Re: gEDA-user: footprint creation war

[Philipp Klaus Krause <pkk@xxxxxxx>]

Phil Taylor wrote:
> The best way I've found to create footprints is in a text editor.
> 
> If there is the goal of making a shared library, shouldn't the parts going
> into it be detailed and exact as only text-written parts can be?  Think of
> converting a footprint's dimensions from mils to millimeters and reading
> "2.00" on your calculator ... it gives legibility and confidence. 
> 
> Does anyone have a problem if I recommend on the wiki that writing footprints
> in text is the fastest(?) best(?) most precise(?) most legible(?) or ____ way
> to make footprints?
> 
> Does anyone actually make footprints on-screen?
> 
> Phil

I think creating them on-screen is better for casual users like me.
Nearly everyone using pcb will have to create custom footprints. The
on-screen method (the short one from the manual) is easy to learn.
If you only create two or three pcbs per year you don't want to learn
all the complicated stuff which may be the better way to do it when
creating lots of them.

I don't even use gschem for the same reason: Creating schematics,
especially creating new symbols is a lot easier and faster with pencil
and paper than with gschem. Handling pencil and paper is something I
learned a long time ago anyway (and I didn't have to read a manual for it).

Philipp