标签: free

We usually hear the word “freedom” in relation to Free Software and Open Source Software (FOSS). Actually, most use of the word comes from the   Free Software Foundation (FSF) and its founder, Richard M. Stallman, repeating the term over and over , until the word is almost devoid of meaning . The four freedoms expressed by Stallman are the freedom to run a program as you wish, freedom to study or modify a program, freedom to redistribute a program, and freedom to distribute modified copies of a program.    Now, there might be reasons to debate whether Stallman's use of “freedom” has the same meaning as in “freedom of speech” or “freedom of religion” but that's a topic for a different article. When asked about “free software”, Stallman and others will throw out the quip “free as in speech, not free as in beer”. Apparently, someone, somewhere is giving away free beer. I want to find that person.   Anyone can download the source for the many thousands of FOSS programs, modify it, and redistribute a new version. But in practice, only a very small number of people ever download and build a FOSS program from source. I do on occasion, when a program isn't available in my distribution's repository. Of the few people who download the source of a program, a much smaller number will actually study it to see how it works and an even smaller number will make changes.    I use FOSS software. I use GNU tools, LibreOffice, Firefox, GIMP, and more. Like the great majority of Linux users, I use whichever version of a package is included in my Linux distribution. I'm very unlikely to ever modify any of these programs, even if I have the “freedom” to do so. The reasons are simple: Large programs like these are complex and take considerable time to comprehend how they work.   I recently had an online exchange with someone who was upset that his Linux distribution did not provide support for a peripheral he just bought. He said that he had to purchase a driver to get it to work and that this was the first time in many years that he had paid for any kind of software. He wasn't concerned about the freedom to modify the software, or the freedom to understand how it works, or freedom to redistribute it, both because he lacked the technical background and, more important, lacked the desire to do any of these. The price for the driver was very modest, but he thought that the Linux community should have software support for any hardware on the market available without cost.   In practice, the operative word in FOSS is not “freedom” but “free” as in without charge.   I use Adobe Acroread on Linux, which is free software. That is, free as in free ware, no charge but no source, and with a click-to-accept license. I use Chrome which is built out of a large number of FOSS packages, but which has a license agreement no less restrictive than that included with any proprietary program, prohibiting reverse engineering, creating a derivative work, or copying Chrome. (The rationale, as I understand it, is that Chrome is inextricably related to the proprietary services which Google provides, such as collecting your browsing habits and selling it to advertisers.) Chrome is now the most popular browser, with over 50% of the market, beating both FOSS browser Firefox and proprietary Internet Explorer. Like everyone else, I have dozens of apps installed on my Android smartphone. Almost all are free. That is, there is no charge to install them. Some apps are full function, others crippled or adware to encourage me to purchase a fully functional version. Almost all are closed source, although no one seems concerned.   While there is a small, impassioned, and very vocal community which is concerned about Free Software, the great majority are mostly interested in Free.   Free as in free beer, not free as in freedom.   Notes: The word “freedom” appears 43 times in Stallman's 3-page article “Why Open Source misses the point of Free Software,” Communications of the ACM, June, 2009, vol. 52(6). pp. 31–33, https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html . This is called “semantic satiation”. See Wikipedia .

Kuaipan.com (金山快盘) has announced to provide 100G of free space for users.   To enroll in the compaign, we only have to connect a Weixin (微信) account and use the APP for mobile platforms (Android or iOS). What a good news!   I usually use Kuaipan to back up and to share my project files. One advantage is that old versions of the files in the Cloud can be retrieved from the Cloud even the local files have been overwritten. Besides, since I am too lazy to connect the USB with my computer and the smartphone, I will send the files (like the photos taken) to the Cloud first and then get them in my computer :D

  这几年国际2D CAD市场不像国内这样热闹，AutoCAD独家老大，其他追赶者望其项背。但是上个月，达索朝这摊死水中扔下了一块巨石，发布了2DCAD软件 DraftSight。同时也为DraftSight用户开通了一个社区，详情点击 这里 。据介绍，DraftSight可以读取，编辑和共享所有的Dwg和Dxf格式的文件，拥有Mac和Linux版本，更关键的是，这一切都是 免费 的。 　　　　　　　　　　 界面特征 　　　整个DraftSight下载只有42M，界面打开和AutoCAD基本上一模一样，也是基本的画线条等方式，包括Layer的设置等等，一切都是那么熟悉。在遵循传统的同时也引入了一些新的功能，比如在SolidWorks2010中的功能选择快捷方式。 　　　　　　　  　 　熟悉的界面 　　　　　　　 价格 　　目前官方给出的答案是免费，但是需要每年进行一次License的激活，原因是因为达索需要统计到底有多少人在使用。 如果需要技术服务和进行API二次开发，那么则需要缴纳一定的费用。 意义 　　虽然达索以前也有类似2D产品，也就是DWGeditor（后来因为DWG吃官司，改为了SolidWorks 2D Editor），但是DraftSight和DWGeditor完全不同，DWGeditor只能是Solidworks用户才能免费使用，DraftSight对于所有用户都是开放的。 　　另外需要注意的细节是，DraftSight采用的是德国公司Graebert的 ARES 平台,而不是和DWGeditor一样采用ITC的inteliCAD，对ＩＴＣ联盟的成员来说可不是一个好消息。达索选择此时推出2D 产品耐人寻味： 　　1、Solidworks和Autodeks的口水官司以DWGeditor改名了结，达索此时推出2D产品也算是帮Solidworks出口恶气。 　　2、ITC最近和CADopia 的官司让DWGeditor的前途蒙上阴影。而DraftSight则完全可以代替DWGeditor。 　　3、但是Autodesk最近系列收购和新产品发布表明了Autodesk也准备在ＰＬＭ上一展拳脚。DraftSight的推出无异于对Autodesk的一次还击（Siemens和PTC就隔山观虎斗？）。     4、AutoCAD这几年的业绩并不突出，传统CAD在Autodesk公司的比重在下降，在国内市场上占有率降至了新低，在国内软件甚至开始漂洋过海，慢慢侵蚀国外市场，这个时候的推出将会对AutoCAD的产品策略产生意想不到的影响，不知道Autodesk如何接招，还有待观察。     关于盈利方面，前面说过了，目前的版本是免费的，但是开放API接口是需要收取费用的，小李子认为达索是准备推出免费版本，利用自己DS SWYM社区，吸引用户和开发者，进而将已有用户开发收费用户（听起来貌似和Google的 Android平台比较类似？）      对于用户来说，不能不说是一个绝大的利好消息，虽然AutoCAD在市场已经在ITC联盟的攻击下，用户数量虽然占有统治地位，但是价格已经比以前低了很多。虽说咱不差钱，但是毕竟如果有免费的，当然是更好了。对于那些只需要看图，简单编辑的工程人员来说，完全可以就用DraftSight。  

ZenitPCB – is an excellent pcb layout design software tool to create professional printed circuit board ( PCB ). It is a flexible easy to use CAD program, which allow you to realize your projects in a short time. With ZenitPCB Layout is possible to create the project starting both from the schematic capture or by the layout itself. FreePCB – is a free, open-source PCB design editor for Microsoft Windows. It was designed to be easy to learn and easy to use, yet capable of professional-quality work. Some of its features are: 1 to 16 copper layers, board size up to 60 inches by 60 inches, imports and exports PADS-PCB netlists and more TinyCAD – is a program to help you draw circuit diagrams. It comes complete with symbol libraries to get you started straight away. As well as being able to simply print your designs, you can use TinyCAD to publish your drawings by copying and pasting into a Word document or saving as a PNG bitmap for the web. Osmond PCB – is a flexible tool for designing printed circuit boards. It runs on Macintosh. Its many features include: virtually unlimited board sizes, number of board layers, number of parts, support for both through-hole and surface mount parts and more. BSch3V – is a schematic capture program for Windows. The name “BSch” is an abbreviation of “Basic Schematic”. It has only basic functions, in order to simplify operation. ExpressPCB – is a snap to learn and use. Laying out PCBs is easy, even for the first time user. Kicad – is an open source (GPL) software for the creation of electronic schematic diagrams and printed circuit board artwork. It is useful for everybody working in electronic design (schematic diagrams and Printed Board up to 16 layers). gEDA – runs on Linux and has produced tools which are used for electrical circuit design, schematic capture, simulation, prototyping, and production. Currently, the gEDA project offers a mature suite of free software applications for electronics design, including schematic capture, attribute management, bill of materials (BOM) generation, netlisting into over 20 netlist formats, analog and digital simulation, and printed circuit board (PCB) design layout. Score – free schematic capture software for Windows. Features: Features: ability to import OrCAD SDT and OrCAD Release IV schematics, can use directly either .LIB or .SRC libraries, no design size limitations, export EDIF netlist. Eagle – is a powerful and affordable schematic capture and PCB design software package. CadSoft offers user friendly, powerful and affordable solutions for PCB design, including Schematic Capture, Board Layout, and Autorouter.