That means it has helped to solve about twenty-six thousand little problems since I hired it in 1985. I cursed its liver for not having the blade needed for the job at hand. People have always hungered to correct pesky failures, to implement their inspiration, to physically flaunt their know-how.
Computers also qualify as design tools.
Iterative versions can be tried quickly and affordably. CAD eases tiresome chores by calculating and displaying stress and strain, costs, production schedules, for each new version. Widely separated designers can work together online. But electronic tools of analysis and simulation can merely display attributes. Heft, drape, scale, tactility, and wieldliness can only be intimately assessed by engaging a real object.