Yes, I agree. I gave my friend an analogy that went something like this: DSP is a process, just like frying onions is a process. Tools have to be used and procedures followed in the right order. Onions have to be peeled and diced before they are fried. You can try frying the whole onion and dicing it later, but the result will not be the same.
- Acourate: here is your knife, here is your pan. It will happily let you fry the whole onion and dice it later if that's what you want to do. What's bad (or maybe good): you have to learn the entire process and dice the onion yourself. The outcome depends on your skill in dicing onions and frying. What's good: you can use these tools for anything you like. Can make deep fried onion rings or any onion dish that requires a knife and frying pan.
- Audiolense: give me your onion and I will dice and fry it for you. Tell me how you want the onion diced, and how long you want it fried for. What's good: you don't have to learn the process. Much easier for beginners. The outcome is the same. What's bad: knives can be used for other things besides dicing onions. Less versatility and flexibility. Can't make deep fried onion rings if the option isn't included.
- Dirac: give me your onion, and I will dice and fry it for you. Give me a general idea of what you want (caramelized? translucent?). What's good: very easy to use. What's bad: less control over the outcome. Definitely no deep fried onion rings for you.
There are others.
- MATLAB/Octave: here is some metal. Forge your own knife and pan. Then go dice it yourself and fry it. Literally true, you have to make your own tools by typing in equations.
