478: The Map Is Not the Territory
Jan Rychter, founder of PartsBox, explains how a simple desire to track electronic components evolved into a complex software platform for inventory and production control. He discusses the surprising finding that only about 250,000 unique parts are actually used in hobbyist and small-scale commercial builds, despite millions existing. Rychter also critiques the embedded software ecosystem, noting that electrical engineers often write poorly designed software due to a lack of training in software design patterns and abstraction.