https://www.mail-archive.com/kicad-developers@lists.launchpad.net/msg26779.html
No one knows when version 5 will be available, we can only guess. My guess is “sometime in 2018”. That seems to have a wide error margin, but I am 99% confident it will fall in those bounds. 
I think v5 is 95% the same as v4, but the 5% includes symbol library tables, which is a significant difference. You could be waiting for a while for a final release v5, so I would at least make a start with v4. There might be an RC1 build in 2018/Q1.
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Thanks for “real time” answers.
I’d have few more questions.
[quote=“bobc, post:11, topic:8563”]
I think v5 is 95% the same as v4
[/quote]I hope that some “limitation” will disappear. Two examples:
- now I’m unable to simply copy a schematic between two project (my fault?) to reuse it. And it will be still impossible in v5?
- I’m making new symbol libraries (complying with European Norms) and I would keep them in separate folder but automatically included in new projects. In v4 it seems a bit complicated.
Then where are the differences between v4 and v5? Excluding " symbol library tables".
Graphic interface (icons, menu) will be the same?
Polyline will be only dashed, no solid? No rectangle available?
.
[quote=“bobc, post:11, topic:8563”]
the 5% includes symbol library tables
[/quote]Could you be a bit more detailed?
v5 brings a lot new features. Some of them hidden from the user. (better algorithms for DRC, polygon filling, …)
The visible features will include (but are not limited to):
- sym lib table (allows sym lib management similar to fp libs)
- official libs are now only 3 repos. (This does break the github plugin. But allows for easier version control) There is also a new lib download page included in the kicad webside.
- new symbol editor (with lots of new features)
- show electrical type of pins next to the pin
- easy copy paste of symbols between libs
- lib tree view included in the editor
- automatic junction management + better connection algorithm (eeschema)
- Line styles for graphical polygons in eeschema
- schematic simulation
- cleanups of the graphical interface
- net highlighting in eeschema
- new component chooser. (adding symbols to a schematic will allow to select footprints at the same time.)
- one click tool for update pcb from schematic
- settings for differential pair spacing and with
- python action plugin (allows adding python scripts to the tool menu)
- graphic polygons in pcb new and footprint editor (not only for zones)
- rounded rectangle pads and polygon pads
- flip board (look at it from the bottom)
- Better support for OSX (Lots of interface features added to work around the quirks of this operating system. Like having a single button mouse)
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It seems a lot of improvements. Thanks to all developers.
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I think that is unchanged in v5, there is a sort of workaround procedure (should be FAQ?)
- Open destination project
- Use “Append sheet” to copy sheet from source project
- Copy/paste within project
- If no longer needed, delete appended sheet
i think this will be easier in V5, since you can add a symbol library to the global table so it will appear in all projects.
Not really, it is a new feature which I have not tried yet. I believe it is a similar scheme to the footprint library table management.
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I don’t think v4 up to RC1 was anything like as widely used and tested as Nightlies currently are, so hopefully it won’t be nearly so long
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The paradox there is that if you have a faster edit/build cycle, people use that time to put in more code, rather than take more time testing existing code. It’s two years since the last release, which is a lot of code changes. I don’t know of any numbers which indicate the number of users on up to date nightly builds, my guess is that the vast majority of users are on stable release or old nightly builds.
Another effect of announcing a freeze, is a flurry of patches appear as people try to get their favourite fixes in.
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I’ll just point out a couple of issues.
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If you don’t have any KiCad project to open or modify starting with nightly version instead with latest stable (4.0.7) is worth considering. As eeschema library management changed quite a bit any project created with 4.0.7 will require a symbol remapping in order to open it with nightly or V5. Starting with current nightlies you would avoid this. But all the warnings when using nightlies still apply.
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Even if you go with 4.0.7 I strongly recommend that you don’t install the libraries that come with V4, but use the new ones (available from KiCad website)
There is an update on the mailing list regarding v5 release:
https://lists.launchpad.net/kicad-developers/msg32621.html
It seems like there are only a few major bugs left until v5 will be branched off. After that there will be a short testing phase until the first v5 release.
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Thank you all, very useful answers.
[quote=“bobc, post:16, topic:8563”]
Here is my strictly unofficial, just for entertainment only …
[/quote] Then 4.1 will be the last v4 release. Very interesting because I’ll ask to my distribution (OpenMandriva Linux) developers to pack it.
@MitjaN
I have several schematic done with v4 then I’ll keep on using it but I’ll try to use new libraries.
@Rene_Poschl
Then v5 RC1 seems not too far. I’ll see how to have both installed and working.
.
[quote=“bobc, post:15, topic:8563”]
I think that is unchanged in v5, there is a sort of workaround procedure (should be FAQ?)1. Open destination project2. Use “Append sheet” to copy sheet from source project3. Copy/paste within project4. If no longer needed, delete appended sheet
[/quote]Tried but it seems a bit more complicated. Given that is interesting but quite off topic I open a new thread.
There is no 4.1. The newest (and last) is 4.0.7
Be aware that we are not quite finished with the reorganization effort. Take a look at the included ToDo.md file for details and look at the issues of the repo. (the todo list what old lib has been transferred already vs what is missing and the issues list the problems we found. Most problems are regarding the renaming of footprints and footprint libs.)
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The current Nightlies are already better quality than 4.0.0 was at release… Remember that OSX was a mess in early v4
If you already have V4 and current set of libraries then the smartest thing would be to wait for V5 and then migrate from V4 to V5 and also to new libraries.
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Are there plans to create a well-tested, illustrated, write-up for how this remapping is done? And post it on the KiCAD “Blog”, or some other very accessible, obvious, location?
When the new symbol management feature was announced on the Forum, the remapping process sounded rather involved and varied based on how you were using the library system. The complexity of the conversion process convinced me to stop using nightly builds, until release of KiCAD 5 (or at least until that release was imminent).
Dale
There is a blog post, and a recent thread IMPORTANT: Symbol Library Table Merged into Development Branch
I don’t know how comprehensive the write-up is, haven’t tried it yet!
Officially, KiCad is in version 5 feature freeze. There are a few segfault bugs that have to be fixed before I will create a version 5 branch. This branch will become release 5-rc1. From that point on, the length of time it takes until the final stable 5 release depends on how quickly bugs are reported and all high priority bugs get fixed. I’m hoping to have the version 5 branch done before FOSDEM 2018 (February 3-4, 2018). If all goes well, a stable 5 release could happen sometime near the end of Q1 2018. As most things open source, it will be ready when it’s ready.
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“…it will be ready when it’s ready.”
Who inspired you, Yogi Berra? 