harleydk:
I hadn't noticed DipTrace until now. It looks mighty. Being a beginner hobbyist I'm a bit daunted by Eagle and all it's libraries. I like the notion of dragging a named IC or component from a library, but the one time I tried my hand at Eagle I came up short of a couple of components and had a bothersome time just figuring out how to fint a component with a similar footprint. That was the lure of Fritzing (well that and the breadboard view), that the components are anonymous until suppled with a value and a footprint of choice. Time and experience should weed those things out, of course, and of course it's a highly regarded piece of software with most. On your recommendation I'll make a point of trying out DipTrace before I try my hand at Eagle any further.
DipTrace does have some of these problems too, for example, the ATMega328P is not listed. Do you might say to yourself why the heck not, it's one of the most popular uCs out there because of Arduino. But the ATmega48 is in the list and has the exact same pinout - it's pretty much the same thing with 1/8th the flash. So keep that in mind to look for other versions of the same chip. Also, assuming DipTrace has an appropriate footprint (pattern in their lingo), it's really quite easy to map a pinout to a footprint and be using it in a few minutes. I've done this for 100 TQFPs no problem, there is no provided component for the Altera EPM240 which I have used in a couple of project now (I LOVE CPLDS!). You make your own library and throw all your random stuff in there and add it to the library list. Very easy.
If you consider using DipTrace, I would recommend their getting started video. It's fast-paced and shows you exactly the things you need to know to get a project done and nothing else.