[DanTheManPR]

As a mechanical engineer, I'm envious of polished open source tools that exist in other fields. For parametric modeling and engineering drawing of mechanical parts, the free software tools are not nearly as mature and user friendly as commercial equivalents. When creating engineering drawings and models for public use, I would much prefer to use free software such as FreeCAD, SolveSpace, and OpenSCAD, because I want designs to be modifiable by anyone.

Unfortunately, using these free tools feels like a throwback to a less developed era in desktop computer aided design. Commercial CAD software with no-cost hobbyist licenses are much more usable, but tie you into their licensing structure and cloud data system. There's no telling whether you'll be able to open your Fusion360 or Onshape projects 10 years from now.

I have a lot of hope that eventually free software will overtake commercial software in a lot of fields, and establish a regime where everyone has access to "professional grade" tools. Something like that exists in the information technology field, and it has unlocked a lot of human potential over the last few decades. Just imagine every school child having access to advanced, professional grade free software tools in every sort of field of human creativity.

[helpPeople]

Whenever a free CAD software exists, AutoCAD or similar buys them out.

I'm not sure the solution.

[rtkwe]

That's only really possible when there's a company behind it. It's much harder to buy out a whole OSS project, the only real option is to buy out the main contributors.

[delfinom]

Especially like in the case of KiCad, some of the main contributors are CERN :D

[artemonster]

This is exactly the situation in the realm of ASICs. Patent situation is a fucking minefield, so whenever a startup arises, the oligopoly smashes it to pieces and then buys out. This was actually the same for compiler technology (remember shitheads Borland?) and it was only pushed back by a large community and social traction. Unfortunately the realm of engineers (electrical, mechanical) is MUCH smaller to gain such traction to change things. So the situation is quite hopeless.

[snaky]

If there's some hope, it's China. Hundreds and hundreds of small shops don't care about patents and build their RISC-V based chips.

[DanTheManPR]

Incidentally, one of the no-cost commercial tools just got bought out by one of the big players: https://www.ptc.com/en/about/onshape

[jbay808]

I strongly agree! I often wonder why a big alliance of industrial companies (say Ford, Toyota, Airbus, Mitsubishi...) hasn't formed to create a high-performance open-source mechanical CAD, modelling software. Surely they each pay a fortune in proprietary licenses each year? It seems like it would save them a lot in the long-run to back an open-source standard and then just pay a small amount each year to support its maintenance.

[artemonster]

"I often wonder"... because fucking "nobody was fired for buying IBM". For your average section manager of an engineering unit, CAD costs are just plain old "resources", just as engineers. As long as these costs are in check, NO ONE would risk their warm and fluffy high paid positions in undertaking such risky initiative. Even proposing one. Remember, initiative is punishable. This craeates a culuture of hairless (or grey-haired) high-paid impotents (in a figurative and literal sense) that would do as little as possible to risk their position, including taking initiatives with high rewards (like developing open source CAD tools).

[DanTheManPR]

Cost aside, it would do wonders for productivity if everyone was using the same tool. Right now, collaborating with customers and suppliers on design work is often difficult due to mutually incompatible data formats (even between old and new versions of the same tool).

[metalliqaz]

Our tools are still not that good.