[theatrus2]

As a former EE and PCB designer, you never use a vendor PCB library, especially one that shipped with your software.

From a software engineering standpoint, I realize this feels crazy, but its pretty much par for the course. Every organization develops their own libraries for parts and processes their vendors may use, and while there are standard size parts, there is enough variance that it doesn't really make sense.

"Re-implementing" the standard library is sadly par for the course.

[fermienrico]

Ofcourse, what I was referring to is the library manager itself. Finding parts (even in your own custom library) is horrible in KiCAD. UI/UX feels like it was developed my people with opposing opinions and finally mashed it all together. In any major software, you need a lead UI person that understands, listens, and responds to the community and integrates those changes in the main branch.

[brokenmachine]

I agree 100%. I've used computers all my life and work in IT, and I tried hard but couldn't work out how to use it. I finally gave up even though I'm still very keen to design my own PCBs.

I was planning to design my own ergonomic keyboard. I downloaded some library files for switches, etc, but it was just so painful to even find those switches in the library, I had no idea how to do anything.

I might give it a go again sometime, but it really was so bad I just gave up and let it go, hoping it would improve somewhat in future versions.

[theatrus2]

Yeah, library managers are not good. Across the entire industry.

If you've ever had a run in with a piece of software called Ultra Librarian you'd probably think highly of KiCad :)