# Focus, Dammit

- Show: [The Amp Hour](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour)
- Published: 2020-10-25
- Length: 1h 13m
- Episode: 514
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit
- Listen: https://theamphour.com/514-focus-dammit/

## Summary

Dave Jones and Chris Gammell discuss the debate between being a generalist versus a specialist in engineering, using Zephyr RTOS as a case study for focused expertise. They analyze Jay Carlson's comprehensive guide on building embedded Linux systems and the strategic importance of component obsolescence management, citing Raspberry Pi's eight-year supply guarantees. The conversation also covers the challenges of remote work for hardware teams, the downsizing of commercial real estate, and Dave Jones's personal transition to a new home lab setup.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=0) Introduction: Generalist vs. Specialist Debate
- [2:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=124) Zephyr RTOS and Cross-Platform Abstraction
- [13:05](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=785) Jay Carlson's Embedded Linux Guide and BeagleBoard
- [14:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=855) Productivity, Focus, and Engineering Trade-offs
- [37:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=2224) Component Obsolescence and Raspberry Pi Supply Chains
- [48:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=2932) Remote Work and Commercial Real Estate Trends
- [1:00:49](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit#t=3649) Dave Jones's Home Lab Downsizing and ESD History

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Hiring & workforce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/hiring-and-workforce)

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists, early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Zephyr (other)
- Raspberry Pi (product)
- BeagleBoard (company)
- Jay Carlson (other)
- Bare Conductive (company)
- Nimrod (company)
- Altium (company)
- Keysight (other)
- Tektronix (other)
- Garmin (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [191: What, Yogurt!?!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-03-15-191-what-yogurt) (Embedded.fm)
- [400: A Really Long Time](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2022-01-28-400-a-really-long-time) (Embedded.fm)
- [Zephyr with Luka Mustafa](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2025-11-09-zephyr-with-luka-mustafa) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [523: Bad Experience With Donuts](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-04-02-523-bad-experience-with-donuts) (Embedded.fm)
- [248: I'm Not in Charge!](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2018-06-08-248-im-not-in-charge) (Embedded.fm)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-10-25-focus-dammit. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Amp Hour.