Got an email, 50% discount for eagle subscription. Expires Jul 16. After discount it is USD 250 for one year. (Discount is only good for 1 year subscription, i.e. you can't buy 3 years or 2 years, or monthly, with the discount).
Question, if the format of the Eagle 8 files is not radically different from Eagle 6, that is not a bad proposition. Once this expires I can always fall back on v.6 and reconsider my options then.
Question, if the format of the Eagle 8 files is not radically different from Eagle 6, ...
It's not, as long as you don't use schematic hierarchy, but this is not guaranteed to stay. And if it changes, you have a problem.
Beside that: Burning USD 250 for having to use V6 soon again does not sound that good for me as it does for you.
if the format of the Eagle 8 files is not radically different from Eagle 6, [...]
But the format already
is different, starting with version 8.2. In the "Imagine you had a deadline..." thread, Jorge Garcia explains that you can currently work around that by using a special "export in old format" command:
if ever you wanted to switch back you would use this function to export your design files to a 8.1.1 or earlier 
format. EAGLE V8.2.0 was the first version of EAGLE to introduce a change to the XML structure with the online libraries feature. New features that affect the XML will converted to something that older version of EAGLE can understand to the extent possible(Hierarchy is what comes to mind here).
I am quite convinced that Autodesk will make sure the formats diverge further and further, so that in the near future you won't be able revert to an older, permanently licensed version without some painful losses of functionality or data.
Got an email, 50% discount for eagle subscription. Expires Jul 16. After discount it is USD 250 for one year. (Discount is only good for 1 year subscription, i.e. you can't buy 3 years or 2 years, or monthly, with the discount).
I got that email too. And I got another one in March, and two in January this year; each offering the same 50% discount.
Keep them coming, Autodesk! Maybe at some point you will even be offering significant functional enhancements (push & shove routing, anyone?), a stable-again implementation, and a business model where I am not expected to sell my soul to Autodesk. I will happily reconsider then...
One feature that I don't mind paying for is having signal names written on the traces in PCB module.
I did not realize you can create custom menus with ULP.
When did the format change from binary to XML? Was that in v6 or v7 or somewhere in between?
I paid for V7 and currently have signal names on traces as of The Last V7 Update. So, you can't use that as a reason to upgrade to V8 unless you don't have a V7 license.
Note: KiCAD does signal names on traces.
I did not realize you can create custom menus with ULP.
eagle.scr is run on startup and contains MENU directives which can add items to the menu, with optional image icons (which I was too lazy to implement on the above demo). That's how all the annoying element14 spam was added to the menus and instantly removed by me upon download.
I've been using Eagle since 2001 as a hobbyist and 2009 or so as a pro, so I know the program inside and out and really would rather not have to leave it behind. If only they didn't have that stupid subscription model.
When did the format change from binary to XML? Was that in v6 or v7 or somewhere in between?
Version 6.0.0 introduced XML format.
It's in the release notes, doc/UPDATE_en (or doc/UPDATE_de).
Sounds like they're getting desperate trying to pull users into the rental platform, don't fall for it.
Sounds like they're getting desperate trying to pull users into the rental platform, don't fall for it.
Unless the product miraculously improves - I would not bother even if it was free. I don't want my small business to hang on subscription software for design on top of dealing with its limitations and quirks. I have 3 years of experience with it and have to spend a considerable amount of time learning the details and even writing my own ULP's. In the end, I can 'eventually' make just about any board, but it always seems to take far longer than it should which forces me to compromise. Now that I am moving into high-speed layouts - it is REALLY hard.
In my opinion, it is a hobby tool with hopes and dreams to become a professional tool. I cannot deal with hopes and dreams - I need the capability even if I have to suck it up and pay.
I also got the email but I won't spend a single dollar with Autodesk. They may have left me with a mostly unsupported software after I paid them, but they aren't getting any more business from me. While I'll be using Eagle for many years to come for existing projects(and I'm keeping backup of both executables and license codes), I'm migrating to Kicad (or Altium -- if they ever release a Mac version) for new ones.
I also got the email but I won't spend a single dollar with Autodesk. They may have left me with a mostly unsupported software after I paid them, but they aren't getting any more business from me. While I'll be using Eagle for many years to come for existing projects(and I'm keeping backup of both executables and license codes), I'm migrating to Kicad (or Altium -- if they ever release a Mac version) for new ones.
Hi Sergioag,
Just to clarify, we are still supporting our V7 users, if you run into any technical issues please feel free to reach out. If you need the links to download V7.7 or your installation credentials resent please let me know.
Best Regards,
Jorge Garcia
Hi Jorge,
Yeah, that why I said "mostly unsupported", not "totally unsupported". I would remove the "unsupported" part if some development was going on for v7, but that's not the case.
Thanks,
Sergio Aguayo