Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: HARDINGE HNC RETROFIT

Hi Bill

Thanks for the excellent lead in for the rant below. Thanks for your
work on the EMC project.

The EMC has been gradually moving toward a pattern that is more typical
of "open Source" projects and away from it's US Department of Defense
roots. NIST is currently developing some mega hexapods and autonomous
vehicles that use the motion code.

The EMC code resides in a Concurrent Versioning System (cvs) repository
on SourceForge.net where most anyone can help with
development/refinement. Since these NIST public employees are under
obligation to release their code into the public domain or as open
software, I don't see their contributions drying up anytime soon.
That is why I mentioned the STEP interpreter stuff a bit ago. It was a
part of a grant that they got to help with a developing standard. They
are the US National Insitiute of Standards and Technology.

There are a number of projects that are being worked forward by private
individuals now -- you included. A few of these are work envelope
probing, several hybrid soft-hardware interfaces, touch screen HMI (Human
Machine Interface), handwheels, aux I/O logic Interfaces, and 5'th
order motion planning.

<rant> I don't see EMC dying anytime soon. The official NIST site was
"taken down" because some North American commercial interest complained
that the project was eating into their profits. I guess they didn't like
the notion of a better mousetrap and would rather snivel than upgrade
their code or compile a little of EMC into their own project. Reminds me
just a bit of a sparrow chasin' an eagle. </rant>

Ray

>    From: "William Scalione" <wscalione@...>
> Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: HARDINGE HNC RETROFIT

<s>

> Hi Matt,
>
> Is NIST still working on EMC, I thought they kind of abandoned it.
> What is their official word on further development?
>
> Bill