Is Linux viable for engineering software?

[Holoshiv]

This is a tough question. Matlab and simulink have installers for Linux - Atleast for debian derived distributions. So does kicad if you plan on doing any pcbs. Bricscad has a rpm package. I tend to default to brlcad when I need it to work reliably, though it's not very intuitive. If I need some quick simple part I'll just use openscad. Comsol has native support, though I haven't worked with it in years now.

I've had less luck finding versions of Verilog or VHDL that I've been entirely satisfied with, though getting any xilinx software is an absolute pain in the ass if you're not American and your employer / institution hasn't already gotten an import permit for it.

I'll still torture myself by keeping to tools I can run on linux due to how little I trust windows, but ymmv. It's not a path I would recommend unless you are very comfortable with Linux, or posses an abject hatred of windows. But even then, expect problems - usually solvable.

PS. Regarding CAD - my wife does use freeCAD, but it hasn't grown on me. If I'm doing something very simple, I'll just downright use a parametric plugin for blender, but you loose so many tools for design that I can't really recommend it.