What's wrong with Eagle???

[Anonymous]

Hi!
My name is Chris and I'm thinking about to buy a license for the Eagel software.

I'm a hobbyist and won't use it for huge production or even not in commercial meaning.

I'm using 20 years the product from NI company last several years in the past I use the Ultiboard app from NI and I'm very happy with it, but I feel a bit they didn't follow some new technology etc. and I wish to migrate to a new software for my purpose.

I downloaded the free version of Eagle from your site and started to learn it.

I can say, it is an interesting toy, but also a crap.

I can't imagine does your developers made simple tasks so complicated does it  has no sense anymore 

to thinking in a direction to pay for your software.

Here are some of you most nonsense thinks:
- the "select" tool.

If I select something on my board, some region with components on it, I can't see what region is selected.

- the option to move the selected components to some location.

What we have to do:
press and hold the CTRL on the keyboard, press and hold the right mouse button and then move the 

mouse to the desired location.

That's really a crazy stuff!
Should I maybe buy some foot pedals in the future to improve the functionality of the Eagle???

- measurement in Eagle is totally crap!
There is no ruler involved, even worse is the coordinating system usability to move the components to some 

specific position on the board.

- 3D representation of my pcb

That's also crap.

Why should I spend my time making 3D models of my used component package in my project, and messing around in the database to view my design in 3D?

I'm an electronic engineer and not a 3D modeler.

Just to say, in NI Ultiboard, to represent my project in 3D it is just 2 clicks!

In your case that is a bunch of useless clicking.

- moving a component around the board

That is another story!
I have to click on a cross somewhere located on the component to pick up the component to moving?!
Sometimes I even don't see the cross, and then I have to click many times around the component to 

catch the component and move it.

- changing footprints

- changing trace parameters

- setting up the measurement units

Ahhhhh...

The list of problems is so huge and Autodesk company didn't do anything to solve the problems?

I spent so many time reading tutorials from your experts and I also watched so many tutorials on YouTube,

what actually was wasting my time.

I decided to make a video and post it on YouTube to show peoples what kind of crap you made and you sell that.

You take money from as for a rewritten AutoCAD but for electronic design.

Eagel is actually AutoCAD filled with components and tools for designing electronic stuff.

Like AtmelStudio, that is 1:1 VisualStudio from MS.

Compared to Eagel, AtmelStudio is fully functional for developing Atmel projects.

So, after all my writing, what are you think, how can you impress me to buy the license from you?

Thank you for your time.

My best regards.

Chris.

[iquacker]

Hi Chris,

I won't be defending Eagle against each of your criticisms. Eagle is not perfect. But since it was acquired by Autodesk, it has been vastly improved and continues to evolve at lightning speed.

I will say that I have never used a schematic capture package that didn't have its own particularities and quirks. Your old one likely has its share, but you are so used to using it that accommodating those quirks is second nature to you. Thus, trying to cope with Eagle's different set of quirks must be frustrating to you. Several of your comments elude to this. May I suggest that you look over your criticisms in the light of my comments and see if you would not like to soften them a bit.

I can promise you this: If you choose to stick with Eagle and this community, I don't think the developers will disappoint you when you offer constructive criticisms or suggestions for improvements. They are remarkably responsive.

Sincerely...

[Anonymous]

Hi!
Ok, I know and can feel the shining side of Eagel, and I also know the good
side of the software,
but what I can't accept is the concept of how to do simple tasks in this
program.

The whole world is screaming, we have problems with basic functions in the
program and nobody listening
from Autodesk the last two years, from the time when Autodesk is the owner
of Eagle.

I can remember the '90 when I was started to use Eagle, at that time Eagle
was a nice software
with lot of problems but the basics was perfectly working.

I can't imagine does today, with this modern technology what we have I must
press the
CTRL+Right mouse button to move a group of objects!
I mean, that's a really basic task what is in Eagle really hard to achieve.

Autodesk is putting effort making a cloud software but even the basic
commands are bad.
So, what should I think about then?

Can you pls imagine let's say, you open the Calc software in the next
release of Windows,
let it be Windows 11 and you will add two numbers and you have just input
the two desired
numbers and press the add button on the Calc UI and/or on the keyboard the
" + ", but to get
the result you must type in the "equal" command in some command line in the
new generation of Calc?
Or even worse scenario:
1. Open Calc
2. In the command line type: add a,b
3. Push CTRL+Shift+F12 for the result
Ha ha ha ha

This is Eagle.

In every software, should it be CorelDraw, PhotoShop, MS Word, Paint etc.
the basic commands are almost the same.

Let's scope the "select" tool.
If we select something in Eagle, there is no indication what is selected.
Try to select a region of text in MS Word or whatever text editor.
Can you imagine not to see what you selected?

Or here another bug in Eagle:
Whenever I open Eagle and enter the grid tool, the grid is always in mil or
inch format.
What can I do to set up the measurement unit in Eagle to stay in the metric
unit?

Rule:
In almost all projecting software there is a precise guidance incorporated,
but in Eagle hmmm...

Is this not some basic thinks what should be a long time ago adjusted and
repaired.

If Eagle would have problems in some very hard situation I could that
accept and ok,
I also would figure out how to overcome the problem and would be nice to
Autodesk.
But this is not that case, you know.

I feel you an Eagle guru, but what you actually learned in Eagel is how to
overcome
problems when you make your design.
You clicking and tapping unnecessarily on the mouse and keyboard, just to
achieve
even the most basic operations.
You are wasting time how to overcome operations that are actually very
simple.
Much of time you didn't focus on your design, but on how to solve simple
steps in Eagle.
The bad thing is, you learned to live with those problems around you in
Eagle,
and you propagate to other users, they should also try to live with that
stuff just
because Eagel has it's upside also.
Think about this.
That's the truth mate.

I won't waste time to clicking and bugging on the keyboard just because of
some
guys and girls in Autodesk won't listen to the world.

People, technicians, rocket scientist even the most powerful man on the
earth should
accept when they made something crappy, that is a crap.
That must be repaired and no excuse is accepted for that.


I made a decision, I won't buy Eagel software for now.


Please don't think I'm angry mate, no, I'm just telling the facts.
There is plenty of software out there that are doing an excellent job,
for such peoples like me. I will pay even 5x more money for a nice software
where I can finish my job quickly and clean, not thinking what command
should I
send now to some command line, or what shortcut should I use now for a copy
- paste situation...

My best regards.
Chris.

P.S.: is in my list in my posts not enough constructive criticisms or suggestions for improvements?
Voalla! 

Guys from Autodesk, let's rock your software and show to as you can do the simple tastks too.

[AutodeskEagleCad · Accepted solution]

Many of the things you are complaining about have solutions.

As an Autodesk Autocad user of more than 20 years I decided to use Autodesk Eagle when I needed a PCB design software application. My first impression is that it's garbage. Then I see they just recently acquired Eagle and I have seen the pace at which they are bringing it up to speed. 

As was stated already they are on top of it at lightning speed. Not that that defends the shortcomings of today, but it's my opinion that it's worth staying with for the price. We should probably be getting it at half price but then they'd probably only do half the improvements.

I'm sticking with it for now. I have the unlimited professional license. It gets the job done, it produces the results I need, Gerbers the board houses need, etc. For every shortcoming there's a workaround and a team of developers who are responsive and respect the opinions of the professionals who provide feedback.

You need to make the choice which is best for you.

[Anonymous]

Dear readers, pls don't misunderstand me, I don't think Eagle is a bad app or a garbage.

No, that's not the case.

Eagel and all the Autodesk app's are great, robust and really good app's, but in case Eagel,

I think the developers should also the basic problems too, not only solve the complex thinks.

Check on the net how many user have problem with the basics in Eagle, why? because they don't 

wan't to clicking and poking all day just to move some components around their boards, or just 

wish to make a simple and precise measurement or to just clearly see what is selected etc.

What's wrong with that kind of request?

Autodesk developers sitting in the background and watching all this and they don't care over two years 

about that, oh, sorry, that's maybe not a priority task for them.

Let's talk about a simple solution how to select a region with traces and changing the width of that traces.

For me a simple solution would be:

1. check the layer where you wish to work on

2. uncheck all other staff just  left the traces on (or set the cursor just to take in count the traces)

3. select the region where are the traces and just write to command line "change width (value)"

Just 3 task and it could be even simpler.

Let show how you are guys and girls change the width of a couple of traces at the same time.

[havlicek6TH3H]

Hi, 

for me select tool is ok. I choose select tool, then simply select group of parts (left click + drag) and then click on some part and I am dragging whole selection. Easy peasy and noproblem. 

When I heard that Eagle is under Autodesk I was really happy. Last week I draw bigger project and it´s realy great with new features like keep angles, push obstacles, walkaround obstacles, signal names on traces, single layer mode, placing via with trace. Of course, there are some problems because there is really fast progress but that belongs to it.

You can help to improve Eagle, just try to write more constructive ideas. (I am proud of myself, that 1/3 of 9.2.2 bugfixes were caught by me :D)

Best regards,

Vojta

[Anonymous]

So, I just updated from 9.2.0 to the latest 9.2.2 version.

- the update tool is really interesting.

- the selection tool is not working as it should.

I won't move further with the list of problems.

Let explain this two thinks:
Update:

For me, this is not an update, but a fresh new installation of a new version where the settings can be

imported from the previous version of Eagle.

I hade a first installation then I updated to the last, so I got two separated fresh new installation on my disk.That means, the old folders ( versions ) are no more usable, or should be deleted? Or what?
This kind of update is wast of space. 

I updated only two versions and I wast right now 1G space on my hdd.

Is this normal?

Check the picture:

Select tool problem:

The tool for selecting components is not clear enough.

1. There are two "selecting" tools on the screen:

The "Groupe" & "Select on board"

1. when the "Groupe" tool is selected and I grab with left click any part and accedentally 

move the mouse to some location, the "Move" tool is activated even if I never asked for the "Move" tool,

and all the "Grouped" devices (objects) will be moved to a location on the board.

2. When I use the "Select on board" tool.

The "Groupe" still remain active, and the whole situation from 1. above can be reproduced.

Conclusion:

Nevermind what tool you select, "Groupe" or "Select on board" the same moving option will accure.

What if I don't wish to move my part's, but I wish to rotate?
I know, I have to select the "Rotate" tool.

But wait!

Why should I not select the "Move" tool also?

Is this all a big BUG or?

Selecting the parts:

For working with components on the board, we have to point that yellow cross somewhere on the component.

Otherwise, the component can't be used.

I mean, If I wish to move a component or rotate or whatever, I have always to target the component like I play some shutting game.

If I fail to grab that yellow cross I got a "BING" from windows and I can try again until I lost my mind.

Check this picture.

There are 3 components.

At the 1. place we can see a very tiny yellow cross, but it is clear enough on a higher zoom.

At the 2. place it is much harder to detect the target.

At the 3. place?

I don't see the desired target.

How can I move that 3. component?

I know, maybe I can hide some layers, but that is not an option to hide/show some layers...

Here is how I would like to have this option:

1. select the tool what you will do with the component or a bunch of selected component.

Let'say I will rotate a component.

2. apply the tool anywhere on the desired component body, not just on the yellow cross.

I don't know, I like Eagle but that kind of basic problems drive me crazy.