Hi Markus, nice to hear from you again.
I agree, Eagle is definitely a bit backward, and having the option of
user ULPs does not mean you don't have to offer a full package with
all the functions one will need. After all, it is not that cheap. User
contribution is nice and all, but for open source software, not for
commercial stuff.
I must use eagle at work, and i'm constantly annoyed with things it
_doesn't_ do which even very cheap software can easily do. Everything
is also very complicated compared to other packages i worked with,
which means people tend to take the quick shortcut that leads to very
messed up design files which are a nightmare to modify later.
Anyway, i have found very few merits with this software, apart from
the fact that our suppliers will work with it. It can do fairly
complex ground and power plane designs if i put some work into it,
which is something not every PCB software does well. Other than that,
i haven't seen anything to impress me and would not recommend it to
anyone.
ST
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On 10/24/07, markuszingg <homebrew-pcb@...> wrote:
> I've been absent to this group for a very long time, but now that I'm
> a bit more back into the business of makeing PCBs I returned just to
> see that you guys refer to my Eagle post in comp.arch.embedded :-)
>
> Well, the ULPs actually saved my life. Using them one can always
> export all Eagle elements into ASCII text files and from there back
> into Eagle. That way the problem can be circumvented. Never the less,
> the attitude shown by CadSoft seemed really special. There are
> however other reasons why I will quit using Eagle in the longer run.
> The last design I made was only doable by writing very complex ULPs
> on my own (i.e. one to calculate individual trace lenghts between
> given components on the board in order to match trace lengts for fast
> digital busses) and me thinks that functionality like this should be
> directly included in the package. I think that CadSoft is actually
> missing the market in that the days with through hole part technology
> only and slow clock frequencies are really definately gone. In other
> words, a package these days should support makeing faster digital
> designs and as such should offer simulation, methods to route
> complete (impedance controlled) digital busses with trace lenght
> matching and so on. If I look at what they add with the upcoming
> release 5.0 I see suport for drawing electrical plans like those with
> building constructions etc. Hmmmmm, seems like CadSoft is searching
> customers in new segments, but me thinks they forget the customers in
> the segments they already have....
>
> Just my 2¢ of course
>
> Markus
>