rta5 (u/rta5) - Readit News

rta5 commented on Effective June 7, 2026, Autodesk will no longer sell nor support EAGLE autodesk.com/support/tech... · Posted by u/ambientenv

exar0815 · 2 years ago

Luckily, we went off Eagle a while ago. We used it mainly because we couldn't justify 4 Altium Licenses for our department. Building system prototypes and measurement equipment just isn't profitable enough inside a multi-billion USD super tanker of a company it seems.

We try to go open source to prevent stuff like that as much as possible. I would say we are around 80% there so far (excluding obviously manufacturer-specific stuff like STM Cube IDE). KiCad, Gitea, drawio, Python(and thank heavens for pyvisa), Octave, OpenProject. Next up is probably Eclipse Capella. The only stuff we currently can't get rid of are Simulink and SolidWorks.

Well, maybe in the future.

rta5 · 2 years ago

Are you using simulink for code generation or something else? I used to work at a company that made automotive controllers and a simulink "platform" for developing controls on them, and I occasionally flirt with starting a similar company that uses a cheaper/open source toolchain, but always come up empty handed. There are some academic libraries and papers around the Xcos ecosystem, but nothing near production level that I could find.

rta5 commented on Effective June 7, 2026, Autodesk will no longer sell nor support EAGLE autodesk.com/support/tech... · Posted by u/ambientenv

lbayes · 2 years ago

For folks who are considering Kicad, but not sure if it will be useful at a professional level...

We professionally design, engineer and manufacture accessible technology for disabled veterans and we are also developing robotic systems for industrial automation.

We have a half-dozen active projects running on Kicad and have been using it for almost 4 years now.

As with anything, there have been occasional frustrations with updates but overall, the tool consistently gets better over time.

The main decision to select Kicad was based on the plain text representation of project state which enables (1) improved workflows with Git, (2) scriptable bulk edits (3) simpler, sharable extensions / plugins and (4) easier continuous integration for build artifacts.

rta5 · 2 years ago

KiCad continues to improve, and that plain text file thing is a killer feature. Also in the new version they added the capability to have library databases for components which is a massive step towards professional libraries.

If they could bring in better signal integrity tools and Altiums outjobs, it would be a no brainer to use KiCad for hobbyist to small business applications.

rta5 commented on Ask HN: What game do you wish existed? · Posted by u/jharohit

rta5 · 3 years ago

I've really wanted a Stargate-esque galaxy explorer type game. Something 2D (like RimWorld graphics) that has procedurally generated planets and addresses, base management, etc

No Man's Sky is ok, but the alien life is mostly focused on lower intelligence animals, and base building feels clunky relative to what you can do in games like RimWorld or prison architect.

I've thought about learning unity to do this, but I have not had the time.

rta5 commented on Patents are out of control, and they’re hurting innovation (2017) learnliberty.org/blog/pat... · Posted by u/alexrustic

rta5 · 4 years ago

One of the best discussions I ever heard was from Stephan Kinsella when he discussed the patent system as a system of negative servitudes or negative easements (https://www.stephankinsella.com/paf-podcast/kol365-guest-lec...). Essentially IP is similar to joining an HOA, which might give you negative rights in your property such as the inability to use it as a dump, the inability to paint it bright pink, etc. but with IP your potential competitors are petitioning the USPTO to create negative rights in property you already own.

In general, for anyone with a general interest in the anti-IP position, the following resources are good:

* C4SIF - Center for the study of innovative freedom - c4sif.org

* The Case Against Intellectual Monopoly by Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine - http://www.dklevine.com/general/intellectual/against.htm

rta5 commented on Patents are out of control, and they’re hurting innovation (2017) learnliberty.org/blog/pat... · Posted by u/alexrustic

CalChris · 4 years ago

> Patents were never about "encouraging innovation".

The US Constitution disagrees:

  Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 [The Congress shall have power] “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.”

rta5 · 4 years ago

This is why I've heard the argument (presumably from Stephan Kinsella, who wrote a book against intellectual property) that the patent system is unconstitutional - it is dubious that patents "promote the progress of science and useful arts."

The economist Fritz Machlup did a study in the 1950s on the economics of the patent system in the US and in his conclusion came to: "If we did not have a patent system, it would be irresponsible, on the basis of our present knowledge of its economic consequences, to recommend instituting one."

rta5 commented on HR5874: Restoring Software Patents in the US patentlyo.com/patent/2021... · Posted by u/zoobab

thereddaikon · 4 years ago

Massie has two engineering degrees, a bachelors in electrical and a masters in mechanical from MIT so he isn't a luddite or science illiterate. Looking in to him further, he spun off his undergrad work at MIT into a tech startup, a pretty common thing for MIT alums to do, and has several patents. This likely comes from a fundamentally different stance on tech IP than what most of HN believes.

rta5 · 4 years ago

A technical background may be helpful for understanding IP, but certainly not sufficient. Compare Massie to someone like Stephan Kinsella (BS and MS in electrical engineering and a law degree) who literally wrote a book called "Against Intellectual Property."

rta5 commented on reMarkable Connect subscription plans support.remarkable.com/hc... · Posted by u/gapo

krzkaczor · 4 years ago

I am surprised to see no mentioned of Onyx Boox Air in this thread. I bought it recently instead of Remarkable 2 and it's amazing.

You simply can't beat open ecosystem like android with some proprietary crap (unless you're FAANG). Having chrome browser fully in-sync with desktop one is a killer feature for me.

rta5 · 4 years ago

I went ahead and bought a boox air within a week of the original connect service announcement (yet to arrive). I originally wanted a RM after trying a coworker's RM1 but the connect announcement pushed me away.

With supernote currently giving a roadmap that improves handwriting recognition and boox allegedly having the ability to convert and search handwritten notes already, the remarkable connect plan is very unattractive.

rta5 commented on List of IEEE Milestones ethw.org/Milestones:List_... · Posted by u/agomez314

rta5 · 4 years ago

Is it correct to interpret this as the IEEE not recognizing any milestones since 1994? They have a list of items being considered, but such a large gap makes me think the milestones program is one of IEEEs low priority, nearly forgotten activities.

rta5 commented on The Open Book Project: open-hardware e-ink eBook reader github.com/joeycastillo/T... · Posted by u/type0

bogwog · 4 years ago

This is AWESOME! I definitely have to build this some day, maybe when I'm in the mood to suffer through all that soldering. I don't mind the small screen for reading novels, but a text book or PDF probably won't happen.

Also, I noticed that the price for components went up from the ~$30 mentioned in the instructions to $50+ on Digikey, and there is currently one part that is out of stock (and no back order allowed).

Total cost: $15 (PCB) + ~$55 (components) + $15 (display) = ~$85. With shipping it may be more like $100.

But $100 for an open, hackable e-ink eBook reader is still pretty good IMO.

rta5 · 4 years ago

I agree it is awesome but the current semiconductor market is really hurting the ability to make this.

Note that if you follow the kitspace link for the non-FeatherWing version and use the digikey link, there is one part that disallows backorder, but 18 other line items with backorder status. This includes really important items like the microcontroller that has a 52 week lead time.

I looked into building one a while back and found that many items can have substitutes, some could be redesigned easily into leadless versions of the components, but some were just too difficult to redesign or source.

rta5 commented on Ohio sues Google, seeks to declare the internet company a public utility dispatch.com/story/news/p... · Posted by u/infodocket

rta5 · 4 years ago

Can anyone point to any Ohio legal precedents where something not regulated by PUCO has been considered a common carrier?

Per the original "An entity can be a common carrier and/or public utility under Ohio common law,even if it is expressly excluded from regulation by PUCO"

I'd be curious what precedent makes Google a common carrier in Ohio law. From a US federal standpoint individual websites appear to me more akin to radio broadcast stations, which according to Ronald Coase had a failed attempt to be declared common carriers.

I am not a lawyer, so I'd be happy to be corrected on that.