Re: gEDA-user: gEDA/gaf capabilities

[Randall Nortman <geda-lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Nov 07, 2007 at 09:44:24AM -0500, eswint@xxxxxx wrote:
> 
> 
> I am looking using gEDA/gaf for my own activities and ran across an archived
> newsgroup exchange providing a critique of gEDA/gaf and a call for user input
> on what's important to them.  Is there a gEDA/gaf page with a checklist of
> capabilities, e.g. http://www.4pcb.com/index.php?load=content&page_id=46 ?


I think it would be easier to list the things gEDA/gaf *can't* to than
the things it can.  I have used it to make fairly complex multi-layout
boards, and never come across something I really needed that it
couldn't do.

The common complaint with the gEDA tools is that the learning curve is
very, very steep.  There are a handful of tutorials out there, but
even after you go through those you have a lot left to learn on your
own (at least last time I checked, which was a couple of years ago).
Also, the tools are being developed faster than the documentation can
keep up in some cases.  Also, gEDA/gaf is a true example of a
"TMTOWTDI" ("tim-tow-dee") design, which is an old Perl acronym
meaning "there's more than one way to do it".  There are many ways to
use gEDA/gaf, and there's never consensus on the "right" way.  So,
you're left to make your own decisions, and in general you end up
doing a lot of work yourself to get your whole workflow figured out.
But once you invest that effort, the results are definitely worth it.

Another annoyance is the lack of good symbol/footprint libraries
relative to commercial tools.  I end up making a lot of footprints
myself, but again I have assembled a set of tools that automate that
to a large extent, so it is not really a big deal.  (Manufacturers
often make ready-made symbols and footprints available in the common
proprietary formats -- I wonder if anybody has thought of making a
converter so we could import these into gschem/pcb?)


If you have some specific concerns about capabilities you need, ask
and we'll tell you if it can be done with gEDA.

-- 
Randall


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