I have never tried actually installing and evaluating gEDA as of yet (either under Windows or Linux), but while reading some documentaton hosted by its website (late last year, IIRC), I gather that the "standard" version of the PCB package for gEDA (i.e. in which no modifications have been made to any of its source code) does not provide a bottom side Paste Mask layer (? and doesn't provide a bottom side Overlay layer either ?).
So even though I personally loathe assorted shortcomings within Altium Designer, I don't think that the intellectual giants within Altium's management have too much to worry about as far as competition from gEDA is concerned, or at least not for the time being. (There are doubtless at least some sufficiently determined people who are prepared to jump through all of the hoops necessary to install and subsequently use gEDA, and who are also happy with its capabilities, but I also surmise that such people would be unlikely to purchase AD in any case.) I can't recall its name or other details right now, but I do have recollections of hearing about yet another open source and/or freeware PCB design application which runs on Windows (or else either on Windows or Linux). However I would still be surprised if it is significantly superior to gEDA as far as its capabilities are concerned, so for the time being, anyone wanting a "serious" PCB design applications still has to decide which of the commercial products is "least vile" in nature. In that regard, the market for PCB design applications is relatively small (compared with the market for other applications such as word processing, etc), and it is also not straightforward to write the source code for such applications if they are to be of a truly satisfactory nature (as far as both user-friendliness and capabilities are concerned). So while it would be nice to think that AD could be a lot less buggy than what it is, it also seems that the odds are still stacked against its users ever getting to enjoy such an outcome. It has been many years since I last used AutoCAD (the last time I did so, it was still a DOS version), but my recollections of using it was that it didn't seem to be afflicted with bugs of a "basic" or "fundamental" nature (unlike another certain application), and as such, I am wondering if there is anyone here who has had any experience in using the most recent version (or otherwise another relatively recent version), and is thus able to report on what it is like, as far as bugs, defects, and other shortcomings are concerned. I would be surprised to hear that it is totally bug-free, or even that bugs are almost unheard of, but I am still curious as to whether users have to contend with defects which afflict elementary procedures (such as creating printouts, moving and/or rotating objects, etc), and/or whether they have to jump through hoops, or otherwise contend with commands of a "clunky" nature, when undertaking elementary procedures. I am well aware that AutoCAD is not a cheap application to purchase. That said, nor is another certain application in this day and age, so it would definitely be interesting to learn whether AutoCAD is "shipped" to a distinctly higher standard... Regards, Geoff Harland. >I agree. > >If it's the tired and blue "Kill Bill" mentality so prevalent amongst >certain anti-establishment quarters, perhaps someone might even go so >far as to suggest that the disgruntled, aging hippy boss get some >professional psychological assistance with his um...problems. > >Or I'd suggest that you consider a job change in the near future, as >he's likely to screw your career without a second thought in order to >further his political objectives. After all, you're talking about >someone who wants to drop a package which your company already >presumably owns (gleaned from your post) for a relatively unproven >open-source product, operating on a platform which itself to this date >has not really been proven to be economically viable for circuit design >and analysis outside of the hobbyist realm. > >Even the entry that Mr Selfridge claims as a Linux equivalent is a hack >in comparison to Protel...8 layers? > >And I'm a fan of open source. But let's get real. > >aj Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________ You are subscribed to the PEDA discussion forum To Post messages: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe and Other Options: http://techservinc.com/mailman/listinfo/peda_techservinc.com Browse or Search Old Archives (2001-2004): http://www.mail-archive.com/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Browse or Search Current Archives (2004-Current): http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
