Archicad for Linux

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I think the linux market share will grow in 2005.
I usually work with OpenOffice 1.9, Mozzila, Gaim, Skype, Oracle 10g, GIMP 2.1, Blender, Dia, ArcGIS 9.0 software that run on windows and linux,
I would like to work with a version of Archicad for linux,

Now we only have Building Information Modeling (BIM) software in linux:
- ARCAD 90, from www.arcad.de - only in german i think
- BricsCad, (brings DWG to the LINUX community) beta version, from www.bricscad.com
and a old 2D Software - Microstation 95 for Linux
Does anybody know if there will be a linux version of archicad in 2005?

thanks,
Bernardino

[Anonymous]

swiftnet wrote:
If archicad would create a Linux version there would be a market that would grow each year.

I think Swiftnet might be right here. Some people really want to go the linux way, but haven't done so because of:

a) their favourite app doesn't run under linux
b) they don't know there are nice alternatives (see MS Office vs OpenOffice.org or Outlook vs Thunderbird)

There is a nice list of alternatives here

Of course in our market, not one BIM app is running under linux.
I have tried to run an archicad-version under linux several times (under Wine or Crossover Office), but never succeeded. The moment I can run ArchiCAD under linux like I do under OSX and WinXP, I am switching to linux.

[stefan]

I don't think AutoCAD is getting ported to Linux at all. There have been many discussions for people wanting it to be ported on Mac OSX and for Linux, but so far, nothing indicates this to happen. Market demand is not the same as user wishes and Autodesk is placing more and more Microsoft specific technologies inside their applications, especially more and more .NET. Note that .NET does have the potential to be able to run on Linux, one day, but considering the speed with which this platform is getting accepted and being updated, it doesn't seem likely. And if even the big Autodesk doesn't seem to be interested in porting it, then why would Graphisoft?

BricsCAD (based on IntelliCAD) is available for Linux, using Wine. But I'm not aware of any other commercial CAD applications, at least not for architects.

The GUI solution might be frameworks like wxWidgets or Qt, but that requires a port for the whole ArchiCAD GUI to another system. It was said that they have considered Qt a few years ago, but they didn't switch.


By the way, many posts on this thread are by people with only 1 single post. Why don't you reply back? It's hard to discuss when you only post one message and then leave the discussion! Opinions are welcome here!

[Anonymous]

stefan wrote:
By the way, many posts on this thread are by people with only 1 single post. Why don't you reply back? It's hard to discuss when you only post one message and then leave the discussion! Opinions are welcome here!

I know Stefan, and with no discussion we have no subject...

stefan wrote:
I don't think AutoCAD is getting ported to Linux at all.

Hey Stefan, We don't want AutoCAD but ArchiCAD!

I know, making a linux port might be difficult and/or time consuming...
I am no techie at all in programming or coding, and I don't know how, but looking at a program like OpenOffice.org, it has to be possible in a way.
Maybe Graphisoft has to consider porting to Linux only because they have always been in front and they would be the first and only true platform-independant BIM-solution, just like in the Win/Mac - times.
Maybe it would not be such a bad idea to put a couple of programmers or transcoders at work in, maybe, a different firm (under the Graphisoft-wings).

I personally think many of the offices don't switch to Linux because people just don't know or never tried it. After all, offices would be freed of all license-issues for the office programs they use daily, and always remain up-to-date. I am not telling ArchiCAD should be free at all, because that is impossible looking at the development costs of such a wonderful program.

[stefan]

Steven wrote:

stefan wrote:
I don't think AutoCAD is getting ported to Linux at all.

Hey Stefan, We don't want AutoCAD but ArchiCAD!

I know, but if even the "almighty" Autodesk is not interested in cross-platform AutoCAD, then why should the relatively small Graphisoft.
I would welcome a Linux version of ArchiCAD, but not at the cost of less dedication to the main windows and osx versions.

I know a thing or two about cross-platform development. I am working mainly on Windows, but my laptop is a Powerbook, and the application I am working on (for my doctoral research) is now running smoothly on Windows and OSX and (last time I tried) it also ran on Linux. This is possible because:
- my data structure is pure C++
- my scenegraph uses a cross-platform framework
- my GUI uses another cross-platform framework

I assume ArchiCAD's CORE is platform-independent, but it's GUI seems to be a custom system, which might prove quite costly to port to Linux.

[Anonymous]

Maybe someone has to focus on getting ArchiCAD to run nicely under Wine or Crossover Office.
That might be sort of an alternative as there is not one major CAD app (excluding older versions of Vectorworks and AutoCAD) to run under Wine/Linux. Certainly there is no BIM-alternative under Linux.
I have no clue if that could work. I tried, but as a no-techie I did not succeed.

[stefan]

Steven wrote:
Maybe someone has to focus on getting ArchiCAD to run nicely under Wine or Crossover Office.
That might be sort of an alternative as there is not one major CAD app (excluding older versions of Vectorworks and AutoCAD) to run under Wine/Linux. Certainly there is no BIM-alternative under Linux.
I have no clue if that could work. I tried, but as a no-techie I did not succeed.

Belgian CAD developer BricsCAD adapted IntelliCAD to run using WINE.
http://www.bricscad.com/products/design/bricscad/features.jsp

[Anonymous]

stefan wrote:
Belgian CAD developer BricsCAD adapted IntelliCAD to run using WINE.
http://www.bricscad.com/products/design/bricscad/features.jsp

Just because of that, I think it has to be possible. As I can see most of the functionalities work in BricsCAD for Linux without big changes to the program.

[Anonymous]

I would just like to say that this is an open discussion and not one between Stefan and myself...
So anyone who has an opinion... reply please!

[James Murray]

• GS is a small outfit in a market with a practical monopolist. They struggle to meet the wishes of the existing base, while trying to develop enough new stuff to lure converts. How long is your wishlist? How old are the oldest items on it?

• There's already a *nix that runs AC, it's called OS X. New hardware? Sure. You were never going to buy new hardware again otherwise?

• Most (take a poll?) architects have enough on their plates without experimenting with the bleeding edge of operating systems.

• AEC CAD is dominated by Windows. GS is likely putting major sales efforts into flipping big WinDesk firms. From this perspective, OS X is already something of a burden. And they should add a third platform? Maybe a 200-seat firm would be willing to dump Windows and ACAD at the same time. That shouldn't be too disruptive.

Stefan is right, AutoDesk is permanently entangled with MS. They have a similar life strategy: platform dominance, full stop. The Windows monopoly aids the ACAD (near) monopoly.

Is there a trend toward Linux in business in general? If so, and I doubt it, you may be assured it will hit AEC last.

I find the discussion interesting, but it will never happen.

[Anonymous]

I wish the world would be perfect, no monopoly all software data integrated, but ... it is not. I wish there was and Linux version of AC but ... after may years I see it clear ... there will be none. I hope that maybe someday Wine compatible version, but I doubt that too. On the other hand, everything is the question of demand. If at some point people will start demanding it ... who knows, or maybe somebody in GS is already thinking about it. Under the Archicad+ main topic there is:
"Discussions closely related to ArchiCAD. (Example: Do we need a Linux version of ArchiCAD?)" , so ...
GS any word here ?