Again, being careful not to trigger a "food-fight" I'm just pointing out that what I was mentioning a comparison between software packages and not design processes.

You're certainly right in that the process itself is bound to influence how you use the software.

Before I forget it, though, I'd suggest OrCAD under groups on Yahoo. There's an Old-DOS-OrCad group there, where I occasionally beg for "spritual guidance." They have all the latest (1993 or so) software there, along with current XP- and 2K-compatible drivers so they can be used under those OS'. BTW, IIRC, the current CAPTURE version still allows importing from the '386+ schematics. I'm not sure about how to manage the libraries and know nothing about moving from the old to the new PCB software, i.e. Layout and Allegro.

Ultimately, in order to make one's work-product compatible with the "rest of the world" I gues one will have to move to WIndows-based OrCAD products. I have those, though I find 'em slow, clumsy, and mouse-bound, and find the graphic output amateurish. Perhaps you're able to work faster than with it than I, but I find it easier and much faster to do schematics in the DOS version. Since I use schematics for illustrations, presentations, and demonstrations, I prepare many schematics that never go to PCB, so the speed and comfort of generating schematics is very important to me. Also, since others see my schematics, I find it very important to be able to "prettify" them so they "look good."

My concern has been about having the software "get in the way" as most Windows-based schematic tools do. When I want to place a component in the DOS-OrCAD software, I type <G> followed by the component name/number, and in about 50 ms, it's there for me to place as I wish. All the libraries are invoked during setup, which can be individualized for each project. I also have a moderately large library of my own devices, i.e. configurations that I find more pleasing than the original. These can coreside, as the order in which the libraries are listed is the order in which they're searched, so my preferred symbols always come up first.

RE