Hi Andy, > > On 2 Jun 2019, at 23:41, John Dammeyer <jo...@autoartisans.com> wrote: > > > > LinuxCNC is still very much a command line type application compared to a > WYSIWYG graphical application. > > I don�t think that is entirely true. Admittedly there are a lot of scripts in > the > background handling the config, but you don�t deal with those on a day to day > basis... > > > > Now with MACH3 I can clip my little PC board to the router bit, set the PCB > under the router bit where I want my zero. Click on a button on the screen > > ... Though I admit that I still use MDI for Z probing, (G38.2 F20 Z-10) which > is a > bit command-live-ey. > > I have installed a nest probe screen but never got round to setting up the INI > parameters for it. > https://forum.linuxcnc.org/49-basic-configuration/29187-work-with- > probe#58620
I think you answered my question. The moment you have to use the MDI to do anything you are into the Linux world of do it from the command line. That means you have to either remember the text commands or keep a cheat sheet handy. I'd have to look up what a G38.2 does. That assumes that I know a G38.2 exists to know to look it up. And if I've not used the program for six months that sort of stuff goes away pretty quickly. Your nest probe screen demonstrates my other point quite well too. For all the different Linux (and MachineKit) installations I've done as I play with this, I've yet to see those two screens: Auto Tool Measurement and Probe Screen. One probably just has to, ... wait for it... "type something on the command line" to get that to show up in LinuxCNC. <GRIN> In the past 30 years I doubt I've probably spent more than a total of a couple of hours on a Windows CMD or DOS screen. Pretty well everything you want to do up until Android showed up, followed IBM's CUA interface or ease of use. Now having said all that, G-Codes written into an editor are a program and are executed line by line by a command line parser in effect. And to test bit of a G-Code program one has to type them in to see what happens. I believe the success of MACH3 on Windows is because it is so easy. But it doesn't make MACH3 better and many people offered either for free or for a fee, different screen sets. To improve on the original. Or just make money. But the overall 'use' philosophy is just different. I think that's why I'd love to see a MACH3 screen set for LinuxCNC. If the LinuxCNC community ever wanted to bring over more users who would then buy more powerful MESA cards or other hardware etc. that's the way to do it. The rest of Linux Debian Stretch is for the most part just another windowing interface without a START button. When I've booted into the Linux OS instead of WIN-XP and I need to look something up on line I use the Linux Web Browser. I don't walk over to a different machine. If I want to look at a text file I use the visual Linux editor like notepad. Not the command line version. Look for files in folders, again, not the command line but the file manager program. So my plan, if I haven't stated it well enough yet, is to create a migration document that makes it easy for someone who used MACH3 on a regular basis (or not so regular) to install and run a MACH3 like LinuxCNC without having to change their hardware. I don't know yet if I will be successful. John _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
