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from the slow-death-of-proprietary-software dept.
EAGLE, The Easily Applicable Graphical Layout Editor is an ECAD (electronic computer-aided design), proprietary software for creating printed circuit boards. Cadsoft, the company that created it, sold EAGLE to Autodesk in June.
Hackaday reports
Autodesk has announced that EAGLE is now only available for purchase as a subscription. [Previously], users purchased EAGLE once and [could use] the software indefinitely (often for years) before deciding to move to a new version with another one-time purchase. Now, they'll be paying Autodesk on a monthly or yearly basis.
Before Autodesk purchased EAGLE from Cadsoft, a Standard license would run you $69, paid once. [...] Standard will [now] cost $15/month or $100/year and gives similar functionality to the old Premium level, but with only 2 signal layers.
[...] The next level up was Premium, at $820, paid once. [...] If you [now] need more [than 2] layers or more than 160 [sq.cm] of board space, you'll need the new Premium level, at $65/month or $500/year.
New Subscription Pricing Table for Eagle[...] The [freeware] version still exists, but, for anyone using Eagle for commercial purposes (from Tindie sellers to engineering firms), this is a big change. Even if you agree with the new pricing, a subscription model means you never actually own the software. This model will require licensing software that needs to phone home periodically and can be killed remotely. If you need to look back at a design a few years from now, you better hope that your subscription is valid, that Autodesk is still running the license server, and that you have an active internet connection.
The page has well over 100 comments, with many saying the equivalent of "Goodbye, EAGLE; Hello, KiCAD".
KiCAD is gratis and libre, cross-platform, has been adopted as a software development project by nerds at CERN, and has seen marked improvement in recent years.
Previous:
CERN is Getting Serious About Development of the KiCAD App for Designing Printed Circuits
Scripts Make the (Proprietary) Cadsoft EAGLE-to-(FOSS) KiCAD Transition Easier
Some time back, anubi and I conversed about how EAGLE has been DRM'd for quite a long while.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 21 2017, @10:21PM
boy, does this CAD stuff suck wrt to usability
...and each one in a different way.
I heard Eagle isn't too amazing in that department
EAGLE was initially developed before Windoze was a thing.
Windoze users think that the EAGLE UI is completely bass-ackwards.
[CAD devs have] been ignoring the standardized ways
You got it in 1.
with Eagle dropping out
You have overstated the case.
Autodesk has promised (mentioned in TFA) that the subscription model will bring improvements in service.
I won't hold my breath, but there are lots of folks who have already given money for the DRM'd/marginally-supported product.
Hey, there are tons of folks who use Windoze knowing full-well that it is a malware magnet.
...and file-format lock-in can be a powerful thing.
Still, if I had too much time on my hands, I'd write a schematic capture application that conforms to reasonable classic HIG
Perhaps just a work-alike UI for an existing CAD app would accomplish what you desire.
I lost touch with sci.electronics.cad years ago, but I seem to recall talk of someone doing this.
(Kinda like GIMPshop.)
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