While I was never a huge fan of browser based tools in the past, that’s because they always started from scratch and introduced more paradigms. Instead taking and packaging the KiCad capabiliites is quite interesting, especially when potentially layering other pieces on top. Given the current speed of the tool here, I think I’ll keep loading it on my current machine, but for things like training and demos, this could be a great unlock for beginners entering the space.
I think a few pieces of enabling technology that is making this now much more possible is WASM and the fact that Claude can drudge through the re-targeting to browser technologies. Kinda a 2nd order effect of AI tools existing is that they are being used to make traditional tools much better, much faster.
Tangentially related, I have been using OnShape (browser-based parametric CAD) for a couple years for my non-work projects and have been very impressed by it, even with medium-ish sized assemblies. I love not having to sync between my desktop and laptop to work on a design. If pcbjam follows in that tradition, we’ll all be richer for it.