KiCad 5 and nightly builds for Fedora Linux

[aimylios]

There is currently no easy way to install the KiCad 5 release candidates on Fedora. I therefore decided to set up my own KiCad 5 Copr repository. If you want to give it a try, you can find it here:
https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/aimylios/kicad-release/

Different to the packages shipped by Fedora (and also the nightly builds provided by the KiCad team), I decided to make it modular. Instead of two RPMs (kicad and kicad-doc) it consists of six individual modules.

• kicad (binaries and translations)
• kicad-doc (documentation)
• kicad-templates (project templates)
• kicad-symbols (schematic symbols)
• kicad-footprints (footprints)
• kicad-packages3d (3D models)

Unfortunately, it does neither include the Python Scripting Console in Pcbnew (although Python scripts are supported) nor ngspice simulation in Eeschema. Fedora does not provide the dependencies required to enable these features.

The official nightlies suffer the same fate, which motivated me to also set up an alternative, improved nightly repository:
https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/aimylios/kicad-nightly/

In addition to being modular, it fully supports Python scripting (including the Scripting Console) and ngspice simulation. Another big advantage is that the packages only get updated when the repository has changed since the last build. This allows to do incremental updates, i.e. you don’t need to download gigabytes of unchanged 3D models every single day any more if you just want to get the latest binaries.

To achieve this, I had to include custom versions of wxPython and libngspice. This causes incompatibilities with the official python2-wxpython and all packages depending on it. You should therefore only use it if you know what you are doing! If you are unsure about the benefits of nightly builds in general, read here:

Is it a good idea to use a nightly build version?

Short answer: If you have to ask, you should probably stick to the stable release. What are nightly builds? As the name implies, nightly builds are generated every night from the current master branch of the source repository. They are meant to allow a wider audience to more easily test new features. What are the dangers when using nightly builds? Nightly builds like all software have bugs. Because they have new not yet widely tested features you must expect a higher number of bugs. This inclu…

Please let me know if you find it useful or if you experience any issues.

[eelik]

What is this? https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/g/kicad/kicad/
EDIT: is this the “official nightlies” you mention?

[aimylios]

Yes, your link points to the official KiCad nightly copr repository, which is provided by the KiCad team. It is also advertised on the KiCad website: https://kicad.org/download/fedora/
My repo is loosely based on this work, with the changes and improvements mentioned above.

[Rene_Poschl]

have a look at https://github.com/KiCad/fedora-packaging

oh i just noticed that you might know this already as someone with the same name as yours has an issue open https://github.com/KiCad/fedora-packaging/issues/7

[aimylios]

Yes, I know the fedora-packaging repository very well. If you look at the commit history, you will see that I am one of the regular contributors.

Maybe my intention is not clear from the initial post: The nightly builds I provide are meant for people who prefer features to stability (which is usually the reason to become a Fedora user in the first place). Anyone else should stick with the official nightlies.

[Starbird]

This is cool. I’ll give it a try. I’ve been using the official nightlies, but as mentioned they have never had python support enabled.

[Rene_Poschl]

Never is a bit of a stretch. But i agree it has been missing for quite some time now.

[aimylios]

The stable release of KiCad 5.0.0 is now available in my kicad-release copr. Enjoy!