So Who Is Altium Buying? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:25:03 pm
content: http://www.eevblog.com/2014/09/05/so-who-is-altium-buying/

author: koko79
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:48:03 pm
content: Could it be a product which not only fills some Altium gaps but already has a user base of Cadence, Mentor and Zuken users?The only thing right now that stands out in that regard is Downstream who sell the Blueprint PCB Documentation and CAM350 DFM tools.Mentor has Valor for DFM but it is a lot of money at least 50k a seat and CAM 350 is a cheaper alternative.

author: Precipice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:58:40 pm
content: A test equipment range? Possibly to bolt up to the simulator / FPGA virtual instrumentation that are unloved?Possibly scriptable using Altium's pretty decent engines?Damned if I know, though. Hope it's not a bloody IoT bandwagon chasing fiasco. (Microchip just failed to buy CSR the bluetooth and other IoThinggy chipmakers)

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 02:23:18 pm
content: Quote from: Precipice on September 05, 2014, 01:58:40 pmGreatly doubt it. It's pretty obvious that Altium have all but ditched the failed FPGA dream and all the associated hardware stuff.

author: Precipice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 02:29:49 pm
content: Manufacturing, then? A Tier-2 (or maybe that money gets you a Tier-1, but that doesn't really make sense as a 'sell a little PnP machine & oven to 10% of Altium customers) PnP machine manufactory?Go back to the old 'design in a day' sales angle, but add a bit of quickturn?It's going to be an IoT horror, though. And, just like the FPGA stuff, those of us who've been doing the job for a decade+ will ignore it, and new users won't get to grips with it.

author: DerekG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 02:43:19 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 05, 2014, 01:25:03 pmProbably another high end player in the PCB design arena. Just buy out your competitors like they did in the early 2000's with PCAD.Or maybe they want to buy the entire company who manufacture professional pcb milling machines for instant prototypes. Or maybe a company that manufactures professional 3D printers.Time will tell, but it seems likely that the Australian Stock Exchange will place Altium management under heavy scrutiny as the sudden share price jump would tend to indicate that some insider trader is/was taking place.Has Gordon Gekko been released from jail?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 02:45:43 pm
content: Quote from: DerekG on September 05, 2014, 02:43:19 pmThe only option there would be Zuken?QuoteCertainly possible.But my guess is still software based.QuoteNot the first time the ASX have asked Altium to "Please Explain".

author: koko79
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 02:51:45 pm
content: To buy Zuken would be some serious money. I suppose if we knew how much they wanted to raise that would help.Can't see them buying all of Zuken but maybe Zuken would be happy to sell off the Cadstar range?I doubt Zuken upsell many users from Cadstar to the CR8000 suites so might not be a big loss to them.

author: Precipice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 03:01:59 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 05, 2014, 02:45:43 pmBuying Sketchup from Trimble? That's always seemed an odd home for it.(Or, of course, as we all know, Australia has a lot of sun, and a lot of roads. Time for Altium to get freaking investing?)

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 03:35:05 pm
content: Inside sources say the will buy Dave Cad.

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 03:41:16 pm
content: We never saw any more of the 'system on a PCB' with off the shelf building block stuff that featured on the splash screen a version or two ago. They must have done quite a lot of work on that.I didn't think it was a terrible idea and have wondered if it was dead. Can't think what they would want to buy to support it.With their announced move to the States an acquisition of someone in the States they can move and merge into might be seen as quick and cost effective?Internet of things? - oh shit. I got some spam from Freescale the other day telling me there will be 50 billion 'things' connected to the internet in 6 years time. I would have more confidence in their prediction if I could think of one thing I want connected to the internet that isn't already.

author: Precipice
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 03:44:09 pm
content: Quote from: Rufus on September 05, 2014, 03:41:16 pmIoT isn't about things thatyou/we/anyone sanewant connected to the internet, old chap...

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 11:06:32 pm
content: Maybe they are the ones getting taken over...... Taken over by......ALIENS!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 11:14:14 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on September 05, 2014, 03:35:05 pmWell, itisfor sale, at the right price

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 11:30:39 pm
content: Surely IoT has received a bit of a bash from the recent iCloud/selfie fiasco and wouldn't sit well with investors at the moment

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 12:04:59 am
content: Well, if they are going to try to snag the hobbyist / maker market....My guess would be some PCB fabs. One click order, quick shipping, kind of thing.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 12:09:31 am
content: Quote from: george graves on September 06, 2014, 12:04:59 amYeah, an integrated PCB manufacturing service inside the free/cheap tool would be a killer feature.Hobbyists wouldn't need to deal with gerber formats, options and manufacturing specifications.The PCB software could take care of that behind the scenes because it would know all the DRC limitations of the PCB service its providing.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 12:25:58 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on September 06, 2014, 12:09:24 am

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 12:59:08 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on September 06, 2014, 12:31:49 amThe new management has done that in the form of dividends to the tune of (from memory) $8M or so.The old management never paid a dividend to shareholders in the last decade, just spent all the money they gave them on chasing silly impractical dreams.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 01:12:28 am
content: Chasing impractical dreams is how companies and individuals learn what is practicalA very high cost lesson for a company but I bet they at least got something out of it, even if it's just a life lesson.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 01:17:46 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on September 06, 2014, 01:12:28 amYeah, they learnt they finally needed to boot out their founder who drove all that crazy stuff.

author: leppie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 01:27:13 am
content: Dont know Altium, but something like DesignSpark's ModelSource is an awesome feature.

author: DerekG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 01:33:32 am
content: Quote from: george graves on September 06, 2014, 12:04:59 amAltium would be better off to do a deal with several fab shops to simply make a margin on the quoted price. All they need to do is to encrypt the file & the fab shop uses the decrypter. If Altium offered 5 fab shops, you could hawk your design around to get the cheapest price, fastest delivery etc.This idea is not new. There are are number of USA companies that already offer this.Altium have shown that they are pretty dumb at managing things outside of schematic & pcb design. If they were to buy a big fab shop it will (eventually) send them broke.Quote from: Psi on September 06, 2014, 12:09:31 amMost larger fab shops will take Altium files with no problems (in fact many prefer it as it makes penalisation faster for them). You just have to ask them.Pretty much all the fab shops in China will take Protel 99 files as they all have bootleg copies in their possession.

author: Cside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 01:47:04 am
content: Hey everybody... this altium trading hault, altium shares, takeovers etc..... WHO CARES!!!!!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 02:27:59 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 01:47:04 amThere are 700+ posts on this forum a day, probably the majority are not relevant to your interests. That doesn't not mean other people are not interested and they should not enjoy discussing it.

author: Cside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 02:31:53 am
content: QuoteUsability of a tool like Altium sure.. but corporate takeovers should be reserved  for  a business forum.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 02:36:21 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 02:31:53 amThere I fixed it for you.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 02:43:52 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 02:31:53 amNope, perfectly fine to discuss here, totally on-topic.You are welcome not to read the thread.

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 02:45:58 am
content: Whatever its going to be, it is sure to make a lot of VCs VERY happy. Outside funding means you dont care how much you spend, as long as it looks good in the press.Smart move would be SupplyFrame, ~$14mil vc funding in 2007-9. Would position Altium somewhere on the level of element14, parts broker with design tools on a side versus design tools with parts broker on a side.But I agree with Dave, smart is not in Altiums DNA and it will be something retarded like spark.io, $5mil funding and 20 employees burning cash as fast as they can, riding that sweet sweet buzzword of the day fad.Quote from: zapta on September 05, 2014, 03:35:05 pmDoubt that, just look at the stock price graph - firing Dave was the best decision they ever madeQuote from: Psi on September 06, 2014, 12:09:31 amexcept hobbyists were never a target market for Altium.Unnecessary comment removed.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 02:53:01 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 02:49:24 amNo, because Altium makes electronics-related products and McDonalds (ostensibly) makes food.

author: liquibyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 03:01:16 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 02:49:24 amSince it's Dave's board, he can do what he likes. Man I hate it when these types show up in the forums I go to.

author: Cside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 03:02:26 am
content: QuoteAs Dave said, you are welcome not to read this thread if you like

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 03:04:10 am
content: Some here care about the trade and anything related to it because it affects them directly.But you know what they say about opinions, we all have one the same as we all have...

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 03:06:58 am
content: Back on topic (I hope), so if Altium actually makes a good move, does that mean their booth will be bigger than yours? I know they probably did this last time but it was funny when you told them that your booth was bigger than theirs last yearEdit: and I miss the rants on your way to/from work btw.

author: Cside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 03:37:15 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on September 06, 2014, 03:04:10 amyeah thats right and I agree with that a lot.but corporate strategising in this context does not affect anyone at all unless they own stock. In which case that is a business forum issue.Im just sick of Dave ranting on about Altium this and that and the other thing. Who cares about altium, the company is a parasite.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 03:39:27 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 03:37:15 amTell that to Nokia employees

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 04:36:20 am
content: Cside, do you often do stuff that you don't like doing, don't need to do, and then insist that other people must stop doing it too? This is the Internet, I can see you are going to bereallybusy. Don't like it? Press "Back", or "Stop" and go find another forum subject or YouTube video that you prefer. When you pay to have the content made, and pay to have your own forum, then you get to call the shots. Until then, learn to use your browser please.Back to the question in hand:On the front page comments I made the suggestion that it could be a spin-off company to "contain" the free product. Better to keep it separate from your main business, that way it is less likely to contaminate your share value (and the perceived quality of your product), it doesn't risk your capital, and potentially gives it more freedom. If the product turns out to be a good one, without all the guff and bull crap bundled with the full-fat version of Altium then they might see customers downgrading, and losing quite a lot of income for them. This way, there is at least a "paper wall" to stop people moving across. A semi-independent company might also be free to host customer made libraries and, as has been observed, may be the centre of an eco-system which wouldn't be appropriate to Altium (component vendors, PCB fabrication, professional engineering services etc).As is the way of these things, it may well accelerate the development of KiCad through the cross-pollination of ideas and bringing more skilled content creators into the marketplace.Hopefully they will write it in something like Java, and/or publish the API and file specs for it, to allow enthusiasts, professionals, makers and anyone with the ability, the potential to add their own facilities.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 04:47:08 am
content: Quote from: Zad on September 06, 2014, 04:36:20 amYup... That sounds like an average day at work..

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 04:58:15 am
content: Quote from: Rasz on September 06, 2014, 02:45:58 amSupplyFrame are pretty big, I doubt it would be them.OctoPart wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to get into that segment, but they could likely buy them with existing cash.QuoteThe graph never lies!QuoteThey are now, very specifically a publicly stated aim of the company.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 04:59:31 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 02:49:24 amNo, it's not. Altium and electronic tools are completely on topic for this forum.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 05:00:34 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on September 06, 2014, 03:06:58 amThey aren't showing up this year!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 05:03:29 am
content: Quote from: Cside on September 06, 2014, 03:37:15 amNo, it's not.Many of us make our living with these tools, so anything the company does strategically and market and product wise has impact directly upon our livelihoods and/or hobby.QuoteThen just block this part of the forum if you don't like hearing about Altium!In case you missed it this is where people discuss Altium and it's products.You don't have to to like it.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 05:07:52 am
content: Quote from: Zad on September 06, 2014, 04:36:20 amThat's not a bad theory at all.Altium didn't hint at it when I saw the demo though, so either they hid that or it's a last minute thing (that's Altium's style though)My only reservation with that is how to keep the code base and expertise usable between as you'd invariably have to.And it would be hard at first people a zillion people will download it for free, but how many will buy. The standalone company will have a hard time surviving initially. But hey, if it's someone else cash.So whilst this is possible, my spidey sense tells me it's not what's happening.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 10:06:01 am
content: Oh no, they are going to buy Upverter or a similar cloud company, and combine it with their vault. It will be an online tool, browser based. Oh no. It will be useless. They want to chain you to their servers, they always have.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 10:19:05 am
content: Spill the beans ---- what did they say!!!!!

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 12:44:02 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on September 06, 2014, 10:06:01 amIm not feeling it, Dave would say something (mostly laugh) if their upcoming free tool was cloud wank

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 06, 2014, 12:53:31 pm
content: Quote from: Rasz on September 06, 2014, 12:44:02 pmIt does involvesomecloud wank, but is not a cloud app, it is a proper Windows program.Like I've said before, I don't like everything they are doing with this, but on a whole it does sound really good if they can pull it off.Final details were still being worked on, so the exact final solution wasn't set in stone when I looked at it.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 07, 2014, 01:09:55 am
content: I remember when EA came out with the new version of Sim City, which insisted that it be connected live to EA's servers in order to operate. EA claimed for some time that this was because their servers were doing a huge amount of processing in order to deliver amazing A.I. and gameplay. For weeks after the initial release date, people were having huge trouble getting on the servers and, when they did get on, they would randomly disconnect and lose all their saved play. Inevitably, it turned out that no processing was done on the servers, and they were just there as an anti-piracy measure. It could have been totally avoided and saved EA money too.It took weeks and weeks to sort out the server lag problem, and it lost them a lot of customers. It also put a lot of people off buying their products again. I can't imagine Altium having to hire a server farm to lock in a free product, with the potential for things going arse over tits and a lot of egg on their faces when they get a flood of new customers at the start of the university engineering student year. However, I can imagine them storing libraries online, and possibly user designs too. I can also foresee a lot of innovative hackers out there writing "helpful little add-ons to augment the user experience". i.e. Store it all locally.It all depends how much this is driven by the marketing department, and how much by the engineers. The fact that they even got in touch with Dave to ask his opinion tells me that they might stand a decent chance with this.Just watch, it will turn out to be something nobody thought of, like a separate hardware department, or 3D printing, or re-integrating Altium Switzerland (which I think is technically a separate company).

author: snoopy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2014, 03:00:38 am
content: I know what it is.Altium have found a device that makes instant PCB's and are about buy out the inventorLOL

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2014, 03:09:11 am
content: Quote from: snoopy on September 08, 2014, 03:00:38 amactually its a CHIP PRINTER!

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 08, 2014, 03:55:55 am
content: They raised 44.8M to "assist with the pursuit of Altium’s growth"http://t.co/Hk8fjdPNJ0http://t.co/rqVmHNadLL

author: DerekG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2014, 04:05:38 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 08, 2014, 03:55:55 amOr maybe to just keep Altium alive. As more & more design work leaves for the shores of China & India, I see a hard road ahead for Altium. Particularly as the users in these countries tend to pay bugger all for their software.Maybe the $44.8 million will be used to track down & prosecute these users ............. or maybe to encrypt the software so that it cannot be used unless you are logged into the Altium servers.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 08, 2014, 04:16:33 am
content: Quote from: DerekG on September 08, 2014, 04:05:38 amDoubt it. They were doing just fine financially.QuoteAltium tried to fix the China piracy thing and failed, so they won't try that again.They have stated the money is to be used for the market plans in the invest presentation. That means moving into the low end space and pushing further into the high end space.

author: DerekG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2014, 04:45:32 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 08, 2014, 04:16:33 am$44.8 million (or part of) for this.As Liam Neeson said in the film Taken ........ "Good Luck" ........... and we know what happened there.QuoteAgain, all I would say is "Good Luck".At least Altium have realised that if they don't push hard in the marketplace their market share & revenues will fall.As I've said before, pcb design software is a mature market now ............... a bit like Microsoft Office. If you have Office 2007 there is no impending reason to upgrade to Office 2014.The same goes for Altium 14. It has a few nice features over say Altium 6.9 but it is also now filled up with more bloatware.Is Altium 14 more productive? Hardly, I would say.

author: ludzinc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 09, 2014, 01:21:44 am
content: Received this invite to an Altium Roadshow today:linkThey are advertising iCD (in Circuit Design) and Desktop EDA as 3rd party plugins. Maybe they want to buy these guys up (or is this old news?).

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2014, 05:08:55 am
content: WARNING: pure speculationMaybe they ramped up the good news, did the placement at $2.80, ramp down with bad news and then do a share buyback.This will be profitable for the investor(s) who already held a lot of stock. (CEO), but wont achieve much else.BTW the placement investors are probably the Australian superannuation funds, who are controlled by people who don't actually own the money they invest with.They tend to be easy pickings for smart money shifters, such as investment Banks, using CDOs, managed funds and placements.The only losers are the general public.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2014, 12:01:27 pm
content: Maybe Altium would be better off spending the money on making a secure app if they are worried about piracy.I'll be the first to admit I have used pirated software, mainly due to the fact I wanted to work at home on some things that we have a license for in work, and I am not ashamed to admit to making some of these applications "work" when they are not available elsewhere.Without going into too much detail, to make Altium 14.3.14 "work" for example, you change 1, yes 1, byte in a file.And it has been the same for a while now, I mean you don't get access to the vault etc, but you have to admit they are not doing much to prevent piracy!And as people have mentioned, the change from version 6 to 14 for example is negligible, so chances are the old software will work fine if they do decide to use OTA activation techniques.Look at the likes of Eagle or Diptrace, yes they get "fixed" but rarely do you need the features of the full version for hobby stuff, for those who use Altium day to day and want to design something at home, they have no real option to either use a pirated copy or use a different package.Something as simple as releasing a free version might cut down a lot of the piracy as Altium is seen as "industry de facto" people want it, and for all it's quirks it does work, I use Eagle and Altium primarily (at work, yes, licensed).

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2014, 02:51:32 pm
content: Quote from: Wilksey on September 09, 2014, 12:01:27 pmThey wouldn't and they have known that for years. Spend money on dongles or bought in licence management packages etc and someone will still find the 100 or 1000 bytes that need changing to bypass the protection - it is pretty much pure waste.Additionally they understood that these unofficial free evaluation copies didn't cost them much in sales and provided advertising and training which might gain them future sales. That is probably no longer true in China but there is little they can do about it there.Light security to keep honest customers honest (companies not using more copies than they are licensed for in ignorance or by rule bending) is worth while. They have also tried to offer internet services to which access can be restricted but the value they can add is limited.Quote from: Wilksey on September 09, 2014, 12:01:27 pmAgain they care about making money not piracy, how does spending money developing another package and giving it away make them money? It will actually cost them a few sales of the full package.I am still guessing at what Altium are trying to do with the free package. It has to be a loss-leader for something. Paid for more capable version or some kind of paid for services I don't know. I was surprised to hear it isn't going to be a cut down version of the full AD package because if it isn't very similar it looses value as a leader to the full package. What they are going to spend the raised money on is also a mystery to me.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2014, 03:44:37 pm
content: An old wisdom say 'raise money when you can, not when you need'. If their stock/valuation is high, it's a good time to raise money with limited stock dilution.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 09, 2014, 05:39:05 pm
content: It is true that there is not much in the way of difference between changing 1 or 100 bytes, and if they truly don't care about people doing that then they are more stupid than we give them credit for, but my point about releasing a free version cutting down piracy is still valid I believe. I mean they are not going to run any polls or anything and I can only speak for a handful of people but even 1 or 2 people for instance is cutting down, and not only that, having a free version would help introduce people to their software.People only want the basics, and a lot of people come from other packages so know their way around it's just learning how Alitum specifically does things, which really doesn't require a training package! Just a good users guide.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 10, 2014, 12:10:04 am
content: I did hear some gossip from somebody close to the action a few years ago.One guy from Eastern Europe hacked their new version within 2 weeks of release, and let them know.Altium fixed the flaw and then he hacked their patched version in a month IIRC.He said he would like a job with them so the boss gave him a task that was something like reverse engineering their competitors binary format.He apparently did this faster than the boss could have done it, so got the job.It is probably quite hard to protect their app.Maybe they should sell through Steam/Valve.They seem to do it well.

author: Gribo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 12:13:25 pm
content: The big EDA vendors don't really care if someone pirates a copy for hobby/home use, 99% of those will not buy a copy. They do care when a company buys 2 seats and uses 10, and these customers will not modify even one bit so they will not loose support or get sued.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 01:29:16 pm
content: Quote from: Rufus on September 09, 2014, 02:51:32 pmNo need to guess, I can tell you.They want to dominate the low end of the market, and to do that need a package that draws everyone in (the free bit), and then charge reasonable prices to upgrade the capability.They are not in it for charity, and it's not a loss-leader for anything, they expect to make a lot of money from it, or at the very least pay for the development and get people tied into the Altium brand.QuoteI was too, and originally said that would be a stupid move on their part.I was basing that comment on the fact they seem to have a hard enough time finding resources to make AD work properly, that devoting already scare resources to maintaining a separate package would be silly.I still think that, but I do understand their desire to make it much easier to use with a new UI aimed at beginners and low end users. And their opinion that AD is not a package that would be suitable for the low end market in terms of usability.What they are going to spend the raised money on is also a mystery to me.They have to buy someone, it's the only reason why investment companies would give them the money.Investors don't care about dreams and hiring extra employees to make a better product, they care about acquisitions and expanding the company that way.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 02:03:16 pm
content: Quote from: Wilksey on September 09, 2014, 12:01:27 pmIMHO every serious business just buys the software. Every other install is a potential locked-in customer. In Asia they are turning the thumbs screws on companies using pirated software. BTW I use pirated versions of software exclusively because they are much easier to install and move to a new PC than the original version (which I have somewhere in the shrink wrap). I really can't be bothered with activations, dongles, etc so if there is no pirated version of a piece of software I won't buy it all.

author: Wilksey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2014, 11:59:11 pm
content: Well, I don't exclusively seek that kind of software, and choices certainly are not made if a unorthodox version is available or not, but I can see what you mean about dongles etc, we had some software which the dongle got damaged and they wanted to charge us almost the same for a new dongle than a new license would cost, as we had 3 or 4 dongles at the time I just used a sentinel dongle copier the "broken" one had a dodgy usb connector and I copied it onto a emulator and it has worked fine on the emulator for years!I don't use the "home" software for creating PCB's for personal use, I have another machine with other software (licensed or free) for that.I remember the days where if you had a corporate Anti Virus license you could install it on workers home PC's using the same key, those days are gone in the pound rolling eyes of the sales guys!I couldn't afford Altium for home use and it is overkill for what we use it for in work and it is not much more intuitive that some other cheaper packages, so I am quite looking forward to what this "free" version will offer.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2014, 12:18:23 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 14, 2014, 01:29:16 pmAny change to the known UI would be a grave error IMO.While AD does require a significant learning curve, learn it, get used to it and use the leading industry standard package available.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2014, 09:37:32 pm
content: I wouldn't call Altium the industry leading package. There is still lots of Orcad and Eagle installed and bought. I have used Altium in the past but I found it very cumbersome to use. If I had to buy a CAD package again I'd choose Orcad again.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2014, 08:57:17 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on September 16, 2014, 09:37:32 pmYes. Meanwhile Altium 14 is overcrowded with features and menus. And they've changed basic steps that people can't learn from the tutorials. I can't get rid off the feeling that the management wants to present new features in no time to make money at the expense of ease of use and reliability. Too many bugs, obsolete manuals and tutorials.Hope they change their policy soon.

author: Cside
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2014, 09:52:46 am
content: what's an altium?Im using logowriter for my cad work

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 18, 2014, 08:51:18 pm
content: What's a CAD?I hand tape all my boards! Speaking of, I need to place another order with Bishop Graphics for more little adhesive via dots!

author: ElektroQuark
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 19, 2014, 09:36:26 am
content: What're boards?

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 19, 2014, 11:53:47 pm
content: Quote from: EdoNork on September 19, 2014, 09:36:26 amFact!