When I wrote the forum guide I included links to KiCad and Eagle . At the time both were free and both were, it seems, popular. KiCad is still free, Eagle it seems is now not free.
Can I have suggestions and advice on whether to keep or remove from the forum guide the link to Eagle, and for other free software that I might link to as well or instead of Eagle.
Thank you.
There is probably no harm in leaving the link to Eagle but perhaps adding a mention that it is no longer free would be a good idea
As to free software, I have not used it for a while but EasyEDA has worked for me previously and has the ability to export a schematic
I would remove Eagle, as a standalone entity it will disappear in 2026 anyway.
There are other free ECAD packages but none with the widespread support and reach of KiCad.
I am in favor of only mentioning KiCad explicitly in the guide.
We should avoid any unnecessary verbosity in the guide. Mentioning one tool is sufficient. In this community that is built on the principles of open source, we should always give preference to open source software. It is clear that KiCad is the best choice for an open source EDA.
The guide should be worded to make it clear that we are mentioning KiCad as an option, not as a specific requirement.
Well the Arduino IDE is free, most all libraries are free, the support on-line in here is free.
Does not therefore seem appropriate to be promoting a 'commercial' product.
I've removed the link to Eagle. Please review what I've done.
@pert , I believe you have a formal review process on GIThub, do you want to push this through that?
It might be an idea to add Circuit Diagram as an option, with it being just a circuit diagram creator with a web-editor, and with a significantly smaller learning curve than KiCad (which is my program of choice)
For Forum users that are simply requested to include a circuit diagram and are new to electronics, a PCB designing software package might be a bit much to dive into.
A question I have to ask now having seen many sites go the same way : what is their business model? They can't stay in business providing a free service. They either have to run ads, or charge subscriptions.
What usually happens is sites start with a "free" service, then later add more revenue earning sources as they gain market share. Often the "free" service disappears, and all those people who spent time creating designs there either have to pay or lose their work.
For those reasons I would not recommend any sites that claim to be "free" without explaining how they can sustain a free model.
Hi,
I use EasyEDA, offline and online at work.
Easiest to produce PCB and get it made at JLCPCB.
I have only used the schematic and PCB editors.
Tom.... 
I suspect they intend to run ads, but given that this project has started over 5 years ago, there doesn't seem to be any real push for it, and it might not be a 'business' as such.
I was suggesting it as a 'quick' solution to provide 'us' with readable circuit diagram rather than getting something 'Fritzing' , which none of us like but tends to be the choice we are confronted with. And a bit more clear than 'hand-drawn' and more easily modifiable. The user can Download the PNG and post it, so there is nothing to be lost. I haven't used it much at all, and i have no real intention of contributing.
@PerryBebbington
Might be an idea to explicitly renounce Fritzing !
Perhaps not mention Fritzing at all, instead promoting the ones we like as "preferred".
I wonder if you have read the guide recently 
Please don't post Fritzing diagrams.
Microsift visio is also an option. Not the best maybe, but if you have it at hand it does the job...
And do not forget about pencil and paper...
I'll admit neither have I 
It's formulated good!
I second the motion to make new users aware of Circuit Diagram. It is trivially easy to learn, and does not require installation of some CAD package.
They can also download their circuits as an SVG, or in Circuit Diagram's native CDDX format (which allow circuits to later be re-imported and modified).
Many people that come to the forum asking for help have no idea how to read a schematic. I use Fritzing all the time in order to show them how to connect an 2N2222 to an Uno and motor.
Fritz diagrams are used all the time in the official Arduino documentation
I just noticed, it sends conflicting messages.
So leave Fritzing out of the guide, and write what is preferred in the forum.
Of course not ! Why would i ?
A PNG is useless for importing into another tool like KiCad.
