17 Feb
2017
17 Feb
'17
1:36 p.m.
Alan Hightower wrote:
Being a long time Eagle user, I'll chime in too. Most responses from
KiCAD advocates miss the mark on the fundamental issue. Sure the
features are converging and I have no doubt KiCAD will catch-up. It has
already surpassed Eagle in many feature areas. But people who routinely
spend dozens of hours a week doing eCAD work (> than a hobbyist), use
their tool as a super-efficient extension of their workflow intent. To
suddenly switch to a tool with an entirely different workflow or UI
mechanics is like a right handed person trying to relearn how to do
everything left handed. It's takes a really long frustrating time. Maybe
even longer than if you didn't know Eagle, Altium, Cadence, DS5000, etc
to begin with.
My hope is the KiCAD community would see this as an opportunity to
significantly grow the user base by adding conversion tools and UI
improvements designed to help new-comers from other tools transition
more easily; even prioritize them short-term over additional new
features. Even vi and emacs have mutual key-binding compatibility modes
designed to ease transitions - and the user base couldn't be more
divided on pride.
Who should made those tools if not the people that needs them ..eg. you?
And why you think should KiCad priorize your wishes over new features or
the others? YOU want this, do it.
I'm not a full time layouter but that KiCad thing fits my needs very
well. I can do commercial stuff w/o pay thousend Dollars to someone to
have a software handy (not for owning it like before Autodesk was the
owner) that connects every now and then to a license Server on the net...
..and is doing what exactly? Nothanks.
I find the KiCAD UI 'clunky' and it really
isn't. It's only clunky
coming from my Eagle point of view.
-Alan
For sure there are many things still todo for the KiCad people, but this
nose high attitude "thats vor arduino people only" is the wrong thing
for sure.. (german saying: Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall)
It could do much much more and much better than what you pay for it.
I had a KiCad development version for approx a year running on my
FreeBSD Host that I'm using for my delay work, updated for a week or so
and I can say de biggest difference to the previous version is a well
sorted and big footprint libraryw with many additional 3D Extensions!
Maybe you should have a look again.
I've used the predecessor of KiCad's PCBnew (simply PCB) before KiCad,
it had no Schematics Editor but could use Netlists, wasn't restriced in
PCB sizes and could do 6 layers (more than I ever would need). I've done
footprints on my own in the past..so what?
Do you want to know how eagles UI feels from my point of view?
Regards,
Holm
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