From: Jon Elson <jmelson@...>
Well, it is not so simple, because EMC is not a single program, but a
combination of several.
I never claimed it would be, but it could be done because it has been
done in the past.
The final nail in the coffin of these OSs is that
they offer NO PROTECTION to any program component! That
means any mistake could cause the machine to run away! Very
dangerous.
Linux can be unstable also, although the kernal has been greatly cleaned
up over the years. A true benefit of open source.
The problem with nailing this coffin is some customers insist on certain
tools and OSes being used, even if there is a better alternative.
P.S. I have started looking for a used laptop to run Linux/EMC on,
anybody
done this yet? I'll probably use steppers driven through the parallel
port
in some combination. The only problem could be is an X windows driver
for
a particular laptop combined with a non-standard parallel port. What is
the minimum umph the CPU needs to run EMC with steppers? I would assume
this would blow off the servo loops and unload quite a bit of CPU time.
Jim Eckman
