I am NOT a SW guy per say - I do ASIC/System level emulation - my way. It is a task that requires HW, different pieces of SW, scripting and work in the lab - but boy'o'boy - did U hit the nail RIGHT on the head. I worked for 4 years in a small but fiery start up and developed all the necessary pieces to emulate our system of 40M gates for about 1/10 of the $$ of commercial solutions - exactly the way U described it - in my head and in the (scarce) off hours....
Anyway, the startup didn't make it for the same lame reasons hundreds don't make it - abysmal (mis)management decisions that no technology can defeat :(
Now for a year I live in the quiet HELL of a bigger (and BIGGER) company where I HAVE to push the 2 buttons that I am assigned to and constantly reminded to shut up and watch the buttons I am assigned to push....
You touched a RAW nerve!
vess