Looking at Machinetalk capability sometimes seems like two steps ahead, 
three steps to the right and one step back per every move. But that's 
because it is in unfinished state and you have to think and guess about 
what the original author intended in the future for it to be. The main 
thing missing is clearly stated definition (software agreement) of how it 
all should work together.

I have an interest in machine kit since a lot of work has been done on 
> remote gui ability but not a fan of protobuf.  Thus for me I will replace 
> protobuf with flatbuffers and at some point in the future and also start 
> thinking about perhaps replacing NML with flatbuffers.
> Info on flatbuffers is at:  https://google.github.io/flatbuffers/
>

Machinetalk as whole solution was not intended (or at least I think so) for 
remote GUI only application. I am - for example - interested in distributed 
machine setup three or more ZYNQ boards or BBBs connected over application 
bus (Machinetalk) in one machine, each serving it's own domain specific 
tasks.

So marshaling information onto wire is not done somewhere in one central 
interface on the outskirts of Machinekit installation. There are even two 
version of compiled IDL .proto outputs - one by normal protoc, second by 
the minimal C only nanopb <https://jpa.kapsi.fi/nanopb/>. I don't know 
flatbuffers at all, but some time ago I have read somewhere that it quite 
extensively use dynamic memory allocation, which is quite no-no for 
embedded C-only crowd. So I am not sure the change of protocol buffers to 
flatbuffers would be straightforward. 

I am not saying that I am big fan of protobuf (more to the point of I have 
no strong opinion) but I am not sure the switch would be worth it. (I know 
there is flatcc <https://github.com/dvidelabs/flatcc>for nanopb, but the 
work starts to add up.)

I too am interested in using ZMQ to pass status and commands from guis to 
> linuxcnc.
>

So only non-queued communication?

ya replacing NML to something modern and documented would be great. Still 
> beyond my skill.
>

So far what I was able to understand, Machinetalk is not intended as a 
direct replacement of NML layer. It's more shifted to the HAL layer. It's 
geared towards connecting over HAL islands too. (With the talk about 
synchronization of arbitrary HAL threads across separate Machinekit 
Instances and so on.)

Unfortunately with out explained-example-code  / simple user type docs I 
> would need to be a ZMQ/protobuffer/mk expert to use it.
>

I am sorry, but without becoming expert yourself your changes of finding 
one are pretty slim.

I really wish we could get linuxcnc and MK working together so we didn't 
> need to duplicate effort... 
>

There used to be animosity, so I would not hold my hopes up. The LinuxCNC 
project also was not really interested in idea of distributed machine 
control as I envision. But why not?

Cern.
 
Dne pondělí 15. dubna 2019 6:56:53 UTC+2 Chris Morley napsal(a):
>
> I am interested in ZMQ in linuxcnc and thought i might look at machinekits 
> implication.
> I don't see any docs.
>
> Thanks.
> Chris M
>

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https://github.com/machinekit
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