This semester for me is about learning software packages. I do have a not-dead-yet copy of m$ vista on a laptop, but it's actually never used. Otherwise it's all linux at home. I know I can get Eagle, spice, and the Xilinx make-a-chip stuff. Is there anything close to the packages they are using this year, which are:

1. National Semiconductor's Multisim
2. Is there a gui for spice? I'm not a hot scripter.
3. The Lego Mindstorm robot is being taught via this failed gui type thing. It's about as user friendly as the Chinese secret service, or the KGB :-). Is there a language for that stupid little thing? The interface is children's software. They are making children out of us.
4. They will get on to do labview work. Best option there?

The more I can get set up at home, the less I have to battle for nobbled windows pcs at college with the rest of the pack, as computer time is being squeezed because there's just too many students.

Of the ones that you are happy with, have you tried wine or the commercial product to run windows applications in Linux?

As a side note, I tend to suggest virtual machines for testing. Keep your working OS as until you are happy with results of VM testing.

Try LTSpice; lin tech take care that it does work under Wine, where as a lot of others, just leave you to get on with it. That said, it isn't the prettiest program that you have ever seen (by the time it runs under Wine...not sure if it is better 'natively' under Windows), but that isn't the biggest concern.

Now there is also Geda and its variety of interfaces and bits and pieces of programs. Powerful and capable if/when you get it to work, but if you are also learning simulation and the various trying nooks and crannies of simulation, you'll have enough to worry about without recalcitrant simulation programs with obscure options and difficulties in getting data to transfer from one module to another.

I'll pass on the other stuff.

I've used Eagle, and the Xilinx thing (forget what it's called)

I met the (ugh) lego mindstorm thing and multisim yesterday, and will meet labview later in the year. I felt I have to put some time into spice, and as I have exemptions on the practical hardware side this year, I don't think I'll find a better opportunity. Next year, I'll probably be attending every class, while they have digital & analogue 'ab initio' this year, and I'm a hardened technician studying engineering, with R&D & self employment behind me.

I went to download spice, and found several competing forks. Which one do you recommend?

Aah! found this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_EDA_software

Got a look at this stuff. A bit confusing, and weird, but the enthusiasm comes through. I grabbed nbc & some docs. Have you used it?