Linux, Upverter, & Printed Circuit Board Design

Linux, Upverter, & Printed Circuit Board Design

Over the years, Linux has become one of the most popular and important operating systems on the planet. We have listed Linux distributions in the past, including the likes of Red Hat, Ubuntu, and Oracle Linux — all vital names in the software world. As much as Linux is defined by these distributions and Android’s use of the OS though, there are always new applications emerging as well.

One such application that is more important than many might realize has to do with printed circuit board design. For those who may not know much about this topic, PCBs are defined in a post on Medium as electrical circuits whose parts are contained within a technical framework. They are literally small circuit boards onto which various components are etched, soldered, and attached in order to form an apparatus for electrical signaling. Today, PCBs are used as vital internal components in most of our electronics.

As much as these little circuit boards function as hardware however, the design of PCBs is done largely via software programs. And naturally, not all such design programs are compatible with all operating systems; some PCB designer platforms will not work well on Linux systems. But this is where something called Upverter comes into play.

Upverter is effectively a cloud-based offshoot of Altium’s designer software platform. Altium is an industry leader, and has made Upverter available specifically to bring its PCB design software capability to Linux systems. Every aspect of the digital design process of a printed circuit board is made available within a single package with Upverter — from creating the basic structure and schematics, to laying out parts and making connections, to routing and testing. Through the software, it is possible to design a functional PCB from start to finish, resulting in a blueprint that is ready to be fabricated and put into use.

This is of particular importance because, as you may well know, there are simply a ton of Linux users today. Per ZDNet’s estimates of Linux users in fact, there are even millions of people who have turned to Linux for desktop use today — in addition to the endless droves relying on Android OS (which accounts for over 70% of the mobile market).

Given these numbers, it is fair to say that Upverter has potential to be one of the more consequential pieces of software related to Linux to have materialized in recent years. It enables countless users to design PCBs through reliable programs and tools — an invaluable benefit given how essential engineering and innovation in circuit boards is today. As long as our electronics continue to advance, there will be a need for better, newer PCBs. And it’s thanks to this software that many Linux users can now take part in producing those materials.