrow as one of the "mainly focused on big businesses" distributors. Then again, I've never actually tried ordering anything from them, so I could be wrong about that...
