What's the most frustrating 'feature' in modern PLC programming software that makes experienced engineers miss the days of physical relay logic panels?

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You know what really grinds my gears about modern PLC programming software? It's got to be the over-complicated user interfaces that bury simple functions under layers of menus and toolbars. Back in the day with physical relay panels, you could literally see the entire circuit at a glance - every wire, every contact, every coil was right there in front of you. Now you're clicking through multiple windows, hunting for that one specific function that used to be as straightforward as connecting two wires.

The software tries to be 'smart' with auto-completion and 'helpful' features that often just get in the way. When you're troubleshooting at 2 AM and the machine's down, you don't want fancy animations or 'intuitive' workflows - you want direct access to the logic, just like you had with those physical relays where you could trace a problem with your eyes and hands.

And don't even get me started on the licensing nightmares and compatibility issues between different software versions. With relay panels, once it was wired, it just worked - no software updates breaking your carefully crafted logic or subscription fees to keep your programming environment functional.

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What's the most frustrating 'feature' in modern PLC programming software that makes experienced engineers miss the days of physical relay logic panels?

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