Introduction
When it comes to tools, you should be mindful of what it means to use them. Specifically when those tools are the software that you use to design and create your projects. Any “free for xyz use” is a restricted, “non-free” or “non-libre” license. Lots of IDE’s or CAD software’s are “Free to Use for Non-Commercial Use”. $0 to obtain access does not mean you have the freedom to use it as you see fit. JetBrains, Autodesk Fusion360, etc. cost you when you create something that makes you money. This is designed to get you into an ecosystem and not only are you locked into their ecosystem if you create a large project, but most of the big proprietors have hooks that make derivative works licensable after the fact, even if you made them on a free-tier. This is not necessarily a bad thing for people, but when you are creating for your ideas for something other than an educational environment, I would prefer to have full and complete control of my idea.
Seek out software that respects your freedom of creativity and control of your ideas. Software or software licenses that do may not be inherently free to use, and that’s okay!
Let’s explore what software fits your needs and allows you to create without legal issues. (Whether you are looking to purchase or not.)
CAD / Organic Modeling
| Software | Cost | Cloud-based | Parametric or Direct Modeling | Linux | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreeCad | Free | No | Parametric | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blender (w/ CAD Sketcher) | Free | No | Direct | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DesignSpark | $ | No | Parametric | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alibre | $$$ | No | Parametric | No | Yes | No |
| Plastisity | $$ | No | Parametric | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IDE’s
| Software | License | Cost | Linux | Windows | macOS | Best Uses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Netbeans | Apache 2.0 | Free and Open Source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Java, PHP, HTML5 dev. |
| Eclipse | EPL (Eclipse Public License) | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Java, C/C++, Python (with plugins) |
| NotePad++ | GPL | Free | No | Yes | No | Lightweight text/code editing (Windows only) |
| Visual Studio Code | Proprietary (Microsoft)* | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | General purpose, web dev., extensions, C++, Python |
| VSCodium *** | MIT license agreement | Free** | Yes | Yes | Yes | General purpose, same as VS Code but fully open |
| Emacs | GPL | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | Extensible, programmable editor |
| VIM | Vim license | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | A complex, but powerful text editor. It’s uses are abundant. |
| Code – OSS | MIT license agreement | An open-source version of VS Code without Microsoft branding, telemetry, and Microsoft extension marketplace. |
*https://github.com/Microsoft/vscode/issues/60#issuecomment-161792005
** VS CE can be used for commercial purposes by an individual or in a company which is not an enterprise, where an enterprise is defined as a company either (a) having over 250 PC users in it (b) making over 1 million USD in annual revenue.
*** If you do not want Microsoft telemetry (trackers and data collecting).
Circuit Design Software
| Software | License | Cost | Linux | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KiCAD | GPL | Free | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LTSpice | Owned by Analog Devices, not Open Source | Free | No (You can use WINE to run it) | Yes | Yes |
| QUCS / QUCS-S | |||||
| ngspice |
Operating Systems
This one is pretty straight forward but we might as well go over it.
| Windows | macOS | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Most People are going to have access to this. Widest software compatibility, Extensive hardware support. You don’t own it, you license it Microsoft collects massive amounts of data. $139-$199 for legitimate license Bloatware | Good developer tools included (Xcode) Required for iOS/macOS development $1000+ for entry-level hardware Closed Ecosystem An aesthetically-pleasing compromise between Windows’ end-user oriented friendliness and Linux’s flexibility. | Free, Open Source, Many distros to choose from, much of the software that is free to use and maintained is going to work with this. Use commercially without fees |
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