Re: Conversational Programming

Looks like Ive stirred up some interest.

1) What is Conversational Programming?

Its a system that lets you do the cad and cam in a simple interactive
way. In my program you simply select buttons for certain objects, like
lines or circles, or holes, then fill in the blanks on a screen with the
needed dimensions. The system figures out how to move the motors to run
the part. Everything is in one program. Look at
http://plsntcov.8m.com/CNH.html for some screen shots.

2) The BOX
I would not expect FlashCut to change anything- let them sell their
package exactly as now. CPNC would be just another add-on program a user
could run. This gives most flexibility- for complicated parts use a CAM
package and run the FlashCut driver program, for simple work just run
CPNC with the FlashCut hardware. Now if FLashCut wanted to offer a
hardware only system that would be even nicer, but I would be willing to
buy their whole package. I do have some use for g-code. Remember, I dont
claim CPNC 'saves' the whole world, just part of it.

3) INDEXER.LPT
There is no free lunch. Indexer.lpt does NOT make windows into a real
time system. It does drive motors, but you cannot abort a move once
started, and you cannot get back position info to update a screen while
a move is occuring. When windows runs on your system it alone holds the
control. Remember, Gates wants to rule the world!

4) Development Environment. I just found vtcl. Its a gui development
tool that works just like VB, but does tcl. tcl runs on windows, unix
even Macs. If we do this right the single tcl package can run on any of
these, and use the flashcut drivers on windows and macs and use EMC on
Linux. And we should be able to switch it to any other box of hardware
(like Roland Ferstands controller, or Ahha or the PicServo), or even to
drive INDEXER.LPT for those so inclined, by simply writing one driver
module.

5)Subroutines and gcode.
It would seem logical that the storage format of CPNCs files should be
gcode. So it could be used as a form of code generator. Many of its
higher level objects are much like gcode subroutines- in my program you
enter just a couple dimensions fotr a bolt cirlce, and it gets expanded
by the program just like a gcode subroutine.

This may die off here on the list, but I'm going to do it, and Im going
to do it the 'open source' way. Ill see if I can get a page started
under the linuxcnc.org site.

ron