- GEDA
infobox software
name = gEDA
caption = Schematic capture using "gschem"
author = Ales Hvezda "et al."
latest release version = 1.4.0
latest release date =27 January 2008
operating system =Unix-like
genre =Electronic design automation
license =GNU General Public License
website = http://www.geda.seul.org/gEDA is a suite of collaborative software used for
electronic design automation . The project's name stands for "GPL’d suite of electronic design automation tools".Released under the terms of the
GNU General Public License , gEDA isfree software .Description
The gEDA project offers a mature suite of
free software applications for electronics design, includingschematic capture using "gschem ", attribute management ["gattrib"] , bill of materials (BOM) generation, netlisting into over 20 netlist formats ["gnetlist"] , analog and digital simulation ["ngspice", "gnucap", "IcarusVerilog ", and "GTKWave "] , andPrinted circuit board (PCB) layout ["pcb "] ."History
The gEDA project was started by
Ales Hvezda in an effort to address the lack offree software EDA tools forLinux /UNIX , and the first version was released on1 April 1998 . The tools are developed primarily onLinux machines, although an effort is made to ensure that gEDA runs on otherUnix-like systems.Properly, the term "gEDA" refers to all free-software projects and applications that have voluntarily associated themselves with the gEDA project (via the "geda-dev"/"geda-user" mailing lists). In contrast, "gEDA/gaf" refers to a smaller subset of tools “grouped together under the gEDA name” and maintained directly by the gEDA project. These tools include: [ [http://geda.seul.org/wiki/geda:faq gEDA Project FAQ] ]
* "gschem" — A schematic capture program
* "gnetlist" — A netlist generation program
* "gsymcheck" — A syntax checker for schematic symbols
* "gattrib" — A spreadsheet programm that manipulates the properties of symbols of a schematic
* "libgeda" — Libraries for "gschem", "gnetlist", and "gsymcheck"
* "gsch2pcb" — Forward annotation from schematic to layout using "pcb"
* Assorted utility programsFinally, the term "gEDA suite" refers to a packaged distribution of "gEDA"/"gaf" and other gEDA Project tools made available as an ISO CD-ROM image in order to simplify and automate the installation of the more commonly used gEDA Project tools.
Windows
A knowledgeable computer user can use the available source code (and available GPL'd libraries) to build gEDA to run under Microsoft Windows. [ [http://www.geda.seul.org/download.html geda.seul.org "Words to the Wise" (bottom of the page)] ] [ [http://archives.seul.org/geda/user/Dec-2006/msg00113.html gEDA Users Mailing List Archive, "strange build failure" December 2006] ]
At points in time, individuals have even created Windows-compatible binaries for distribution. Whether those developers lose interest in that effort or they become overwhelmed by unsophisticated Windows users who require more hand-holding [ [http://archives.seul.org/geda/user/Dec-2006/msg00064.html gEDA Users Mailing List Archive, "strange build failure" December 2006] ] than the typical user running gEDA under a Unix-like OS, those Windows-compatible binaries have historically not been updated to include the latest improvements to the elements of the suite.
References
External links
* [http://www.geda.seul.org/ gEDA Project Homepage]
* [http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/8438 “Circuit Design on Your Linux Box Using gEDA”] — Overview article by Stuart Brorson in the [http://www.linuxjournal.com/ Linux Journal]
* [http://www.geda.seul.org/docs/current/tutorials/gsch2pcb/tutorial.html gsch2pcb tutorial, how to go from schematic to pcb layout]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.