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Upverter has all the standard trappings of proprietary SaaS businesses (see [1] for a flame-baity editorial). I think KiCAD is awesome but the learning curve i

by abetusk 10y ago

Upverter has all the standard trappings of proprietary SaaS businesses (see [1] for a flame-baity editorial). I think KiCAD is awesome but the learning curve is steep, the interface is a little dated and it's hard to get started and/or share your schematics easily (e.g. online). This was one of the reasons why I wanted to like Upverter so much but the fact they were just another closed source business was a no-go for me. Anyway, I created MeowCAD as an alternative [2]. It's free and open source [3] allowing you to do circuit design in your browser. Sorry for the shameless self promotion. [1] http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2011/09/21/editorial-upverter-another-closed-source-vampire-exploits-open-hardware-for-ventrue-capital-pr-and-profit/ http://dangerousprototypes.com/blog/2011/09/21/editorial-upv... [2] https://www.meowcad.com https://www.meowcad.com [3] https://github.com/abetusk/www.meowcad.com https://github.com/abetusk/www.meowcad.com

cushychicken 10y ago
I tried Upverter a few weeks back, and thought their UI made some wacky choices, particularly where sliding connected components is involved. Lack of hotkeys also was a big shortcoming in my mind. Eagle and KiCAD are no picnic to start with, but they do at least have some features that allow you to speed up your schematic capture/board layout. I've always wondered if there wasn't a business to be had in doing part creation for Eagle/KiCAD as a service...
- ChrisGammell 10y ago
  At one point I started thinking about setting up a business around KiCad with a ruggedized and supported distribution of the EDA, similar to how Red Hat works. The name? Tin Hat.
  - cushychicken 10y ago
    I like the idea. Always wondered if there wasn't room for another EE CAD program. I always find myself frustrated by something when I use one.
- zakhomuth 10y ago
  Sorry for the rough edges - we care very deeply about our UI and spend a lot of our time trying to make this stuff better. If you ever want to send me an email about UI weirdness in Upverter Im happy to share your feedback with the team here and see what we can do to fix it: zak@upverter.com.
  - cushychicken 10y ago
    As it turns out, I already did, and you already responded! Check your email from Feb 29 of this year. I haven't really gone back to the design I started as I got busy at work. I'll be sure to do so to see how the UI's changed since then.
- zakhomuth 10y ago
  Regarding a parts concierge for Kicad / Eagle. We've built this for Altium, you can see it here: https://upverter.com/features/concierge-altium/ https://upverter.com/features/concierge-altium/ We hadn't planned on supporting either KiCad or Eagle though. We didn't think there was much of a market. Im curious what you all think - do you think people would be willing to pay for parts creation as a service for either kicad or eagle? Also don't you think there would be a flame-war of the FOSS Kicad crowd vs. proprietary pay-to0use parts data?
  - cushychicken 10y ago
    Maybe. I don't love creating parts or footprints for Eagle. (I haven't used KiCAD enough to form an opinion.) I've never used Altium, but I've met plenty of people who love it and rave about it. Given that, I can see how it's a sensible market to pursue.
    - zakhomuth 10y ago
      Ok, thanks!

by abetusk 10y ago

cushychicken 10y ago

I tried Upverter a few weeks back, and thought their UI made some wacky choices, particularly where sliding connected components is involved. Lack of hotkeys also was a big shortcoming in my mind. Eagle and KiCAD are no picnic to start with, but they do at least have some features that allow you to speed up your schematic capture/board layout. I've always wondered if there wasn't a business to be had in doing part creation for Eagle/KiCAD as a service...

ChrisGammell 10y ago
At one point I started thinking about setting up a business around KiCad with a ruggedized and supported distribution of the EDA, similar to how Red Hat works. The name? Tin Hat.
- cushychicken 10y ago
  I like the idea. Always wondered if there wasn't room for another EE CAD program. I always find myself frustrated by something when I use one.
zakhomuth 10y ago
Sorry for the rough edges - we care very deeply about our UI and spend a lot of our time trying to make this stuff better. If you ever want to send me an email about UI weirdness in Upverter Im happy to share your feedback with the team here and see what we can do to fix it: zak@upverter.com.
- cushychicken 10y ago
  As it turns out, I already did, and you already responded! Check your email from Feb 29 of this year. I haven't really gone back to the design I started as I got busy at work. I'll be sure to do so to see how the UI's changed since then.
zakhomuth 10y ago
Regarding a parts concierge for Kicad / Eagle. We've built this for Altium, you can see it here: https://upverter.com/features/concierge-altium/ https://upverter.com/features/concierge-altium/ We hadn't planned on supporting either KiCad or Eagle though. We didn't think there was much of a market. Im curious what you all think - do you think people would be willing to pay for parts creation as a service for either kicad or eagle? Also don't you think there would be a flame-war of the FOSS Kicad crowd vs. proprietary pay-to0use parts data?
- cushychicken 10y ago
  Maybe. I don't love creating parts or footprints for Eagle. (I haven't used KiCAD enough to form an opinion.) I've never used Altium, but I've met plenty of people who love it and rave about it. Given that, I can see how it's a sensible market to pursue.
  - zakhomuth 10y ago
    Ok, thanks!