Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Can CNCPro users provide some input?

Randy

1 - Perhaps you could sell those shops on the idea of looking at those
reports in the office on their favorite OS. With a network, you could ask
the Linux machine to prepare and update files that could be accesed from
most any software. You could even update the MOTD or send a job
schedule message that operators would view on their screens.

2 - If these shops use dos, the command line stuff in linux should not be to
strange to an operator for the little bit of Linux work that might need to
be done.

3 - Or you could just "black box" the machine control
[net->linux->emc->machine] and run the gui and all the reports that they
want in MS Windows.

3a - EMC has all of this kind of communication stuff written in. This
install of the network/linux/rtlinux/emc should fit on a 16 meg flash disk.
For it I'd use a commercial motherboard (~$400.00) with hardware timout and
auto reboot. Don't even say linux. Tell your customers that this is a,
"machine controller box" and there are "no user servicable components
inside."

3b - Then if you want to get really fancy, put a few switches on the box.
Estop, feed hold, run, etc. Name each box by a different network name and
run the whole manufacturing cell from a single networked pc using any OS
for which the customer is a true believer. Make a separate screen for each
tkemc and one for the reports and away you go.

<rant> - The true beauty of open source is that we have the right to
configure it any way your or my little heart desires. The only thing
that you or I can't do is call the whole thing yours or mine and copyright
it when you or I get done. But there are ways that we can protect some
of our unique work if we so choose.

Ray

From: cnc002@...

<S>I like

>Linux but am having a hard time selling the concept to the end users.
>MicroSoft has done a good marketing job on Windoz and even DOS.