[jwr]

> Has KiCAD improved their schematic/footprint library management? Last time I tried to use it (2 or 3 years ago) it drove me crazy with how difficult it was to use.

It's pretty bad. Lots of quirks, I still haven't guessed the right incantations for it to notice libs you added, managing library paths is a mess, and you have to do most of that work for every project.

But then again, coming from EAGLE, I'm used to this stuff being incredibly crappy. I don't know — do other tools get this right?

[Gibbon1]

I've used a couple of tool$ AKA commercial tools

Cadence Allegro PCB Designer is a right steaming pile. The whole issue with path's are a problem. You don't have libraries like you do in Altium or ancient ORCAD, you have directories of files that define pads and parts.

Lately poking about with Altium. I think it's fairly good.

I still have a copy of the old ORCAD circa late nineties, was 'okay' Or put it this way, needed to layout a PCB in 2005 and tried Eagle and... dug out and installed ORCAD from 1998.

[bobadams5]

Altium does an amazing job with their integrated libraries. You create an integrated library, add a schematic library and a footprint library to it, and compile it like any other design project. You can also use supplier search to import part parameters from distributors.