Electronics Development on a Macintosh - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: drtaylor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2014, 11:29:09 pm
content: I've always been kind of a maverick in my design methodology. I'm wondering how many designers out there prefer to design using a Macintosh. Corporate minds are against it, and I've had to fight at times to keep using a Mac. Most of my career I've been at a small, money-tight organization (at least since I left Fluke) and the cost of programs was important. I use a iMac 27" with an added 27" monitor. I put the schematic on the right screen, and lay the PCB out on the left screen. Awesome work flow possibilities. (BOM on left, Schematic on Right) (Spice on Left, Schematic on Right).Anyway I have hundreds of designs developed on a Macintosh, and over the last 5 years, PCB Layout also on a Macintosh. For Spice evaluations, there are web based tools that work fine on Mac browsers. For Schematic Capture, I use McCad Schematics+. This program is a little dated, but I like how easy it is to design and add new symbols to libraries. I am very picky about how my schematics look, and I like the flexibility.For PCB layout, I use Osmond (www.osmondpcb.com). This modestly priced package is a freeform layout artist's dream. It makes full use of Cocoa graphics and has higher resolution than any other PCB layout program I have used. I output the net list from McCad using a custom macro to get the net list in the format required for Osmond. It is easy to use existing part libraries, but I mostly like how easy it is to design my own pad patterns. It produces 274X Gerbers, and I have used 4 different PCB vendors with no problems. It also outputs in Postscript for people to use when making their own PCBs. What high end layout programs have that Osmond does not is things like 3-d board rendoring, auto-routing (which I would never use anyway, don't like the results, and it usually sucks for analog current flow). I particularly like how easy it is to make multiple planes, split planes, etc. Osmond has a fairly logical interface, and it's easy to learn. The developer is always helpful in fixing bugs, and the product has evolved nicely in the last few years. Just recently, blind and buried via capability was added. Osmond PCB is highly recommended.I maintain a parts data base in Filemaker Pro, which also is crosslinked to a BOM generator, a layout in FM pro that I wrote. FM Pro is cross platform.The only other major tool I use is Excel for error analysis and other calculations.I hope to connect with other Mac based designers, and share favorite tools and techniques. Please note that I do not want this topic to be a PC vs Mac argument. I've heard it all, and that is not my intent to argue with a die hard PC user. I just want to connect people wanting to use a Mac for electronic design.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2014, 11:56:15 pm
content: Well, let me preface this by saying I'm not an engineer by training. But in the early 1990s I was responsible for developing the hardware and software data acquisition systems for a major US university (UC Berkeley) neurophysiology lab course. We were heavily invested in Mac hardware and I found that National Instruments hardware and programming with LabView worked perfectly for us. - For the Macs in engineering naysayers - - Labview was first developed for Macs and only later for Windows.More recently I've resigned myself to work in both platforms (I have several of both type of computers) due to both work requirements and more recently my interest in hobby electronics - so it's good to hear that a professional EE is able to stick with Macs!The more I look the more I realize that with few exceptions, most major electronics software tools are either cross platform or have good Mac alternatives.Quote from: drtaylor on January 15, 2014, 11:29:09 pmInteresting! I am very new to PCB layout and have been looking at different packages to decide which to invest time learning. Nice to know of another good Mac option.QuoteGood luck with that - as you see above it seems already the first reply is someone who's ignored this...BTW - listened to your AmpHour interview last night - Great stuff!

author: wilheldp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 12:03:39 am
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 15, 2014, 11:32:22 pmObviously not since DrTaylor has probably forgotten more about electronics than you have ever known.DrTaylor, did Fluke allow you to use Macs when you were working for him/them? I noticed the comment about "since I left Fluke," but that only seems to refer to the cost of software, not whether you were using a Mac there.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 12:53:04 am
content: @drtaylorI apologise to you; I hadn't read your OP properly - was distracted by TV. I'll let others advise you better.Take care, and I hope you get the info you need mateMatt.

author: drtaylor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 02:41:07 am
content: Quote from: wilheldp on January 16, 2014, 12:03:39 amHi, thanks for your question and I appreciate your comment. I had my first Mac while at Wavetek. I used it to design the front panel of the 52 and write the hardware and software specs. I used Freehand to design graphics and custom LCDs. Another fact, Excel originally came out on Macs. While at Fluke I uses a PDP11 for word processing. Not much else though I did use an Apple II running an early spreadsheet program. The software engineers were equipped with Sun Workstations. It was a different world.

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 03:37:17 am
content: Quote from: drtaylor on January 15, 2014, 11:29:09 pmI would rather think the OS is a secondary consideration and the techniques, methods and interfaces of the software are where its at. And of course, its availability on your platform of choice

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:36:17 am
content: I agree. Most of the EE software is Windows only. Sticking to a Mac or Linux is cutting yourself short. I prefer to use Linux but for many EE software I run Windows in a VM.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 05:39:33 pm
content: Which EE software is Windows only?Just asking - since so far the only tools I've come across that are not cross platform or have good Mac alternatives are the ARM coding tools CCS and Keil - and there are probably good alternatives for these I just haven't seen yet..There are several Mac Spice and PCB design tools. Atmel and PIC IDEs for Mac. Labview for Mac ....

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 06:49:40 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 05:39:33 pmMost schematics capture and PCB design. Compilers are software tools. Not EE tools.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 07:00:31 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on January 16, 2014, 06:49:40 pmWhich schematic and PCB design ? I know Altium is not crossplatform - but Eagle, Diptrace, Kicad all are. The OP is obviously happy with Osmond PCB.Not trying to be argumentative at all. It's just that I heard about this "no good EE software for Mac" and initially bought into that idea, but the more I learn - the more I am finding out this doesn't seem to be the case.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 07:40:58 pm
content: I live with macs for 25 years. and I'm an electronic engeneer that does now more computer stuff than electronics but I still love electronics.sorry guys I tried a lot of things, and the EE softwares are best on windows platform.but the mac is great with a virtual machine : you live with the mac softwares, and use the virtual machine for the EE softwareit is really simple and powerfull.diptrace is great and starting price is nothing and enought for hobby, but I use diptrace under a virtual machine, the mac version is only a wine virtual machine with an embedded diptrace inside and 10x the size of the software. not at all the mac friendly softwares we are used to so I prefer the windows diptrace.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 07:57:22 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on January 16, 2014, 07:40:58 pmOK good to know. I have downloaded Diptrace to my Windows 7 machine and played with it some. I haven't yet committed to learning a PCB design tool - still deciding which one I want to invest in. Still looking at Kicad and need to check out Osmond tools now as well.So it seems like - yes - for any one particular software tool - the PC version might be preferred depending on ones tastes - but I still haven't heard of something you can't do in EE on a Mac that there aren't at least some high quality alternatives available - even if one particular one is not available (Altium) or as good (Diptrace) on a Mac.The idea that "most tools are Windows only" still appears to be false to me.....

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 08:08:26 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 07:57:22 pmPC:Expansion (PCI/PCI-E) boards = yesParallel port = yes (on older hardware, but there's plenty of that)Mac:Expansion (PCI/PCI-E) boards = yes (On PowerMac and Mac Pro, but with possible issues)Parallel port = possibly, but likely to be fiddly, if working at all with PowerPC MacsIn this limited example, I'd choose windows for EE.

author: Omicron
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 09:12:43 pm
content: I've been a Mac user for about 20 years. For a long time I found it a problem to find decent EE software for Mac. So I relied on a separate Windows PC and later when Intel based Macs appeared I ran stuff in a virtual machine, which actually worked quite well.Nowadays however I rarely need to use a virtual machine anymore. I use eagle for schematics and PCB layout. The recent versions run beautifully on a Mac and are 100% native. LTSpice has also been ported to Mac. Between those two most of my design needs are covered. And for software development using Eclipse and GCC based tools a Mac can actually work out better than a Windows machine. A lot of GCC toolchains out there port more easily to OS X than to Windows.So all in all I'm quite happy with the current state of affairs on the Mac. The available options are certainly more than good enough for hobbyist or semi-professional use.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 09:25:12 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 07:00:31 pmHow bout Or ad , mentor cadence and almost all hi end design tools out there. Hyperlinx, cst studio , ads , tanner, you name it. Pc windows and or linux. No mac versions.But all these things are moot. If you have a mac , plonk on parallels and off you go.There is no need to restricting yourself.An operating system is a platform to run applications. It should do that and stay out of the way.Adavantage of a mac is you can run osx linux and windows all in parallel so you got the biggest pond to fish in.Saying 'i only want to use mac , or i only want to use linux is like saying i inly want to use phillips screws or i only want to use hammers.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:05:20 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 08:08:26 pm?? Care to elaborate about "possible issues" ?? PCI bus has been on desktop Macs since 1995 - about the same time as PCs. I've never had any issues using it on a Mac.I agree with free-electron that the Mac versus PC debate is a non issue. I own and use both and also occasionally run Windows on my Mac (via Parallels). All else being equal I prefer the more seamless operating environment of the Mac and loathe the tendency of my Windows machines to get loaded up with crap and bogged down quickly. But that's just my preference - YMMV.As to the question of EE tools - it still seems to me that with the exception of a few very high end design programs - most EE tools are available for the Mac platform. For me it's of interest since my next computer upgrade will be a new Mac laptop and I'm still on the fence as to which I will use for my main electronics platform.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:14:38 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 10:05:20 pmPowerPC and Open firmware, coupled with older (Tiger and below) versions of OS X, coupled with an infinite number of unknowns - I cannot tell you more, but I *can* tell you that PC + Windows is a tried and tested platform. I have no further ideas; I'd simply make life easier for myself, and avoid Mac OS X for EE.Don't ask me to expand; it's just instinct (and I was an Intel/PPC Mac user from 2006-2011).

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:22:46 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:14:38 pmHuh?? Macs have been on Intel hardware for years now...

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:27:13 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 10:22:46 pmIf you need a native parallel or serial port on a Mac, you'll need a pre-Intel Mac; that was the point. At some point you'll likely need one or both of these ports.Anyhow, my view is that PC+Windows = stress reduction, for EE. Macs have limited ports, whereas PCs are expandable, tried and tested.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:35:26 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:27:13 pm

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:38:23 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 16, 2014, 10:35:26 pmALL platforms crash; fact.You must not have used Macs too much:

author: sync
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:42:44 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:27:13 pmPCs don't have a parallel port anymore. And what's the point of having one? It was an awful interface.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:46:30 pm
content: Quote from: sync on January 16, 2014, 10:42:44 pmAsk the vendors who make solutions which require LPT; I have no feelings as to whether it was/is "awful" or not - that is irrelevant if you've got a tool which needs a bare metal parallel port; you don't care, you just want to do the job... right?

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:47:44 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:38:23 pmWhen I worked at the power plant I had ~dozen of Solaris boxes with uptimes > 1500 days, Linux boxes > 1000.If not for the scheduled bus outages, even longer.But yeah, eventually, some are just more reliable than others, Windows being the worst. (I haven't used a Mac since the mid 80s, so maybe they suck, I donno)Any time you want to challenge me to an uptime contest, say the word.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:49:12 pm
content: Quote from: sync on January 16, 2014, 10:42:44 pmI believe it was quite handy being able to break out all the parallel port pins onto a breadboard and have a whole lot of digital I/O's easily programmed from the PC?Nowadays I guess there are other convenient alternatives like the Arduino for similar purposes, but way back then it was handy having a freely and universally available I/O port.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:52:39 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:27:13 pmAs others have pointed out - no need for a parallel port - ever... And inexpensive USB to serial adapters are the norm - I use these on my Windows machines...I think perhaps you are living in the 90s..

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:54:50 pm
content: Quote from: sync on January 16, 2014, 10:42:44 pmNot sure if really that awful (some problems seem to have began after they retrofitted bidirectional capability) but I haven't used one in a decade or so, and no - I won't ever need one again in my life. The only possible use for it I can think of now is people who for some strange reasons insist on using some ancient bit-banged programmers off eBay to save 10 bucks or so on a proper, modern, official programmer from a microcontroller manufacturer. And then spend countless hours trying to get the damn thing to work.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:55:43 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 16, 2014, 10:47:44 pmI've used Linux of myriad (50+) variants since 2003. I use Mint every single week, and have done for years. The subject is not about you or me - this has nothing to do with a "contest". Even Linux crashes - don't tell me it doesn't, that is called denial. ALL computers crash, and I feel you're in this for the ego trip... so I'm out.I have used Windows 7 x64 for 3+ years now, for 9+ hours a day, and it has barely crashed once. Right - I'm getting off this thread.Seeya

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:58:23 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 10:52:39 pm90s, ha ha

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:59:11 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 10:52:39 pmWhen you can use a USB-to-serial/USB-to-LPT for EVERY eventuality, it will be time to say goodbye to the native ports, yes. It's a well known fact that these dongles VERY often cause problems, due to differing FTDI/Prolific/whatever chipsets. I know through hard experience, and lots of it. Tell a mobile phone repair shop that they should emulate these ports virtually; they'll look sideways at you.

author: sync
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 10:59:37 pm
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:46:30 pmOk, I understand. Products which uses a complete obsolete interface. And very likely misuse it. Won't work with a USB to parallel interface. Bad designs. Stay away from them.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:01:10 pm
content: Quote from: sync on January 16, 2014, 10:59:37 pmSomeone offers you £50,000 to make something, and you refuse, because the tool to do it needs a native parallel port, and you don't "like" them?Okay. Call the manufacturer of the tool, and tell them you'll pay them to re-design the hardware; I'm sure they'll do it for you.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:05:13 pm
content: Quote from: drtaylor on January 15, 2014, 11:29:09 pmDude, youseriouslyoverestimate the self-control of the average EEVblogger.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:07:12 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on January 16, 2014, 11:05:13 pmHe didn't say anything about a Linux vs argument though, FLAME away!

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:07:54 pm
content: Can you even buy a Windows machine with a native serial port anymore?I still have a Pentium 4 laptop somewhere with one....Old windows machines are a dime a dozen - literally on ebay. Makes zero sense to base ones current computer platform on long outdated and rarely if ever needed interfaces.This is just common sense and has absolutely nothing to do with whether one chooses to use acurrentMac or PC for electronics.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:09:44 pm
content: Back on the topic of this thread, what is the situation if you want to use development, programming and debugging tools for micros as a Mac user? Which vendors provide Mac support?Actually, since the Arduino is aimed at arty folk, and the majority of arty folk use Macs, what is the Arduino/Mac situation?

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:12:05 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on January 16, 2014, 11:09:44 pmThey advertise support for all 3 platforms, probably pretty good.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:13:25 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 11:07:54 pmOne may buy a serial or parallel port expansion card for a PC; I neglected to mention that. Anyway...Anyway... Enjoy your day/night

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:13:57 pm
content: Quote from: mtdoc on January 16, 2014, 11:07:54 pmNot store bought, but most DIY stuff still have serial and parallel, many times just headers on the MB and not broke out to the back panel.

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:16:10 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 16, 2014, 11:04:20 pmThe misconception of Windows systems crashing every time you look at them funny and going bad overnight for no particular reason is not true since many years now, it really is. I know from other threads that you really, really, really hate Microsoft - fine with me but if the main reason is the alleged instability, I think you should give some modern Windows PC a go just to see it really doesn't crash unless you're using some badly written device driver, have defective RAM, etc. I use Windows systems in my day job and then spend way to much time with my Windows laptop at home and I'm really not sure I know how a BSOD looks like since Windows 7.

author: manticore00
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:20:23 pm
content: Regarding Windows crashing, the vast majority of crashes caused on windows versions greater than XP are not the fault of the OS but rather the fault of buggy drivers. Speaking from personal experience having worked on dozens of crash dump analyses I can only recall one instance where we could attribute the crash to an OS component rather than a third party driver and even that instance was attributed to a third party component messing around with dll injection into the OS component that blew up.Regarding Mac and EE development, is XCode extensible like Visual Studio is? I love Atmel Studio and it'd be great if there's something similar for Mac?

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:31:02 pm
content: Quote from: IanB on January 16, 2014, 11:09:44 pmFor PIC, MPLAX comes in a Mac version from Microchip. Several good third party Atmel AVR IDEs. Arduino IDE for Mac was there from the beginning of the Arduino craze..I haven't explored the ARM IDEs for Mac but I know there are several

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:35:48 pm
content: Quote from: manticore00 on January 16, 2014, 11:20:23 pmXCode is for OS X and iOS apps and tools, and also C/C++. It is a poor/impossible fit for EE, as it's purpose is to produce Apple product apps in Obj-C, and I wouldn't waste time trying. However, for Obj-C it's a dream!

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:44:39 pm
content: Quote from: Zbig on January 16, 2014, 11:16:10 pmNo, I've just been spoiled with the massive reliability of Unix/Linux from day one. I used to be the owner of hundreds of manufacturing Windows XP PCs, oh the horror, I'll probably have nightmares for weeks now just thinking about it. Seriously, have you had a Windows PC make it years?I used a Win 7 box about a year ago to copy off some files, when I pulled my USB stick out it crashed, perhaps just my luck. I'll admit though, not the super easy target they used to be I'd imagine.Now-a-days I simply lump Microsoft in with the rest of the corporate monsters; Monsanto, Verizon, patent trolls etc.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2014, 11:54:44 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 16, 2014, 11:44:39 pmThe problem, for you, lies neither with Windows or with computer platforms; the problem lies with your irrational"hatred"of Microsoft, their products and other corporations. Do you really carethatmuch? Gosh...I'm right, as was my initial assumption, that your passive-aggressive tone is not personal, and anyone or anythingis a ripe target for your anger, just as I had thought. Maybe you could take up drama classes? I'm being serious - you're really good at it (I know - I have my moments too mate)However, being "angry" or "hating" hardware (and also people) is just... well, utterly wasteful of one's time and simply daft.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:02:34 am
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 11:54:44 pmHa, I took drama in HS. You mistake sarcasm for anger (yes my sense of humor is unusual), I'm mostly retired at 38, I spend my days smiling with a hot soldering iron.You should come over and drink a cold beer at my house.

author: rolandpenplotter
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:04:38 am
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 17, 2014, 12:02:34 amSarcasm is very often a symptom of anger; anyway, it's your choice how you behave - I'll be nice to you regardlessI'll take you up on your kind offer; who's shout for the air fare?

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:05:20 am
content: title of this thread is Electronics Development on a Macintosh not 'my operating system is better than yours"Lets get back on topic shall we?

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:12:16 am
content: Quote from: rolandpenplotter on January 16, 2014, 10:59:11 pmyou mean those garagebox outfits that charge 25$ to unlock a phone ? or use pizza ovens to reflow the logic board ?The real tools used by the manufacturers are all on USB these days. But those are unobtainium for tha abovementioned grey-market outfits.The reason those guys need those timing accurate ports is because they exploit some weird glitch to get access to the phones.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:25:40 am
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 16, 2014, 11:44:39 pmAnd on the other hand, if I pan a PCB too fast in KiCad on Debian, there's about a 1 in 3 chance that my entire OS GUI will crash and leave me at the login screen.I've had Macs do pretty ghastly things of that nature too. Think OS updates that corrupt the whole system.Let's face it, all computers suck ass.

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:31:24 am
content: GeoofS, it's little weird and not really that nice when you delete posts without a trace. Other moderators seem to at least leave some notice in red so it's clear what happened and why. Chances are, there's a bunch of guys already hammering responses to the plotter dude and they'll be irrelevant as soon as they hit "send" and you'll have to delete their posts as irrelevant also without a trace. Uncool.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:33:35 am
content: SImple. I requested that posts were back on topic, yours wasn't so it was deleted.If your topic is important to you then create a new thread.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:38:47 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on January 17, 2014, 12:25:40 amMmmmm, i've not had any issues, but I compile most from source and don't rely on distro packages.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:42:08 am
content: I do too. But the point is that it's an OS issue. A poorly written program on a good OS should be able to crash and throw a temper tantrum all it wants without taking out X11... hence they all suck.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 12:44:50 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on January 17, 2014, 12:42:08 amBut it only takes X, which happens to be poorly written, not the kernel, ha ha.But yes, I understand what you're saying.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 01:05:41 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on January 16, 2014, 09:25:12 pmIt's possible to run OS X in VirtualBox on a Windows or Linux host. No need for the overpriced Mac hardware.

author: drtaylor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 02:14:56 am
content: Please stop it. I just want to share techniques using a Mac for engineering. I repeat, please don't post on this topic to tell me and everyone else why your platform is superior. Ive heard it all before. Start a different topic if you want to rant against macs pcs etc. not the point of this topic. If you don't use or want to use a Mac then go elsewhere. I know stopping this kind of banter is next to impossible so I'll probably just give up my hope to start a group of engineers sharing experiences.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 02:20:59 am
content: off topic content deleted

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 03:54:31 am
content: Quote from: drtaylor on January 17, 2014, 02:14:56 amIt's not impossible, a quick message to mods often helps clean things up nicely. Dave et al. run a tight ship. A bit of topic wandering is expected, a flame war is unacceptable.On to the topic at hand. have you tried DipTrace for Mac? Its a solid schematic capture and board design. For me anyways, it has one of the easiest methods for making your own parts. They have a very nice free non-profit version which you can get through Dave as well as others. The limitations are 500 pins, 4 layers I think, no board size limits. It's not prefect but I found it much more intuitive and easy to learn than Eagle, others prefer the reverse. The biggest drawback in the past was the included libraries (they were a bit strange). Additionally, their for profit version allows easy upgrading between levels as a business grows, which I respect.

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 04:15:09 am
content: Hello all.I do all of my EE on my trusty MacBook Pro. Sure, there are some tools that I just need to pop into windows for, but I try to keep things as Mac as possible. As an aside, I use mac/windows/Linux basically every day.The most useful thing I have found is a package manager called "homebrew". It lets you install open source tools directly from the source code. For instance, want GTKwave? brew install gtkwave. Done!Common tools I use are:Gcc/make (duh!)Icarus verilogVimLtspiceIno (for quick avr projects)GdbPython (for those little hacks. Also great as a calculator)Hex fiendIDARowley crossworks for ARMiTerm2CoolTerm (serial monitor)AutoCADMATLAB (for the hardcore maths, trying to move to numpy though)GitGoogle Drive/Dropboxnetcat/tcpdump/wiresharkiMessages (ok, this one is just for talking to my girlfriend...)As for online tools:Circuitlab (for sharing small schematics with others/students)EDAPlaygroundGoogle Docs/GMailGithubI find that a lot of these tools can be quite clumsy on windows because I really do not like the command line interface for windows.In terms of IO, I am yet to see anything useful that still requires a parallel port; what on earth needs the power of raw memory mapped GPIO (from the userspace no less!) and yet can run effectively with a non-realtime OS kernel getting in the way? Closest I can think of is a CNC, and people just use parallel ports on those because you can get an old computer out of the bin for next to nothing. I have a CNC that runs off a parallel port and my smoothstepper blows it out of the water via USB. So I just won't deal with any hardware that does not have a serial or usb interface. FTDI drivers for Mac are great, and I use the chips for USB-GPIO as well. As mentioned earlier, arduino support is good too, and my board of choice for quick projects is the teensy3 (cortex M4F). All the tools go fine on osx.I would love to see some insanely fast GPIO via thunderbolt, but I think that one is a fair way awayOnly reason I am really stuck on windows is PCB, although hopefully diptrace will go native mac in the not too distant future. The wine implementation is pretty slow.edit: added some applications that I forgot

author: Bassman59
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 05:39:01 am
content: Quote from: IanB on January 16, 2014, 11:09:44 pmNXP's ARMs are supported on OS X with LPCWare, both for compiling and debugging.The Silicon Labs folks have hinted that they want to support both OS X and Linux with their tools which will replace the current Precision IDE (which is a CodeRed platform, and they're now part of NXP). The intent is to merge the 8051 and ARM environments into one Eclipse-based multi platform thing.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2014, 07:40:49 am
content: Quote from: jeremy on January 17, 2014, 04:15:09 amthe wine implementation of diptrace on the mac is ugly ... and inapropriate.diptrace for win/linux is 59.7Mb and for mac is 293Mb !ugly wine surrounding the windows diptrace. I prefer the windows diptrace on my existing virtual windows machine.

author: owiecc
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2014, 09:52:18 am
content: I do power electronics on Macs. I am in very good position because both Matlab/Simulink and Plecs run very nicely on OS X. Quality of the UI in Matlab is increasing every year. Few years back it had the ugly old linux look and feel. Now everything looks more native (apart from the ribbon design).Plecsruns really smooth. The team responds to bug reports really quickly. This software is amazing for power electronics people. They keep adding more useful stuff. Right now it can do electrical, thermal and magnetic domains. So you can design a converter, its control, calculate transistor losses and required heatsinks and do the transformer design in one window. Plus it interfaces into Simulink nicely as a blockset.I didt't have much luck with Labview. It exists, I managed to install it but more modern part of the platform do not seem to run on mac. Maybe you have better experiences with it? Is it possible to do a control platform for cRio and some local VI to control it?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 18, 2014, 11:21:51 am
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 16, 2014, 11:44:39 pmHaving Windows run stable is a matter of good hardware and good drivers. The PC I use for my daily work runs for months (close to half a year now). I only turn it off when I go on a holiday. Back in my sysadmin days (mostly during me EE study) I had Windows servers run flawlessly for months. Still Windows is way more fragile than Linux or Mac. so it makes sense to move away from Windows. Because OSX is basically Unix it is relatively easy to recompile a Linux version to Mac. IMHO a Mac is a Linux machine which just works