There's no right or wrong about this, but I agree this has a lot to do with Windows' dominance. It also has a LOT to do with people's comfort levels. As computing has become an established consumer-led and mature market, so we now have many many users (and potential users of CNC systems) who know little of how a computer system works, and who are both unwilling and unable to help themselves, or find appropriate sources of help, to enable them to move away from Windows. Mach3 is therefore the easy choice. Never mind that it has got itself in a pickle, or that there are better ways.
On 8 Oct 2013, at 18:41, Eric Keller wrote: > On Tue, Oct 8, 2013 at 1:35 PM, Bruce Layne > <linux...@thinkingdevices.com> wrote: > For all of these >> little stepper based routers and other small systems (most of the >> installations), what could be easier than installing Linux (with lots of >> other goodies) and LinuxCNC from an ISO burned to a flash thumb drive, >> then running StepConf? I can't imagine Mach could possibly be any >> easier unless someone did it for you. > Sorry; but the consumers cannot cope with that. Unless there is a one-click download-and-instal procedure, people's perceptions are that it is a process requiring mystical powers. I think this is currently the main failing of LinuxCNC, as far as gaining new converts. > I probably halfway qualify as a linux guru nowadays, but a few years > back we set up a 3 axis machine with linuxcnc in an hour, including > wiring the steppers. We used absolutely no linux guru knowledge to do > that. I agree, it would be hard to imagine making it too much easier > for a simple machine. I know people like the custom interface aspect > of Mach, it takes all kinds. > The customised screens etc have not as much to do with it as the power of the name. Mach3 is in the public consciousness; LinuxCNC is not. It's self-perpetuating, too. Wearing my writer's hat, my latest brief from an editor included: "it has to be Mach3, because that's what people want". Actually, it's not. They don't know what they want - or rather they don't know what they might prefer because they don't know it exists. And while we are on the topic, it is unfortunate that (a) LinuxCNC doesn't run on versions beyond 10.4, and (b) its not a built-in part of the distro for all current versions. Yes; I know there are now significant problems with Mach3 and W7/W8, but Mach3 has already established itself. There is little doubt of the power of LinuxCNC compared to some aspects of Mach3, especially in the more elegant programming structures, but people coming to CNC with not too much knowledge don't know they might appreciate that, largely because they don't know anything about programming. When they latch onto CAM software, they find LinuxCNC poorly served. I had to ask Vectric for LinuxCNC post-processors (still called EMC2 in their world) because they are not included in their basic set. I am still trying to get them to release a post-processor for their wrapped axis Gadget. Yes; its easy enough to write one, but no; most users will not want to do this. Oh yes; and all the books are based on Mach3, as far as I know, with one exception which I will modestly mention: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Milling-Workshop-Crowoods-Metalworking-Guides/dp/1847975127/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381256519&sr=8-1&keywords=cnc+milling+in+the+workshop www.cncintheworkshop.com The reason users turn to Mach3 is perception. Until we solve that, the masses will continue to be drawn to Mach3, because the user base has reached a critical mass. Regards, Marcus > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > October Webinars: Code for Performance > Free Intel webinars can help you accelerate application performance. > Explore tips for MPI, OpenMP, advanced profiling, and more. Get the most from > the latest Intel processors and coprocessors. See abstracts and register > > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=60134071&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ October Webinars: Code for Performance Free Intel webinars can help you accelerate application performance. Explore tips for MPI, OpenMP, advanced profiling, and more. Get the most from the latest Intel processors and coprocessors. See abstracts and register > http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/clk?id=60134071&iu=/4140/ostg.clktrk _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
