Yes I agree. I jumped the gun a bit earlier and apologize to the programmers and the community.
Will001
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I think most here are regular users. Since updates are free we just recommend doing the upgrade if you aren’t in the middle of a project. Yeah, we do know things don’t always go well. We stress that we are all here to make the product better in one way or another.
2 Likes
Just wanted to stop in and say thank you @pedro . I got both version working side by side. Still have the issue with 7.0.8 not having errors reading 4.0.7. However I know what the problem is and will be working to fix it when I have some extra time.
Thanks again my friend
Will001
2 Likes
KiCad V6 was a big change. It also replaced all the icons and that does get some getting used to. The difference between KiCad V6 and V7 is not so big. Some functions have been added, but it mostly works the same as V6. But apart from the new functions, existing functions are also being improved. The algorithms behind the interactive router for example are continuously being tweaked and perfected. Bugs also get fixed and the experience of using KiCad is just slowly getting smoother over time.
But in a few years time another big GUI update with dock-able menu’s is being expected. But until then I expect it’s mostly incremental small things, and new functions that you can either ignore, or may find handy to use anyway.
Adding to software in some ways is fairly straightforward, however, sometimes data structures need to be changed and this can really mess up previous versions if there is no conversion program. Sometimes you can spend more time on conversion programs than the main program itself.
KiCad allowing parallel versions and disk space cheap enough now allows me to create a new projects folder for each version and just copy the older version over and then open it with the newer. This means that the older versions are untouched and I can update without the risk of bugs spoiling the project
FWIW, I’ve learned to always create PDF’s and Gerbers of old projects (not just Kicad). This way at the minimum I have a document of the design / document / etc.
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Hi Will001,
KiCad is driven from the community. So for some the title refers to disappointment with the community behind it 
. I think the reaction showed how gentle and helpful everyone wanted to help and defended the hard work behind it, sure of the normally reliable functionality of this software suite.
There are always big expectations on a software. Perhaps an early advice would have been to migrate step by step major by major version 4, 5, 6, 7 - these migrations were more tested. This is usual for many software supporting data migrations over major versions. Sorry for being late.
Long story short: Perhaps you could change that shocking title to “[SOLVED] …” 
, if you consider your questions as answered. Maybe we have been able to fix your first disappointment. Thanks for sharing with us.
Markus
4 Likes
I have been writing software for 40 years.
If my software had as many bugs as Kicad I would have been out of a job a long time ago.
I understand the “none paid” programmers doing what they want rather than doing the not so nice stuff.
Kicad seems to have become a monster like Windows where they chuck “provisional” stuff out and wait for the users to find the problems for them.
Debugging is a long and not so fun business but it needs to be done in house first.
If it was the forums would be fraction of the size it is now.
A problem with Free Open Source is budgetary restraints.
The X.99 series of Development programmes exists for “none paid” users to contribute their time and effort towards debugging by way of payback for the use of Kicad.
The X.x.x Stable Release programme doesn’t have a great many bugs, and those that are found are generally fixed quickly.
The majority of problems with the Stable Release are the “How do I…?” type. These questions occur because the user is unfamiliar with Kicad and its limitations, documentation has not been read, or documentation has yet to be produced.
in the stable version there is a huge amount
errors, just remember what happened with version 7 after the release… according to my observation, it turns into a working state about six months after the release… to this is also added a large number of non-working plugins due to the change of api… This is what the new release branch looks like stable release … then there is a breakdown of what worked and repair without new functions …
Every one of us can help make kicad better so I look forward to your
- MR
- Bug reports
- Bug feedback
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I have never used plugins, don’t know how to find them, how to install them, and really don’t know what they are for.
I think that anyone who uses them should simply know that plugin he uses is strictly related to his KiCad version and if he needs his plugins he simply stays with his version. It is like menu position - if it is in your version - you can use it, if not - then not.
I don’t see it being a problem at all.
your position is because:
1 Like
Are you the same as ‘nigelwright7557’ , author of the pcbcad system?
If so, you’ve been ranting on free KiCad getting you out of your business so many times that it becomes boring.
Yes, KiCad have bugs. Any actively developed, complex piece of software have them. But once you provide good quality bug reports, these are fixed relatively quickly. Which is not necessarily the case with many paid programs. Rest assured the dev team is doing lots of ‘in-house’ testing, and running so many automated tests that homegrown software developers can only dream of.
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I think you are being a bit harsh and frankly quite rude!
I am critical of Kicad but I am unable to do anything about (I can’t code). You have come here, stated you’re a programmer, slated the software but offered nothing in return to help the product move forward.
You have it in your power to change things and you have CHOSEN not to.
I think @fred4u is probably right about this person’s identity. They have come into already-resolved threads before with these kinds of rants and disparagement.
Yes. Like this:
Also, I got a PM from @jmk that he spent some quality time with the OP of this topic, he’s not disappointed with KiCad at all and it all turned out to be based on a few misunderstandings. This thread does not contribute anything to KiCad, while the arguments posted are mostly not true or misleading. My vote is to make this tread unlisted. I do have enough super powers to do this myself but I won’t do it because I don’t like (general) censorship.
Well, this is a team effort. What does it matter that the debug team is the forum? Many bugs get corrected within hours of being reported. On my son’s first day of work at his present position they gave him a low level bug to quash. Probably just to get him acquainted with the software and do minimal damage. He could see that many had tried and failed before him. He had it fixed by the end of the day. His biggest time sync? It took him half a day just to reliably get the bug to show itself.
1 Like
This topic has run its’ course and is degrading.