The sad denouement of Cadsoft Eagle PCB/Schematic Program @ 12/15/15 Cadsoft/Eagle tempted me with a bargain super upgrade deal of ONLY $329.40 and pitiful sentimental idiot I am, I bit. And was punished, with these files: cadsoft-packing-list-84654.pdf  16   12/15/15 9:06:14a cadsoft-invoice-84654.pdf       16   12/15/15 9:06:54a which were each 16 byte files and NOT PDFs. And were presumably supposed to contain a magic license number or instructions on how-to-get or who cares, but I did not receive a license of any kind or at least I don’t know where it’s hidden, and complaining emails to sales@cadsoftusa.com and sales@cadsoft.de went unanswered. Actually I suspect this kind of low-life fly-by-internet merchant now waits for the charge dispute before taking any action, by way of blowing-off the riff-raff, but whatever, that of course was my next step, and so I bid a poignant adieu to the once-arguably-great but now despicably-failed-but-still-beautiful schematic capture / PCB creation software. Cadsoft Speaks!? ... And then, after I disputed the charge, astonishingly Cadsoft came to life with a response! ... And emailed another 16-byte broken PDF. ... The next day an actual PDF showed-up, with a note improbably claiming this kind of thing only happened very occasionally, as if it were some sort of fungus disease stalking the internet. But they were still unable to supply the intricate debris — the installation code, anyway — necessary to actually license the product, and obviously had no idea how it was supposed to work. Probably the 16-byte “cadsoft-invoice” might’ve contained it, were it somehow de-fungus-diseased — but who knows. ... And oh yes; the “freeware” version now comes with an annoyanceware screen “thanking” us, presumably for waiting until we’re allowed to close it.... I consider myself lucky to have escaped my upgrade folly by this simple demonstration of the vendor’s incompetence. I assume further punishment awaits those who manage to penetrate Cadsoft’s deteriorating defenses services, and I am relieved that I will not attend. For occasional peculiarities like my Arduino imbroglio, the annoyanceware version will probably be enough.... The Utter End: Autodesk 1/17. And now the final door is shut: the glorious Cadsoft was acquired by Autodesk and all is done, as they slide into the eternal subscription tomb, the final resting-place for modern $oftware mediocrity.... Kiddie Wheels & Autorouting? I’ve never used it, but KiCad might be a likely FOSS eagle replacement, although brief inspection suggests KiCad’s autorouting — which is an absolute requirement for snooty professional work — is mostly notional. Just now I downloaded a pitiful PDF manual where searching for “route” produced nothing, so I’d say that’s a no-show. The internet is full of snooty amateurs and professionals who deride autorouting, hence it’s almost certainly a necessity for any serious work.... And of course, we still have the free kiddy-wheels eagle which, if you’re going to do without autorouting, is beloved in the hobbyist-freebie community, with an occasional dismissive “I don’t need no stinkin’ autorouting” sentiment. ... For my humble-to-nonexistent purposes the autorouter in my eagle 6.6 still works, and by the time I actually need something else, which’ll probably be in a subsequent incarnation, the free offerings will have matured to a glorious competence I’m sure. ... Well sadly my eagle seems to reliably freeze-up the first time in the morning on a win7 system and I have to kill it — but seems to always work the 2nd time. So perhaps I will batch-file its infirmity away. ... But it ran in a win10 system OK.... Another possibility I encountered is https://dexpcb.com/ — oops, firefox says that’s evil 1/19; how ’bout https://active3d.com/? — which at least has a working web site; not free, but cheap at least occasionally. Download trial of course.... The Inevitable, Universal, Parts Problem I should note that one of the reasons I will be not-so-anguished with my antique Eagle is because I know how to make my own parts. And I’m pretty-sure I’d have to, no matter what software I use. I’m definitely not an eagle parts expert, but I’ve done it numerous times and probably, if I really wanted, could do it again. Perhaps the opulent slave-owning wealth of autocad will provide constant parts updating, but that certainly never happened with Eagle in my years before the mast.... Normally, the gadget-contriver is using the newest most up-to-date parts, because they’re so wonderful and exciting, and in my limited but depressing experience such parts will never have their software realizations available when you want them. ... Sometimes, the part vendor might contrive them for your pcb/schematic program ... be sure to hold your breath.... Operating any PCB/schematic program is always appalling — it makes the average paint program look like a walk in the park — but the parts-contriving part of the software, always assuming there is one, will be an order of magnitude more infuriating than the software itself. Modern parts are mostly rectangles with hundreds of pins, but one still has to make not only the schematic symbol, but an accurate PCB image of the thing, and the ridiculous subterranean connections between the two. The general plot is you find a part with the same geometry/pin layout, and then copy/hack it to what’s wanted. ... Just a simple vector drawing/labeling exercise, which can easily take forever.... Magic Working Parts Software In the ideal world of the future, when those flying cars finally show-up, the schematic/pcb software of my dreams will have a complete repertoire of parts, and create a parts-list order form what I can just shoot up to the web, along with a sufficiently adequate credit card #, and receive everything in a few days. This is an imaginary ideal product; as far as I know it doesn’t nearly exist, although some spluttering attempts have been made, with proprietary software & parts of course. In sad reality, ordering the parts, while not as hard as doing the schematic/PCB or part-contrivance, is still ridiculously difficult. CAM Finally there is the magic step where one prepares “Gerber” files at least and who knows what else, to shoot off to your PCB vendor, so he can prepare boards implementing your design with astonishing & amazing errors. There is a button or something in Eagle, but really it’s mostly necromancy. ... An obligatory although inadequate defensive measure is to view the gerber file with appropriate software; “Viewmate” and “Viewplot” were two such, once available in free versions.... Broken Eagle 8.0 Reliably crashes on my win7 system — trying to open that ol’ login window, of such supreme importance to eternal slavery programs. ... So long old frenemy. ... But I reinstalled 7.5, which has now officially evolved to that beloved modern software barnacle, the “last working version” — unless that traditional honorific should still belong to my actually working 6.6 version. ... Ooops, make that 7.7, which has dumped the annoyance screen; but not 7.8, where the help is apparently missing.... — the existentially-challenged & sadder & wiser programmer 11/17

Don’t Buy a Mini!!!? Before we stroll down memory lane, I must note that the minis you can buy today (Wed 4/1/15) from the kind beneficent Apple have soldered-in RAM. The only excuse for buying one of these things in the past was that the RAM was user-upgradeable. It isn’t anymore. Apple of course charges unconscionable amounts for RAM “upgrades”, but when one could buy them from one’s local internet low-price dealer, it was OK. It is no longer. The rest of the Apple computers are exorbitantly over-priced and unupgradeable — ’cause Apple designs ’em so good of course.... ~$800 2018 Model’s got Upgradeable RAM? Supposedly. Of course for $800 you can buy a pretty good real PC. The iMini: Owen Whines First I relented on Microsoft, no doubt the cause of endless rejoicing at that dark principality; and now I’ve turned to Apple — and the darkness truly gathers! ... Actually, after the initial shock and awe, well, it’s not so bad. ... I’ve seen worse, as the poor fellow reiterates in Slaughterhouse 5. ... For several days I thought the machine was an imac — apparently a much more expensive all-in-one unit including screen / keyboard / mouse; it was disappointing when I realized my error. ... I mean, why couldn’t they call it an “iMini”?! ... I want an “i” something! ... Maybe I’ll just call it that, between ourselves, and ignore their heartless discrimination.... ... It certainly boots faster than Windows! ... As the beautiful illustration should convey, the laboratories generally make-do with lower-rent stuff than the estimable iMini, which is a totally unprovoked 2006 xmas gift of the dangerous but irrationally-generous LOL and the cheapest PC Apple sells. ... As shown, the single antique CRT served one-at-a-time the mini, the broken laptop, and even the dos/win 3.1 machine.... ... So this user did not perceive the storied Mac interface as friendly. ... At least during setup, I found it extremely annoying — in part, no doubt, because Apple is the last bastion of the screw-the-customer business strategy. ... For example, the separate power supply — which I have cleverly hidden under the iMini, using part of the packing material — has weird connectors all-round, i.e. even the AC side, so you can’t use a standard three-pronged AC plug like everything else but instead if you have to replace it pay Apple the $200 or whatever it wants for the part. ... Surely this is one of the last of the breed; the only other like that at OwenLabs is probably an antique Windows 95 Compaq laptop! (... The weary years stumble by ... ) ... But ... It’s still better than Vista! So after a few seasons idly whacking the imini and macintoshery in general — even writing some Xcode software along the merry way — Microsoft pulled-ahead dramatically, snatching defeat from market stagnation, and Vista definitely sux worse than the Mac. ... Even the Mac’s LAN-killing Leopard update! Why Windows? ... So why do I keep using Windows? ... The Macintoshers and the Linux hordes seem to have a hard time with this, but it’s because windows is cheaper, and there are more of them. And because of this competitive environment, Windows-compatible software is often cheaper, there’s more of it, and more stuff works with them. To put this another way, if you had some goal — professional music synthesis is a good example — you might pick a mac. Even ’though the computer’s more expensive, some of the best music synthesis software is mac-compatible, and it costs a lot anyway, so you want to proceed with your principal goal and not bother with a stupid cranky operating system like Windows. You probably wouldn’t choose Linux, no matter how heart-rending their pitiful cries, because it doesn’t support the best music synthesis software. On the other hand, if you want to do embedded system development, it’s stupid to use anything other than Windows. Despite the onrushing tide of Mac and Linux development environments, most microcontroller manufacturers, strangely, concentrate their development support on the most popular platform.... All these things change, as everything must in this vale of tears. ... Macs get cheaper, and Windows gets stupider; I’m pretty sure Linux is beyond the pale — aside, of course, from servers, where it pretty-much owns the show. ... I’m not suggesting an ethical course or predicting the future; I’m just trying to explain why someone would prefer an obviously inferior operating system.... ... Also, of course, I’ve been using Windows, and MSDOS before it, for all these decades, and have tons of software, much of it written by me, and it’s my familiar place, no matter its little quirks and sudden pathological hostilities.... — the ever-enthusiastic programmer Wednesday, November 24, 2010 Then again ... RIP Tiny Imini!?!? Monday, September 14, 2009 6:32 pm. I tried upgrading to the fabulous super-speedy $30 Snow Leopard aka OS X 10.6 — and my 3-year-old mini was too cheap! ... It’s only got 500 meg! Snow leopard demands a gig at least! ... And the mini is officially un-user-upgradeable! ... I’ve seen the pictures in the gushy puffy mac magazines — not one of whom hinted-at this minor snow leopard restriction — and you have to use a knife to get in there and I won’t I won’t I refuse! ... So my pitiful little mini, so happy so gay, has reached the end of its tiny lifespan so fast; indeed, I did hardly know her. ... It’s really quite Microsoftian! ... Our motto: obsolescence while you wait! ... But then of course I gave-in, and upgraded my imini memory with a few putty knives and good ol’ common sense!!! Thursday, July 21, 2011 7:06 pm. But that was then, and now the vicious Apple obsolescence commandos have come again in the night, and OSX “Lion” will upgrade the imini no more forever, with its ridiculous ancient 2006 so-cool-in-its-era Intel duo. ... I may buy another. I may give-up. It is bleak and dark in the cold winds of obsolescence..... The Lion Whimpers ... Wednesday, August 10, 2011 2:52 pm. So like an idiot I bought another mini (which died in 2016). The new improved comes-with-Lion unit. Which my attic network of dubious Windows computers cannot see — just like when I “upgraded” to Leopard OSX 10.5, in 2007! ... There’s consistency! ... And now that I have two of the things, I can verify that the old mini can see the new one fine. ... Because they’re friends. Not like those nasty Windows machines; why are they even talking to me?!?! ... I am having self-image problems. Am I a geek who screams at computers? Do I want to be? ... If I don’t, should I stop dealing with Apple? ... Of course, every new Microsoft operating system has the same effect on the existing frightened herd of older crates, so I guess I’d have to stop dealing with them, too. ... Actually, it is my no-doubt irrational impression that every new operating system, Microsoft, Apple, and Linux!!, will stand mute and silent in my pitiful network of rejects until after I have screamed at it at least for a while; a sufficient time. ... Is that likely? ... Will Science ever answer these important questions? ... Will I? But I still love my precious white iphone. ... So gleaming; so pure. ... So I guess I’ll just wait ever so patiently for an update, whenever Apple feels like it, in its own good time. ... When it’s good and ready. ... Around the time the market levels off for Windows replacements that will work with the new mac their pitiful victims customers just bought.... And after all the magazine hype about Lion’s exciting new features, I was thrilled at the obvious stunning differences! ... And Then Windows came along in a new HP desktop — one of the last, since HP is moving into higher-markup products/services, i.e. can’t compete with the Chinese — and it only took two days to get the wonderful machine integrated into my decrepit attic network. The Story of Windows 3.11 and Peer-to-Peer Networks Let us go back in time, when once there was an evil Microsoft competitor known as Novell. They competed with Microsoft by offering a networking product in those dark days, 1992 or so. Novell’s product was wonderful and geeky; only the strongest mumbo-jumbo would make it work, and that was good. But the heroic Bill Gates decided they could slay the Novell evilness by offering an easy-to-install Windows network, which they did. And in a very few years, Novell departed the sector, although to be sure they only finally evaporated a few months ago in 2011. I remember a fellow we somehow got in discussion with at a Radio show who, unasked, extolled the glories of Windows-for-Workgroups aka “3.11”. “You just hook ’em up” he cried with amazement and to our open skepticism, we being already all-too-familiar with the ways of Microsoft. But as usual I was wrong and indeed WfW3.11 did hook-up easily, locating other machines in a peer-to-peer network almost magically. ... As opposed, that is, to the kind of network where there are central “servers” and all the other machines hook-up to those things, instead of each other. With appropriate religious blessings and ceremonies. I think it is fair to say that 99% of computer installations in the entire world would benefit from peer-to-peer networking and, contrariwise, server installation is a disbenefit. This is because most computers are cheap, gather in small numbers, and it’s stupid to buy expensive servers when you can just hook 3 or four machines together. ... Of course people who sell computer stuff don’t look at it that way and, indeed, optimize things for the very largest customers who indeed can benefit from complex centralized server arrangement. But despite their wealth and power, as with most things, such organizations still probably represent a small minority of the world population of desktop/laptop (potentially) networked computers. I cannot tell you how to hook up your computers in a peer-to-peer network. Even with my vast knowledge and ignorance, it took me two days to get the latest one on! (I can mislead you a little) ... After Novell skedaddled, mysteriously Microsoft no longer had any interest in easy-to-install peer-to-peer small networks, and since then, has been totally gung-ho for giant servers running expensive Microsoft server software. So you have to beat the Windows machines into peer-to-peering.... But none of this explains Apple, who recently offed their only server product! They should be interested in supporting peer-to-peer networks and, actually, I suppose they are! ... Just so long as no Windows machines are involved. ... I guess that makes sense; so long as “screw-the-customer” is a sensible business practice.... — the kindly programmer Monday, August 22, 2011 2:11 pm And now Friday, September 2, 2011, in just a little while — well, the struggle started around 8/11/11, but still less than a month! — the first faint stirrings of network visibility have appeared; in the misty distance. ... I set the thing on auto update, and maybe it did, or maybe it just takes a while to settle down and feel nice with its new friends. ... But I can see my “save” directory from Windows machines; no more “Access is denied”. ... Still, only faintly; it has trouble, there are errors, and confusion, and the files are as of yet unwriteable — but oh what a carper I am! ... At last, the golden sun of a visibile mini! ... Think of the fun I can have now! ... Well, see, the mumbo-jumbo on my “save” directory isn’t right, foolish child.... The Lesson ... And what have we learned here? ... Probably not actually? ... Why, simply to never never never NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER buy any computer product before it’s at least 6 months old. ... Preferably 6 years. ... But of course by then they’re all obsolete. ... Yeah, this is like one of those software bad peoples’ releases, where it’s really a beta! ... Must be my imagination ... but obvious things like the screen saver doesn’t work consistently, nor does the finder come-up every morning on its own, poor thing. ... Gee could those high-minded Apple guys be using their customers for beta test?!?! Just to get the junk out the door? ... Or using the pitiful little mini as their Lion beta test?!! ... And now MacUser magazine, one of the better Brit mac mags, informs us in their “Sharing with PCs” article (8/5/11 page 100) that “Apple has discarded Samba and replaced it with enhanced functionality”. Being a tech expert I can translate that to “doesn’t work”. Another quote: “Authentication can prove quite tricky”; translation: “passwords don’t work”. But I knew that already.... And Then ... Let’s Download Some iThing Apps! Tuesday, October 18, 2011. Uh, no. ... I can’t do that, on my brand new — well, recent — Lion-running mini. ... I can run itunes, “authorize” the new machine, get it to sync with my iThings. ... But I got a new app, and app updates, and nothing happens. ... Of course I could well be missing the necessary mumbo-jumbo which everybody at the genius bars just chortles about day and night. ... But I’m inclined to conclude they just didn’t finished that part. ... Either.... Simple solution: abandon stupid broken new Lion mini, go back to dumb obsolete intentionally-broken Leopard mini. Works great! ... De-authorize new mini. ... See, it’s so simple! Scammery for the rest of us! ... Of course I could just install iTunes on a broken-down Windows computer, aka a “working” computer.... ... Oh wait, I’ve been terribly mistaken. It wasn’t Lion’s fault at all! ... The destructive insane ridiculous hate-the-user behavior I’ve carefully observed is standard; if you ever want to switch your iThing from Mac to Mac or iTunes to some foreign iTunes, you must (1.) perform requisite mumbo-jumbo; it’s not easy, you must be fierce, and resolved, and presumably stupid; and (2) your iThing’s carefully-arranged folders will be strewn to the winds. Although it’s entirely possible, again, I didn’t do the right mumbo-jumbo. ... I am such a child in this universe ... for the rest of us! ... I would say one obvious although mysterious goal of Apple management here is to seriously discourage anyone from ever buying a second Mac! ... Sharp; that’s really sharp.... ... The Silver Lining ... When I upgraded my old mini to 2 gigabytes of RAM, so it’d run the brutal heartless snow leopard, once I was through with my putty knives the speaker stopped working; it would “ta-da” at power on no more forever. I thought. ... I assumed I’d nicked some vital organ in my clumsy putty knife surgery and, indeed, I got hold of a USB gadget, all meticulously documented on previous versions of these pages, so it could play and sing. ... And moved on, to the glorious saga of Apple obsolescence celebrated above. ... But then Monday, November 7, 2011, I turned my old mini on and behold: It ta-das again! As of yore! ... Apple tried to stomp it, apparently upgrading its speaker to a faretheewell, and then presumably through some recent software fix resuscitated it again! ... Giveth and taketh; and we poor mortals must not complain.... The Last Days Thursday, January 31, 2013. I am moving the “new” mini to the Old Computer Corral; I will put it on a KVM switch with the old one. That is its fate. ... Well no it isn’t; it’ll probably wind-up in the recycling bin, since the modérne super-hot obsolete-next-week “new” mini has no VGA no more forever, because it’s so wonderful and modern and Apple loves to surprise the customer with utterly-predictable what we used to call planned obsolescence; and after all, those iThings are what’s important anyway. ... And no one will write exciting Macintosh software anymore; heck, no one will write exciting Windows software! ... If you want to write an iThing program you must get a mac, which precisely parallels the ancient days when the only reason to buy the blundering dinosaur Lisa machines was to write the exciting new macintosh software. So the loop is complete.... The Utter Last Day: Thu 3/24/16 9:37 am It is over. My 2nd imini restarts no more, displaying an endless progress bar which progresses no more forever. This is a 2011 machine. I am typing these words on a 2011 Lenovo Windows machine. I have numerous XPs dating back to long before that, some of which I wantonly destroyed just to make space, that were and are still going strong, although of course the software restraint-of-trade DRM has effectively crippled them. ... A stirring lesson in the absolute superiority of Apple machines compared to the wretched common herd.... Actually Apple slacked-off in this round, not killing-off my mini #2 with explicit software upgrade DRM requirements, the way they did my mini #1 when it had too little memory for the next OS. ... Of course, Apple couldn’t know that their older machines would boot forever for the upgrade; how could I think such a thing? They would’ve tested it on all the old machines of course, desperate to preserve the quality reputation of Apple. ... Snicker snicker. ... I bought these wretched machines because in those dark days I deluded myself I could use them to create Apple software and foolishly wanted to keep up, but I was older then. Today I could go out to the garage and resurrect the old girl and her antique OS; apparently many of the innocent appleoids do just that without thinking, even ’though Apple hounds us so to upgrade for our own good. Just like Usux™.... Compulsory Random Obsolescence? Before the last day, both of my beloved macs were pestering me about OS upgrades, and I refused. And then one day, they stopped. ... No computer ever stops pestering — unless it was tremenjous Apple emergency blap blap, and they just updated us without us clicking that license agreement? Like the eeevil Usux™ does to some poor victims customers with the beautiful everybody-wants-it-so-bad Windows 10? ... After the silent hermetic upgrade, the endless boots started on the poor mini. Coincidence? 1. If you don’t think Linux is more expensive, you’ve never tried installing Linux on a Windows computer. If you buy a computer with Linux pre-installed, it will probably be more expensive. If you install it — which is the normal route — you may not succeed. Buying another computer which may work with Linux is expensive. Researching the subject is costly. If your time is relatively worthless, then spending the necessary effort to figure-out what computer’ll work with Linux might be worth it. So it’s cheap, in a sense. But not in general. 2. Pricewise, you’d be even more likely to pick a Mac for music synthesis since Apple lowered the tariff for their highly-regarded Logic Pro DAW to $200 at the Apple Appstore! ... Not to mention the $5/free GarageBand....