Abstract :
The author argues that in some ways there is not a lot of difference to designing before or after the production of the Thatcham rules in terms of the basic professional approach to the design function. However Thatcham is a milestone in the history of car alarm development and one can only hope that the milestone does not become a millstone or a stumbling block. So long as rules assist and do not constrain then they have a useful place to play in the scheme of things
