Patent ID: 8326926

Claim:
A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform steps of a method comprising: (a) receiving at a first computer user input indicating a first requested change to a printed circuit board design; (b) transmitting data corresponding to the first requested change to a second computer; (c) receiving at the first computer a communication from the second computer corresponding to the first requested change; (d) in response to the communication received in step (c), making the first requested change to a copy of the printed circuit board design stored at the first computer; (e) receiving multiple additional communications from the second computer, wherein each of the multiple additional communications corresponds to a subsequent requested change to the printed circuit board design, each of the subsequent requested changes is a different change, at least one of the subsequent requested changes originated at the first computer, at least one of the subsequent requested changes originated at a computer which is not the first computer, and each of the multiple additional communications and the communications received in step (c) includes an identifier associated with the originating computer for the requested change corresponding to the communication; (f) determining, for each of the communications received in steps (c) and (e), the originating computer for the corresponding requested change; and (g) prior to making each of the subsequent requested changes to the copy of the printed circuit board design stored at the first computer, adjusting settings of the first computer to match settings of the originating computer for that requested change, the adjusting being performed without modifying the copy of the printed circuit board design, wherein for each of the subsequent requested changes, altering at least one of the settings of the first computer will cause that requested change to be made in a different manner, and wherein the settings of the first computer include a trace width or via diameter.