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I do all of my electronics development work on Linux. In part also using nonfree software. This is not a matter of principle for me, but a matter of productivit
by datenwolf 9y ago
I do all of my electronics development work on Linux. In part also using nonfree software. This is not a matter of principle for me, but a matter of productivity and efficiency.
- design circuit and PCB using EAGLE (nonfree – and BTW fuck that Autodesk subscription model).
- perform circuit simulation using LTSpice.
- compile firmware using a GCC toolchain – if using a MinGW port on Windows the linking times even for small images are abysmally long; I don't have time for that.
- since recently: synthesize and route FPGAs using yosys and the iceStorm tools.
- flash using OpenOCD.
Not all of these tools work without flaws under Windows (neither as port nor in the WSL). Of all the tools above there's only one for which no Linux port exists: LTSpice. That's what I use Wine for.
- martin_andrino 9y agoI bet you also use GIMP because you never understood how Photoshop is superior, right? sigh Open-source software is definitely inferior, why people keep ignoring this obvious fact?
- exikyut 9y agoI completely agree that The GIMP and Inkscape are not a sight on Photochop. It's quite obvious - the former are developed by volunteer hobbyists, the latter by a paid team of engineers who have focused job titles. But that doesn't make them inferior, because user-interface consistency and ease of use are not the only metrics used in the real world to select software by.
- Fnoord 9y agoWhat is better or worse should also include a cost/benefit analysis on the price of the product(s). That should include the cost of things like support, or the cost of in-house experts.
- vetinari 9y agoThis is opening can of worms. When we factor in things like support, we have to consider not only cost, but also metrics like its quality and performance/price. If I had a dollar for every support ticket that got ignored for months or years... For community support, that can be fine, but when you are paying maintenance, that's unforgivable.
- Fnoord 9y agoAye, its a can of worms because of the complexity and subjectivity alone. The other day saw a comment on HN on how to best get signal as a customer. IIRC was something like IM < e-mail < phone < real-life. Did you try phone as a follow-up?
- vetinari 9y agoFor one case, I even did a meeting at a conference, where I got promises that they will look into it... Nothing happened then.
- proaralyst 9y agoWhat browser do you use?