Re: gEDA-user: geda cygwin package

[Joerg <joergsch@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

John Doty wrote:
> On May 15, 2009, at 10:43 AM, Joerg wrote:
> 
>> Peter Baxendale wrote:
>>> On Thu, 2009-05-14 at 13:25 -0400, al davis wrote:
>>>
>>>> Educators typically use simulators very poorly, as if they
>>>> themselves don't understand.  In most cases, the total use is a
>>>> few specified runs with a couple of graphs, that you do after
>>>> everything else is done.  A more appropriate use of simulators
>>>> is to explore things that you can't see with real measurements.
>>>> There is a lot that you can find out about a circuit that you
>>>> can't measure in a practical way.
>>>>
>>>> Students need to learn to be flexible, and they need to learn to
>>>> use computers effectively, not just by kicking the GUI a few
>>>> times.  EE's, even analog designers, need to learn some serious
>>>> programming.
>>>>
>>> You're right, of course. In mitigation let me say that the particular
>>> course for which I use swcad (LTSpice) is 4 x 2hr sessions for a  
>>> dozen
>>> students who've never seen an electronic cad package before. I try to
>>> give them an understanding of the process from design to schematic to
>>> test by simulation to pcb. I use gschem/gattrib/gsch2pcb/pcb and  
>>> swcad.
>>> The choice of swcad was a compromise to give me a better chance of
>>> fitting it all in. It just gives them a taster for what might be
>>> possible using simulation.
>>>
>> IMHO that was a smart choice. Whether we like it or not, nearly all of
>> those kids will be owning Windows-based laptops plus some maybe with
>> Apple. It is best when they can simply use the simulator on their own
>> laptops so they have a chance to keep working on a problem over  
>> lunch or
>> on weekends.
>>
> 
> For a class, a better solution might be a live memory stick. You can  
> fit a Linux (I'd probably choose Ubuntu) on a $10 stick. Install gEDA  
> et al., make copies, distribute to students. Most likely there will  
> be fewer problems this way than dealing with software imported into  
> multiple versions and configurations of an alien environment. This  
> should even work for an Intel Mac. Then everybody's running the same  
> thing, same appearance, same facilities, few surprises (there are  
> never *no* surprises). Maybe have 'em hand in their work on their  
> stick, save trees...
> 

That would work. Ubuntu is nice but I don't know if it works well enough 
on all popular laptops and netbooks. However, you'd have to cajole 
students into either coughing up those $10 or bring a USB stick. 
Unbelievable but such "expenses" aren't in the cards in a lot of places. 
While xx million is spent in "use it or lose it" fashion on 
non-essentials like replacing a perfectly good running track. Gets my 
blood boiling ...

-- 
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/



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