The Pitfalls Of Linux CAD Design
No one knows of hardships in the drafting world quite like those who choose Linux as their platform of choice. In most other fields this would be acceptable or sometimes is even the standard, but not in the drafting world. It seems more and more often Linux CAD design comes with a stigma that no large companies choose to lift. Whether it’s because of the small market share or the complexity of porting an existing product to Linux, Linux CAD design is simply lacking the tools to make it a viable platform. There is however a lot of things one can do to jump those pitfalls of Linux CAD design. The hard part is to know what the pitfalls of Linux CAD design are in the first place.
Unfortunately Linux CAD design is lacking a great deal of support for standards. All of the major drafting suites on the markets today are programmed almost exclusively for the Windows platform and because of expensive licenses there are few Linux programs which support the formats they export to. The number one pitfall of Linux CAD design is the seemingly isolated nature of their programs in comparison to the rest of the market. It’s important to find a good Linux program that supports a number of the common data formats and can interact well with the other programs. To jump these pitfalls look at a couple of the more expensive programs which support Linux. Often times the cheap ones haven’t purchased the licenses and will leave you out in the cold. Open source programs are also a god send and support many of the popular formats and tools that are common in today’s market.
Linux CAD design also suffers from an overall sense of apathy. No companies or business really feel for those who choose Linux for their platform and because of this nothing ever changes. Before there is any real change in the market the companies who produce the CAD software needs to know that there is a real need for a Linux version of their product and even those who already do this they often times neglect documentation and the Windows version has hundreds of tutorials and troubleshooting guides while the Linux section has just a few. If you’d wish to see this changed or would like to avoid this pitfall to Linux CAD design then it’s important to not only choose a company which strongly supports Linux and has a great community with a thriving Linux section but send letters and comments either through snail mail or email to the companies who don’t support Linux yet. The more letters they get from the end users the quicker they will realize there is a real demand for Linux CAD design.
If you have never used Linux and you actively participate in the drafting community, then by all means switch to Linux for just a day. See the type’s hardships they endure and the headaches they have to deal with. Not caring not only hurts Linux CAD design but the entire drafting community as a whole. While more and more great drafters jump ship and leave, a simple alternative could bring the two communities together and create a much stronger environment to learn in. Linux CAD design is a viable option if you’re willing to work and take your time though, choosing carefully and doing your homework is the key to being happy drafting and using Linux.
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