It was said by your colleague that Eagle should not go subscription.
There was no advance warning or grace period so that we could buy extra V7 licenses.
We got completely taken by surprise and now, if we want to hire another engineer, we don't have
enough licenses and we will be forced to switched to another package.
Subscription is not an option. It is not negotiable. For arguments read the 300+ posts.
In Today's news, I see Mentor have made a significant line in the sand around Subscription, and the 'market reaction' to this...
Seems they are keen to assist AutoDesk down the slippery slope, by choosing another path... and avoiding the Subscription tar-pit ...
https://www.digikey.com/en/product-highlight/m/mentor-graphics/pads-maker?WT.mc_id=PressReleasehttp://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mentor-and-digi-key-announce-new-pads-maker-and-pads-makerpro-for-the-aspiring-innovator-300448264.html Mentor eliminated the annual license subscription for the new PADS MakerPro edition in favor of a 'license once and use forever' license and made the new PADS Maker edition a totally free license.
Complete desktop environment with no requirement for cloud storage or community IP sharing
Limits are not easy to nail down, but I find
https://eewiki.net/display/MentorGraphicsDocumentation/Getting+Started+with+PADS+Maker+LayoutSays
6 layers as 4 Signal, 2 plane 25 square inches (161.29cm2) Maker Pro : Maker Pro version allows 8 layers of which 6 can be signal layers. Board size is limited to 50 square inches. (322.58cm2) US$499/A$661.62 onceand Eagle ?
free version of EAGLE Includes 2 schematic sheets, 2 signal layers, and 80 cm2 board area.
EAGLE Standard Includes 99 schematic sheets, 4 signal layers, and 160 cm2 board area. A$140/year,
recurringEAGLE Premium Includes 999 schematic sheets, 16 signal layers, and unlimited board areas. A$700/year,
recurringUnclear if that 4 signal layers of EAGLE Standard
includes additional 2 planes, as PADS Maker does, but clearly the PADS free version chops the legs off Free Eagle, and undercuts EAGLE Standard.
Eagle premium is a little above PADS, in layers, but who in the maker area pushes over 8 layers ?
Conversely, 2 schematic sheets, 2 signal layers, and 80 cm2 board area. is quite seriously crippled, but just usable.
I also find this
You can import schematics and symbols from a third party tool. Files can be imported from the following software versions:
Altium Protel 99, DXP, 2004, 2006, AD6
P-CAD 200x
CADStar V5–V9
OrCAD 7.2–16.6
Eagle 6.0 or greater
and
You can import PCB files from third party tools by using the Import Translator (File > Import, then select the relevant software) in PADS Maker Layout. Files can be imported from the following software versions:
Altium Protel 99, DXP, 2004, 2006, AD6
P-CAD 200x
CADStar V5–V9
OrCAD Board Files 7.2–16.2
{ no mention of eagle PCB paths yet ?}
Of course, Mentor play the silly games of not supporting Import of PADS Layout designs to PADS Maker Layout, but these third party pathways give a clue of a dual hop path..
Update: Another page has this detail..
What happens when my license subscription runs out?
Student and Maker versions run out after 1 year. You may go back to Digi-Key to purchase the Maker Pro license (http://www.digikey.com/products/en?keywords=mentor%20graphics). Check back with Digi-Key and Mentor Graphics to see if licenses are available.Ouch - so after 12 months, you drop dead, or pay $$$
I've no idea what "Check back with Digi-Key and Mentor Graphics to see if licenses are available" means, is that based on the market push-back, we may extend the free ??
WTF? That seems just as brain-dead as Autodesk - maybe worse, as even the free version expires ?!?