Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!portal!cup.portal.com!thad
From: thad@cup.portal.com (Thad P Floryan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: CRETIN MANOR MAIL
Message-ID: <10387@cup.portal.com>
Date: 23 Oct 88 07:02:31 GMT
References: <10181@cup.portal.com> <5062@cbmvax.UUCP>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 49

Dave Haynie writes:
``
Did you do schematics on the Amiga?  It seems to me that PCB layout is far
more mature on the Amiga than schematic capture.  There are two PCB layout
programs that I've seen (PCLO and ProBoard); haven't used either, Commodore
has dedicated stations, and folks to work them, so I never have an excuse
to lay out a design on my own.  For Amiga schematic capture, ProNet 2.0 is
about as good as a few MS-DOS programs I've tried, and certainly faster
on an '020 based Amiga.  But Neted it ain't.  
''


Welllll ...  back in January 1986 I paid $1,000 for the "privilege" of being
one of the first beta testers of PCLO.  That fee entitled me to all the
fixes and updates for one year.  At the end of that time, the product was still
NOT functional for real-world PC board layout.

After calling many times long distance (California to Florida), I just couldn't
convince Charles Ben Blish (the author of PCLO (e.g. SoftCircuits, Inc.)) that
the pin spacing on (for example) DB-25 connectors is 0.109".  PCLO's smallest
grid snap was to 0.050"   Just *TRY* to lay down the footprint of a DB-25
connector, a Molex connector, or other non-0.050" multiple parts.  And he never
did release a version that could directly handle more than 2 layer boards.

Another large sum went down the tubes for MicroIllusion's DYNAMIC-CAD.  They
never could get that turkey to simply use the Preference settings for the serial
port.  Hey, if it ain't broke, DON'T try to fix it.   :-(

I use Aegis' Draw Plus for "simple" drawings, but even when that came out I
had to give Bill Volk the proper setup initialization string for use with
Hewlett-Packard Plotters (which is now distributed with the product); I handed
it to him in person at a BADGE meeting back when BADGE was meeting at SRI.

Though the ads for ProNet look good, I'm a victim of "once burned, twice shy."

If I could see it in operation, there's a good chance I'd buy it (re: ProNet)

Sad to say, one thing software purchases for the Amiga has taught me is to
NEVER, EVER buy sight unseen.

I have purchased several hundred products that are totally unusable.  I oftimes
glance at the disks wondering if I should just reformat and re-use them, but I
must have some subconscious belief that, software rot and bit decay
notwithstanding, the disks' programs will someday just "fix themselves".

Heal, disk, HEAL THYSELF!  :-)


Thad Floryan [ thad@cup.portal.com (OR) ..!sun!portal!cup.portal.com!thad ]