Re: gEDA-user: is gEDA a good choice for designers?

[Steve Meier <smeier@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Duncan,

I use a heavily modified (and at times buggy but getting better) version
of geda and I have built a couple of very complex boards but it isn't easy.
We have also built a number of more strieght forward boards and geda/pcb
seemed very much up to the job. Geda, gschem and gnetlist more
correctly, can export netlists to a number of layout tools besides pcb
as well as to a few simulators. PCB for some level of board is very
capable and very affordable.

I think that there are three points you need to overcome to use geda/pcb.

1) Do your customers expect your designs to be in a commercial eda format?

2) Do you need hierarchical Buses?

3) Do you need back anotation?

If you answer yes to any of these then geda/pcb isn't there yet and may
never be. If you would like to discuss your project requirements either
here or more privately don't hesitate to ask.

Best Wishes,

Steve Meier





Duncan Drennan wrote:
> I decided to give gEDA a go as my design tool for a project (I've
> previously used PCAD and ORCAD), but now that I'm about to put pen to
> paper I'm questioning whether using gEDA is a good long term solution.
> I'm an electronic engineer and currently contract out my skills, so
> the solution needs to satisfy my commercial needs.
>
> The most important thing to me is how long it will take me to learn
> gEDA, and whether learning it is a good choice in the long term. One
> of my worries is that at some point I'll need functions and
> interoperability that gEDA can't provide, and then I'll have to move
> to a commercial tool.
>
> My other concern is interacting with other professionals. I prefer to
> only do the schematic capture, and then pass the PCB layout onto
> someone else (as it is time consuming, and there are more productive
> things for me to do). I'm concerned that gEDA may make this process
> more difficult.
>
> Reading comments like, "This document and gnetlist in general are
> pretty ALPHA, so keep that in mind as you use it to generate
> netlists." (http://www.geda.seul.org/wiki/geda:gnetlist_ug) don't help
> to ease ones mind when making an important design decision.
>
> So what do you think? If you were in a situation of choosing a design
> flow solution that you plan to use for a couple of years, what would
> you choose?
>
> (on a separate note, if you are experienced with pcb, and interested
> in doing layout, let me know what your hourly rate is).
>
> Regards,
> Duncan
>
>
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>   



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