Re: Linux-EMC suggestion

Hi Bertho,

While I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments, there are a couple of
comments I think should be made.

>
> There appears to be a lot of problems caused by EMC needing an old version

kernel and that the old 5.2 revision does not come

> with the modern drivers and utilities.
>

Just as with windows and other operating systems, the new software always
seems to be written for the next generation of equipment. Fortunately in
linux, unlike windows, this does not yet seem to automatically mean that you
will need a faster CPU, new motherboard, more memory and a graphics card
which you need a mortgage to purchase. However, if you are intending to
dedicate all or part of a PC to controlling a cnc machine, ther is no real
reason you would want the latest software on it or the latest kernel. As
far as I know, there are still plenty of copies of Red Hat 5.2 around, after
all, its only a couple of months since it was the current version! and, if
not, I'm sure people on the list would be prepared to copy one and send it
to you - I will if you can't find anyone closer than the UK.
The problem, of course, at the moment is that linux kernel development is
progressing faster than the applications people can keep up with. As I said,
the RH5.2 2.0.36 kernel was current only a few months ago but has been
superceded by the 2.2.* versions of RH6.1 up to at least release 14 and
there are also a number of version 2.3.* kernels available for download by
the more intrepid. As with any new system, linux is still feeding off the
initial buzz of excitement and any new idea is rapidly incorporated into
kernel releases. Unfortunately, this tends to make them pretty much all
different and 'non-standard' so that developers like Fred really have to put
all their efforts into working their systems up to a worthwhile product on
one particular kernel platform before they can consider modifying it for
newer releases. Hopefully, in the meantime, alterations to the newer kernels
won't have changed things so drastically that porting to the new version
isn't possible. Basically, at the moment, we're all what the major software
people would call 'Beta testers' although such is the pressure put upon Fred
by many members of this group that, more often than not, it is really 'Alpha
testing'!

> Would it not make the whole process a lot simpler if for example RED Hat

6.2 could be installed and tested on a computer and

> when finally everything is up and running and verified EMC could just be

added?

>

I don't see the problem here. Getting the machine to run EMC involves three
distinct stages, each of which can be implemented and tested separately.
Firstly one loads Linux itself along with any desktop and applications
programs (KDE, Wordperfect, Star Office etc.) and you can spend some time
learning how to work with this and compiling a new kernel to suit your own
particular needs. If you use KDE, conversion from a windows environment is
almost transparent as the appearance and operation is very similar to win95
and it is then only the filing system, mounting CDs, using Samba to talk to
windows machines etc. which needs to be learnt. Next, one can install
RTLinux and ensure that this is working properly and isn't interfering with
anything else - should take all of 10 minutes! and finally, one can load EMC
and start to learn how to use this. In many ways this path is better than
just being presented with a totally new 'turnkey' system as, by the time you
get to a point where an error in entry etc. will have any serious
implications, you will already have learnt enough about the system to give
you the confidence to try to fix it.

>
> Most of these problems would disappear if EMC could be made to run on an

up-to-date RT kernel. Would it not make more sense to

> upgrade EMC for the new kernel than to add this or that feature that only

a few persons might need?

I'm sure that this will come in time and then someone will come along and
buy up the rights to it andpackage it into a commercial product which they
will price out of the reach of the small-time or hobby engineer!!

Ian
--
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK