ALL SMD shit...
ahh, statements like this make me wonder if you really need the latest and greatest CAD software.
Not really.
In mid 90s I had a lot of OrCAD SDT (III) and then
they diverted the workflow to that FPGA centric paradigm..
Well despite I really acknowledge FPGA as "advance"..
it was not the time and not the primary issue (at time and up to)
If i remember correctly PROTEL had just acquired Accel and
some other IPs and took some time to transition to Altium..
That time was the best thing at time which allowed PROTEL
with incorporated Accel stuff to be a good option
Changed that by EAGLE somewhere at 2000s because the
99 version i think is a FIASCO relying on that MS shit stuff...
You are clearly stuck in the mindset where thru-hole is superior (.)
(..)
Not really .. My primary electronic activity up to 2000s was
repair.. and while designing just for my toys and satisfaction..
Acquiring parts and actually etching SMD boards at that time
was not easy.
That changed a hell of a lot with the Internet from some point
in the 90s up to mid 2000s when SMD parts became wide
available...
BUT! mostly because BOARD etching services became feasible
Internet commerce changed all the stuff overnight
Today any newbie can grab a EDA "package" watch some sort
of YouTube Tutorial.. and start doing SMD shit like nuts..
FEDEX deliver that shit even already mounted. In 5 days !!!!
geee I was used to etch my boards w/PF acid and the silk mask part
in general took me months.. of patience and labor..
Any starter newbie can get a "latest_hot_gizmo_EDA_computer"
and youtube that and put that shit thing on the mail in some hours..
I did that a lot of times.. piece of cake..
SMD some multi layer on any EDA thing. etched in 5 days
in dozen volume and up to my door ... amazing..
What the big deal about that?
bottom line is that folks used to actually do that on the
80s and 90s already know what a little shit of 5 hours work
mean compared to a couple of months working on design..
Things changed.. I just evolved with them...
To be honest .. Comparing a board designed today with a good
EDA soft and made in some hours to your door multilayer..
all SMD shit .. already assembled... via UPS or FEDEX..
there is no possible way to measure skills on that..
While the latter is for kids...
the former requires a real skilled folk..
I started doing routing on a paper for Christ sake
give me a break
I see SMD as dust on the bench..
Invested a small fortune in optical tools and tweezers..
for that.... little shit... impossible to avoid this word
Paul