Hi Wayne,
I just spent an hour looking at KiCad. Looks pretty impressive, though I got
the impression that the footprint library may be a bit light. Could be a big
time sink if too many components require custom footprints. The 3D views are
impressive as well, but may suffer from the same problem, and the symbol
editor seems a bit awkward. Overall it looks like a fairly steep learning
curve, and I hate to invest the time only to find that it has some fatal
flaw that makes continued use impractical. I'm wondering if you have used it
for any real projects, or have seen accounts from people who have. I didn't
have much luck searching for anecdotes.
--
Phil Mattison
http://www.ohmikron.com/Motors::Drivers::Controllers::Software
----- Original Message -----
From: Wayne C. Gramlich <Wayne@...>
To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 26, 2006 12:15 PM
Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Newbie to list, old timer to this hobby and
others
> --- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, DJ Delorie <dj@...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > DJ Delorie <dj@...> writes:
> > > gEDA runs on Windows and Mac OS/X too. It is NOT a windows-only
> > > solution.
> >
> > Of course, I meant it's not a "∗nix-only" solution. Serves me right
> > for posting first thing in the morning :-P
>
> My recollection is that PCB (the printed circuit board program
> layout program) is based on the X11 window system, which tends
> to make it very ∗nix centric.
>
> OK, I just checked the FAQ for PCB:
>
> Can I run PCB on my favorite operating system?
>
> PCB should run under any unix-like operating system that
> has X11 installed.
>
> What about PCB under Windows?
>
> Although a native windows port of PCB does not exist,
> PCB has been compiled successfully under cygwin. You
> will need Xfree86 to be installed as well as gcc, make,
> m4, and tcl/tk. Please note that cygwin is not the
> typical platform of PCB developers and support for this
> port may be lacking.
>
> So, it ∗can∗ be run under Windows, but the phrase "support for
> this port may be lacking" does not inspire much confidence in
> me. None-the-less, the next time I mention gEDA, I will mention
> that it has been ported to Windows.
>
> Anyhow, both gEDA and KiCAD are GPL'd with open document
> formats and active communities that support the software.
> There are no artificial size restrictions on gEDA or KiCAD.
>
> -Wayne
>
>
>
>
> Be sure to visit the group home and check for new Links, Files, and
Photos:
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>
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>
>
>