kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Jacob Schmidt <tiger12506@xxxxxxxxx>]

This is going to sound like a rant, because it is.
Don't stop reading because you think you know what I'm going to say, please.

Long on the list, devs have been asking for cmp files to go away, and 
cvpcb to become less prominent as a method for assigning footprints to 
components. I am totally fine with that.

Long on the list, devs have told users to make their own footprints 
because you can't trust the libraries to stay the same for your designs. 
I am totally fine with that.

EXCEPT the alternative methods are horrible.

I wish I had a video of me just now trying to make, save, and use a new 
footprint. The crux of the problem, as I see it, is the Library editor 
is remarkably unintuitive; making a footprint is EASY, saving it is HARD.

The "Select" button sends us to the "Library Browser" when assigning a 
footprint to a schematic symbol, and that feels like I just travelled 
back to the dark ages.
I must have made thirty clicks when trying to do it this way, as 
compared to just selecting the footprint I need out of the list in cvpcb.

In fact, I think I'm going to have to make a video just to share my 
experience. I can understand why people have a problem doing this.