@Honda_Blackbird Thank you for the explanation. 
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The transmission guys think that the automated shifting systems are fantastic. It should be incorporated in each and every vehicle - small or large,
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Here’s a link to a photo of both helical and straight cut gears with text included.
CSA
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Nobody has mentioned heel & toe driving. (Some cars are naturally better suited for the technique by pedal design. Some cars are not)
I have used heel and toe so much that it has became nearly “automatic” (no pun intended). Starting on hills is not a problem for one skilled in heel & toe, works great for downshifting, and I can’t imagine driving a manual without employing it.
My feet just “automatically” (pun intended) assume the position when needed or when I feel like it. It is nearly a subconscious motion.
It makes me feel just like Jackie Stewart! 
CSA
Are You also gonna feel qualified for having the titel " the gentleman driver" attached to You as he had? 
I love it when those heads pop up! You have my undivided attention!
I agree. Gear whine is nice, just like exhaust notes that rumble your chest. But it’s like a dessert you break out only occasionally or it loses its appeal…
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I’ve been driving for about 44 years now and have driven both automatics and manuals. I just bought another car a couple months ago which is my first experience with a CVT. I drove an '88 Escort Pony that had a manual 4 speed in Charlotte, NC traffic for years and never thought anything about it. When I finally quit driving the '88 Pony it had 518K miles on it. The clutch in the Pony was changed at about 300K miles and it still had that clutch in it when I quit driving it. I still have a '97 Ford Escort with a 5 speed manual. I started driving manual transmissions when I was about 21 years old. One day I stopped at a dealership to look at an MG Midget and ended up trading in my automatic transmission car for the MG. Until that time I’d driven a manual very little but I got in it and drove it home without any trouble.
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I kinda doubt it 
, but back in the early (?) 70s I did drive my Clementine Orange (VW’s name, not mine) 71 VW Super Beetle w/sliding sun-roof and Baja Bug wheels, out to Watkins Glen, and just about leaning on the track’s guard rail (loose safety restrictions back then), saw Jackie (with plaid band around his helmet) win the United States Grand Prix. 
It was a blast!
CSA
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I don’t think eaton was the first one to replace synchro with clutches and call it an auto. Honda has been doing that since the 80s because they weren’t going to buy automatics from Aisin, whose controlling share is held by Toyota. While it’s a simple way to sell automatic transmissions, it has many open clutches which are sources of power loss as sticky fluid trapped between clutch plates generates viscous drag.
This is where commercial automated manual comes to play. It uses low crawler gear that are much more efficient at converting power to torque than a torque converter. It uses dog clutches instead of wet clutches that trap fluid between rotating plates. The tried and true components are not subjected to driver abuse as they are programmed to perform the proper motion only when it is safe
Btw, I had a colleague who drove a Toyota pickup from the 80s for 30 years until the clutch slave cylinder failed. Instead of fixing it immediately, he shifted that thing without using the clutch for 3 months…he has a CDL so he knew how to do it properly. The only reason he fixed the clutch linkage was because it had to work to qualify for the cash for clunker program. He ended up with a 2010 Tacoma with a manual. A failed component in a manual may not necessarily leave you stranded.
I consider “fun” driving to be cruising on an interstate at 60 mph in an early 60’s Cadillac with the engine turning 2000 rpm and my hands in my lap with two fingers on the wheel.
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Sounds like my Bonneville, but I think it’s only turning about 1700-1750 revs at that speed. When I’m north in summer where the Bonneville lives I sometimes car pool with a seasonal neighbor. I talked him into Monday Seniors golf. Anyhow, he says the Bonneville cruises better than some kind of Lincoln MK something or other (don’t know those cars) that he bought for his wife. He acted a little surprised.
CSA
I didn’t imply Eaton was a ground-breaker in that regard . . .
Anyways . . . my sister-in-law had a 1990 Accord that was equipped with the kind of “automatic” transmission we’re discussing
She only kept it 13 years, so I’ll never know how rugged it might have been
yup . . . on one of my previous cars, at least one of the synchros was bad for years. So when shifting into that particular gear, I had to “rev match” or whatever you call it, in order to get into that gear. It wasn’t that big of a deal, it didn’t really slow me down, and I didn’t grind gears, either
My three cars are manual. Increasingly hard to find except on models labelled “sports cars.” Personally I favor them because it keeps me more focused on driving. Not great for regular stop-and-go driving, although modern hydraulic clutches are so much lighter than the cable clutches of yore. Clutch replacement is an added maintenance item, although my two replacements were at 240K and 200K miles. I have had to park it myself because the valet couldn’t drive stick. On the plus side, with care a manual box should last just about forever. The one in my 97 Civic is pushing 443,000 miles without complaint.
Put the parking brake on and as you let off the clutch release the brake. Eventually you will become so good at driving the stick you won’t need to use the brake. The major problem with a stick comes if you have damage to your knees or arthritis it becomes painful to constantly push the clutch in.