We are shutting down Ondsel

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Reaction to Ondsel Shutdown

  • Many express disappointment and gratitude; several had just started learning CAD with Ondsel and found it promising and productive.
  • Some never heard of it despite actively wanting a FreeCAD-based commercial offering, suggesting limited reach/marketing.
  • Consensus that Ondsel’s work “was worth a try” and left FreeCAD substantially better off, so the company’s closure isn’t seen as a failure in impact terms.

State of FreeCAD and Ondsel’s Impact

  • FreeCAD 1.0 is widely described as a big improvement over earlier versions: better usability, partial sketches, more stability.
  • Ondsel is credited with major technical contributions (e.g., topological naming fix, assembly workbench) and with imposing focus on a fragmented project.
  • However, several still find FreeCAD “horrible” or far behind commercial tools (Solidworks, Fusion 360, Onshape, etc.), especially in UX consistency.

Why Commercial CAD/EDA Dominates

  • Non-software engineers often prioritize reliability, support contracts, and risk reduction on high‑value projects over software freedom.
  • Vendor lock‑in is reinforced through university deals, entrenched workflows, and supply‑chain interoperability requirements.
  • License costs are small relative to engineering labor and scrap risk; management and clients sometimes mandate specific commercial tools.

UX and Governance Challenges in FOSS Tools

  • Recurring theme: FOSS end‑user tools (FreeCAD, GIMP, many EDA suites) are “a bit crap” mainly in UX, not raw capability.
  • UIs are often seen as implementation-driven, poorly discoverable, and hostile to non‑developer mental models.
  • Designers report difficulty contributing: workflows don’t fit PR-driven processes; maintainers may dismiss UX work as “dumbing down.”
  • Communities sometimes react badly to user complaints (“it’s free, fix it yourself”), which discourages adoption.

Where FOSS Succeeds / Fails Today

  • Strong reliance on FOSS noted in many sciences and in infrastructure-like tools; less so in specialized CAD/EDA, FPGA, and simulation.
  • FOSS is seen as safer against subscription “enshittification,” but commercial tools still win where features and certification matter.

Alternative Tools and Future Directions

  • Other OSS CAD options discussed: SolveSpace (simple but limited), Dune3D (promising, cleaner UI), OpenSCAD/CadQuery (code‑driven but niche).
  • Commercial/hobbyist options: Fusion 360, Solidworks for Makers, Solid Edge, Onshape, Alibre; trade‑offs around cost, cloud lock‑in, file ownership.
  • Some are watching new efforts like Zoo/KittyCAD (code + mouse + AI, cloud kernel), though cloud dependence and lock‑in raise concern.
  • Several argue that a Blender‑like success in parametric CAD is possible, but only with sustained funding, leadership, and real UX investment.