[redis_mlc]

The GP mixed up hardware compiler and board layout tools.

KiCad (funded by CERN) and LibreCAD are pretty good PCB layout and routing tools. Since Autodesk bought Eagle, they're the Open Source "great hopes."

For PCB tools, you should just join an existing project since there's several Open Source ones and we need better ones, not more. This is a suitable long-term hobby if you occasionally make boards yourself. Especially welcome if you work on the parts library UI and items.

Chisel, etc. are hardware compiler tools, not board layout tools.

You should get a job at a chip or HFT company and have them pay you to learn and apply this stuff.

The commercial software is shitty since the vendors spend more on keeping their license dongles up-to-date than adding features.

Source: worked at a company that designed a 400 million transistor chip. Most of my X-co-workers worked on the A11 and A12.