- Remove your plugins, and install some plugins from PCM. Do they still crash KiCad?
- Provide the macOS problem report
- Share a minimal example plugin that crashes KiCad on you machine, or your plugins.
I prefer to Not use the PCM approach but I have done a couple - too much bother (meta fileā¦etc) for plugins I want to run from simply having them in the folder - always worked fine until v7.
Two simple plugins for you to testā¦ Both work.
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Just calls/runs FreeCAD (you can ignore needing the Icon and let it default to stock one). And, will need to change the call to FreeCADās location. Or, just replace calling FreeCAD with any App you have and want to call)"
my_FreeCAD_Caller.py (677 Bytes) -
Move Lines to Edge_Cut layer
my_FPmod_Move2edgeCuts.py (984 Bytes)
I sent the Macās report to Apple. I see no need to confuse anyone by posting here but will if neededā¦
Thanks
Nvidia card? Are you using the up-to-date Nvidia driver? I donāt have Windows but on Linux I have to run the closed source Nvidia driver as the open source nouveau doesnāt cut it, every now and then I get a screen lockup. Itās an annoyance because whenever the kernel is updated, I have to run the driver installer again.
Yes, please attach it here.
Now, this is weird! After Submitting the Report to Apple, I no longer get the Popup with Error message to send to Apple. Kicad still crashes but no Apple error/msgā¦ I logged out/in but still no msg. So, I guess until it msg reappears, I canāt post itā¦
I could perhaps dig around in the Logās butā¦
Just a idea for all who appreciate more stability: Use always the last available version from last years stable version. That way you will get new features one year later, but you will work with the most mature version.
The (planned) release cycle and the release police is no secret and was published by the developers team in past (on the kicad blog?):
- every new stable release starts at january with v7.0 / v8.0 / v9.0 / (you get the idea ā¦)
- from this time on a growing part of the userbase switches to the new stable version ā a growing userbase finds more bugs ā more bugs are reported (and can than be fixed)
- every month or so a new minor bugfix-version is released (so we users got first v7.0 and are currently working with 7.6)
- this goes on until december, than v7.12 is probably the latest version in the v7-branch. That would be the most bugfree-v7-version
- one month later the official v8 is started.
Because of the nature of these process itās inevitable that every v7.x prior to v7.12 has more bugs, and most probably also more bugs than v6.12. Knowing this itās just not fair to compare a v7.6 (which is still in the middle of the bugfixing-cycle) with a ready-developed v6.12.
My advice: all users who want a most reliable version, but donāt want to take part in the bugfixing, should work with the latest most mature version.
So currently stick with v6.12, and next year than work with v7.12.
@bobnecat : look for *.lck-files in your projectdirectory and delete them (if kicad is not running). They may be leftovers from crashes. To directly get to the projectdirectory: use the icon on the kicad manager, this opens directly a windows-explorer.
4 Likes
@mf_ibfeew I agree!.. In fact, last week, after installing v7.06, I uninstalled it and reinstalled v6. But, I immediately started lamenting as I (within 5 minutes) decided I already missed the enhanced Graphics capability of v7 so, reinstalled it.
As said, I can live with v7 bugsā¦
Wow, just wow. There is so much wrong here.
KiCad is and has always been a open source tool.
If you are depending on KiCad for your livelihood, you need to factor in the program issues into your business risk model. If for some reason KiCad 6.0 as discussed here is more stable than 7.0, then your livelihood should revolve around using KiCad 6.0 until you find a new version that is suitable.
Alternatively, you pay for KiProās annual support package to get priority care in taking care of issues, thatās simply the cost of doing business.
I personally know a PCB layout shop who has been in business for 3 decades, and they still use PADS versions that are many years old specifically because of stability and bug concerns with newer versions. They do eventually upgrade once they pester Mentor Graphics (now Siemens) into fixing issues. They even get hotfixes to 6 year old versions of PADS because they pay for the commercial support. This is all factored into their business.
Even at my workplace, we renew SolidWorks yearly but the mechies intentionally lag their upgrades behind an entire year to allow the latest SolidWorks to reach stability before they upgrade.
KiCad isnāt here to undercut other CAD programs on pricing by being āfreeā. Itās simply offering freedom of users to have a CAD program that can be modified and improved since itās open source and all the goodies that come with that such as retaining control of your designs which is becoming a evergrowing program due to cloud junk.
5 Likes
Youāve got a very valid advice there! In fact I did this with previous versions and only switched from V5 to V6 the month before V7 was released. Should have stuck with V6 for some time but the advertised new features of V7 were too alluring.
I did find .lck and saw that this will be fixed in the new update. Thank you!
Yeahā¦ of course rip a phrase out of context. Best argumentation strategy.
This is what it was referring to: āI think they donāt realize that this software is at a stage that things are becoming serious.ā
The snag with this method is that V7 has fixed bugs also present in the last V6 and these are not going to be backported into V6 unless you pay commercial support to do it.
It is important to realise that V7 point releases are purely bug fixes, no new features
looking at the nightly builds comes the understanding that in version 8 the format of the libraries will change again?
in version 8 the format of the libraries will change again?
yes. File-formats will evolve (at least schematic + board + symbol + footprint library).
I donāt have checked the DWS worksheet files.
This is bad especially for users with large personal librariesā¦ the way out I think to stay on the last stable 7ā¦
as an experiment, I asked my friends with kicad why they donāt want to switch from altium, the answer was something like that we are afraid to start a complex project due to instability and glitches, plus a lack of tools for wiring boards and paperwork ā¦ 10 people who work in organizations took part in the survey and they have a choice ā¦ some of these developers make not very complex boards up to 4 layers in kicad ā¦ the main directions are Rogers boards for RF electronics
Commercial ECAD software has not been immune from file format changes with versions and no backwards compatibility.
Back in my Orcad days my first complex 6 layer projects was ruined by hierarchical sheet bugs.
I may be wrong but according to my observation file format changes in commercial programs do not happen every year or even every two years ā¦ for example, I can now open a project or library created in Altium 17 at 23 ā¦ and even if it is somewhere changed, then backward compatibility works 99 percent ā¦ even with p cad, and this is about 2006
why are you focusing on commercial programs without noticing that free formats do not change every year ā¦
Maybe because there are very few truly new features?
Changing the File-format for personal libraries was not too difficult last time.
A single click on the above button was all that was required.