From 1994-2003 I used Eagle for very small PC board designs, typically single layer 1" diameter circular analog boards (for sensors). Once I did a 2" diameter board 4 layer board with mixed signal stuff.
That was my only exposure to schematic capture / PCB layout software at the time. After some learning, I was proficient and had absolutely no problem with using it. It was mission focused software that got the job done and I was very pleased with the price, as I was paying for it for my own company.
Fast forward to 2005-2007 and with my new startup, I decided to go with Altium and paid quite a bit for a seat, and ultimately learned it and was successful with making several boards that were 3" x 5" two-layer mixed signal boards. Altium definitely felt more inline with today's UI methods, however it felt heavy (I really didn't use the advanced features or simulations, FPGA features). Again I paid for it since I owned the company.
Now fast forward to today, another new startup. Since I want to make PCB templates available as open source for customers wanting to start their projects with something more that scratch, I'm strongly considering using Eagle again.
My dilemma is about whether I should use Eagle for 100% of our work, or buy Altium and Eagle then use Altium for internal development work and Eagle to publish the open source projects that will be made available. Again, I'll be paying for both softwares personally.
As a side note, I do use SolidWorks, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Indesign, Keil-MDK. I only mention this as I don't want to come across as one to use MS-Paint over Photoshop. I have used these pro softwares to a deep extent and take advantage of advanced functionality. Perhaps on the PCB software side, I didn't make enough designs/boards to fully appreciate Altium's advanced feature set.
Anyway, helpful commentary is appreciated. I'm ready to pull the trigger on a purchase...