"Linux Gazette...making Linux just a little more fun!"

In our July 1998 issue, we printed an article called LinuxCAD Impressions by Robert Wuest. In the interest of fair play, here is the official response to that review from Software Forge, Inc.

To put this in context let us briefly answer the question "What is LinuxCAD?":

LinuxCAD, http://www.linuxcad.com/, is an AutoCAD for Linux for all practical purposes it implements all major features of ACAD in such a way that new users (who had ACAD experience before) do not need any additional training to start working with LinuxCAD).

But more then that LinuxCAD is a general purpose visual modelling system that runs on all Unix platforms (Linux, LinuxPPC, Solaris x86, RS/6000, BSDI, FreeBSD, Solaris SPARC, SCO UNIX) and on Windows NT.

LinuxCAD can be used in:

• Software Development Flowcharting
• Entity Relationship Diagramming
• Network planning
• System Administration Diagramming and you actually can start your sysadmin tasks from inside LinuxCAD
• Mechanical Engineering drafting
• PCB and schematic design (easily integrated with routing programs)
• Geographicsl Information Systems,
• Any kind of drafting where integration with database is important
• Floor plans for buildings and facilities
• Architectural Drafting
• Front end for programmable rendering systems like OpenGL
• Front end for any software that may require graphics editor functions
• Can be used to replace ACAD in every application later is used!!!

Do the math yourself:

To do typical CAD works you need to install so called "AutoCAD for PCs" on Windows NT workstation:

• AutoCAD for PCs costs $2900 a copy
• AutoCAD upgrade alone costs $400 at least or more (up to a dealer).
• Windows NT costs $200 or more.

You can replace all of the above to:

• Linux which is free
• LinuxCAD which is only $99

LinuxCAD indirectly competes with Microsoft as well, although we support Windows NT. We do not distinguish it as main or dominant platform and we trying to level the platforms as it relates to LinuxCAD with emphasize to Linux for Intel as main platform for LinuxCAD.

LinuxCAD captures the most important aspects of ACAD as: entity selection mechanism, same dialog in the command line, object snaps (as intersect, mid, center , tangent, perpend and others), LinuxCAD allows to use SHX formats and can exchange data to ACAD and many other systems.

LinuxCAD imposes tremendous threat to Autodesk, as it provides all the features the AutoCAD provides including programable AutoCAD's architecture. More then that LinuxCAD allows smooth transition from AutoCAD to LinuxCAD without additional training.

In any case: about 70% of 2D drafting works and 50% at least of 3D works may be done in $99 LinuxCAD on Linux instead of $3000 Acad on Ms-NT. Every sale of LinuxCAD translates to automatic $3000 loss to Autodesk, THAT IS WHY MR ROBERT WUEST is out there trying to discredit us. They are afraid of the LinuxCAD, the product that has achieved that kind of major market impact and user support as LinuxCAD has achieved, just in one year!

They want not to allow us to grow, now when we are small, and they have used that review to do it. Autodesk wants again to rob the consumer from his right to choose as they did it with Generic CADD and many other small CAD packages! But they are not succeding this time!

Our official responce to LinuxCAD review is long overdue and here it is:

• The review does not reflect reality and it is outdated.
• The business goes as usual, we ship LinuxCAD immediately after receiving your orders, we are continuing our development efforts, THE QUALITY OF LINUXCAD HAS IMPROVED 10 TIMES OVER SINCE THAT REVIEW WAS WRITTEN.
• Not one, not hundreds of organized fraudulent reviews will stop us from commitment to our product.
• Consumers can relay on LinuxCAD in the long run, especially Enterprise Customers will be provided with exceptional support and with great volume discounts. So far we have promised half year of free downloads for new versions when we started a year ago, and no one really has been cut off from new versions. We have denied upgrades to only one customer:
  the author of that fraudulent review.
  Users of LinuxCAD are actually getting more then a year of free upgrades and that may last even longer, we have no reason to cut people off-- we got enough new customers out there.
• The review also distorts our pricing policy:
  • We sell LinuxCAD (all modules and extension included) for one flat price - $99. (for Intel).
  • $99 includes: All 2D, 3D, printing, plotting, programming extension, all again included
  • in $99 for Linux Intel platform.
• The reason that demo is available only from time to time: because of significant workload we carry supporting LinuxCAD on great variety of platforms , supporting and regularly synchronising demo version would waste our efforts, although we looking to release demo at a time and place of our choice.
• LinuxCAD is something every Linux user can benefit from and not only designers and drafters.
• LinuxCAD in our opinion will give entirely new face and capabilities to your Linux desktop, moves it one step close to Linux worldwide dominance.

Robert Weaver, President
Software Forge Inc. (makers of the leading CAD product for UNIX and X/Windows), http://www.linuxcad.com