Re: gEDA-user: geda/PCB missing in 'Elektor' CAD software comparison

[Christoph Lechner <cl0023@xxxxxxx>]

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Bert Timmerman wrote:
> Hi all,
Hi,

> 
> Having a subscription to Elektor since 1978 or so, I have rarely seen any
> article based on *nix kind of OS applications.
OK, I was born in 1984, so I don't have that much Elektor experience :)

> Elektor seems to live in it's own M$ based universe.
Might be true. But OTOH, in their review of the Eagle suite of tools
they mention that Eagle is available for Windoze as well as Linux and
Mac OS.

> 
> Most applications (including most firmware), which can be downloaded from
> the Elektor website, can only be installed/run from a M$ based platform.
> 
> At best one is given a hex file or source (Visual Basic ?) to play with.
> 
> IMHO, not a Open Source / Open Hardware mindset at all.
I blame the authors of the articles too, because they decide if their
source code or whatever is available or not.

So why did I start using the geda suite, although there was a Protel
installation ready to use?
The reason was that I realized that every design I do with any
commercial software just makes it harder to switch the software. It's
like some sort of cage around _your_ design. Because you want to reuse
your schematics, you want to use your symbols etc. pp. So first, I
started to do schematic capture with gschem, doing only the layout with
commercial software. So at least schematics are under my control.

That's just another point I'd add to a letter.

Feel free to add other points to add. This is why I kicked off that thread!


> Anyway, it's not all bad, they seem to have good HW designs from time to
> time, so I keep the subscription, ... and it keeps me busy in maintaining at
> least one M$ platform, so I do not estrange from my collegues at work and
> keep in touch with the evil empire :-)
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> Bert Timmerman.
> 
> PS: Maybe a proper win-gEDA installer will get the attention of Elektor.
They're possibly missing a simple, one-click installation. For some
systems, RPMs (or whatever package manager they use) exist, keeping the
level of frustration low.
But building programs on your own is part of the Linux experience :) Not
kidding; I believe that advanced Linux users sometimes have to compile
something on their own. If you have all the dev packages of the
libraries on your box, it's almost like a one-click installation. (OK
you have to enter 'make' ...)

regards
	Christoph
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