I know this has probably been covered before, but with the discussion on=20
Diptrace, it got me thinking again (not always a good thing..)

I have tried quite a few packages, including:
  Altium:
Wonderful, perfect for the design I am doing more frequently now=20
(multilayer, high speed, FPGA etc)
Too expensive to justify as yet with a newish business, but this may=20
change in the nearish future.
$4995 for full license.
Diptrace:
Old license, not used for some time. I liked it, the price was good but=20
I moved on. May revisit, as it sounds to have improved a bit.
Price is 585 Euros for full license.
Eagle:
Tried it briefly, not too impressed. Apart from the popularity which is=20
a big plus (support, libraries etc)
I can't see much improvement (if any) on something like Diptrace or even=20
Kicad, although I haven't used it enough to justify that view.
The price for a full professional license is $1494, not too cheap,=20
although we could probably get away with the autorouter free version or=20
the 6-layer 160x100 version ($995 and $498, a lot more reasonable)
DesignSpark:
Free, okay, but early stages of development and I'm not sure I want to=20
use it for professional development. It's missing "standard" features=20
like e.g. a bus in the schematic option, turn layers off/on in PCB, it=20
crashes occasionally and is extremely slow. It is backed by RS so it may=20
be worth keeping an eye on, development seems to be progressing at a=20
rapid pace. With the next version or two it may be one of the best free=20
options.
Kicad:
I have used it briefly, and it seems very powerful for an open source=20
package (best I have seen). Development seems to be ongoing with a very=20
active and widespread user base. I am thinking of giving it a "real" try=20
and using it for some commercial projects.
What do people think of this idea? Libraries I intend to make myself (at=20
least mostly) as I have done on other packages. I don't like to rely on=20
randomly designed parts with different standards, which seems to be the=20
case with most libraries in free/non-free software. Altium is the=20
closest I have seen to having "standardised" libraries. We may grab the=20
Ultra Librarian when it has improved a bit and is usable with something=20
like Kicad.
Aside from that, I believe I can work round it's quirks. Some advice=20
would be nice though as I'm sure I have not considered all the factors.=20
I will need the capability to produce stencils and other manufacturing=20
data easily.
I believe just about anything can be used to make a very complicated=20
board if you "work around" stuff, but my main objective is speed and=20
ease of use (i.e to quickly produce good work and avoid time consuming=20
problems, usually more of a worry with open source stuff)
My main reason not to grab something like Eagle or (uprade/renew)=20
Diptrace right now is I would like to hold out with free stuff for a=20
while, and then bite the bullet fully (if necessary, if things work I=20
may just carry on with Kicad) and buy something like Altium.
The choice is not fully mine of course, but it's me who will be using=20
the software 99% of the time.
Any advice would be appreciated, especially from anyone who has used=20
Kicad in a commercial setting.


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