Competition with the other guys
adimex
Posts: 21
We program for both AMX and, well, the other guys at our company. I've always recommended AMX over the "C-Word" because it offered superior hardware and more flexibility when it came to programming.
The other guys released 2 killers: S# Pro and (an older one) Flash Objects for their panels. S# Pro allows us to code an entire program from start to finish using C# and its powers.
The Flash Objects are also great. We are able to create and package advanced UI features that simply wouldn't be possible with the standard provided tools.
Since then, my bosses have been pushing the other guys over AMX. Does AMX have any plans to open their system and use more standardized languages rather than the Netlinx compiler? And no Duet/Java doesn't count.
The other guys released 2 killers: S# Pro and (an older one) Flash Objects for their panels. S# Pro allows us to code an entire program from start to finish using C# and its powers.
The Flash Objects are also great. We are able to create and package advanced UI features that simply wouldn't be possible with the standard provided tools.
Since then, my bosses have been pushing the other guys over AMX. Does AMX have any plans to open their system and use more standardized languages rather than the Netlinx compiler? And no Duet/Java doesn't count.
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Netlinx studio is the same as it was several years ago and Netlinx language today is really obsolete.
"The others" are trying to improve, but Flash Objects have been released when it was too late (nobody uses today flash and they are not fully compatible with iOS and Android apps). On the other hand S# has been "borrowed" from Duet.
I think it's a shame that AMX has not invested on Duet development, from a technical point of view it was a great idea, killed by an awful sales policy: how can you think to convince programmers to use it when it costs a lot?
Maybe I'm wrong, but I start thinking AMX is trying to fade out from control system market, focusing on hardware for professional market
Same outcome, reduced uptake, but there is a reason.
I think that's because they subcontracted a number of those Duet modules, and no one currently there knows anything about them.
The only Duet module I use is RMS, because I have no other choice, so I can't speak to their support of Duet code in that respect.
S# isn't a language so support for it will not go beyond a list of the classes and their methods. C# can be easily learned using Microsoft library or other books. There is a ton of tutorials, examples, online guides for C# on the internet.
If AMX allowed us to write an entire program in C++ or even Java (ugh), that would be a plus. Use the full potential of the hardware without the limitation of an interpreter.
Yes, Visual Studio is pricey but it can be used for much more than simply control system programming. It's a great tool to have. Unfortunately, MS won't release the Compact framework for Visual Studio Express...
Java is not the problem. You can write an entire program in Java for AMX, many people have, including myself. There are just as many tutorials online for learning Java as there are for C#, and you can write real applications with Java too. I write in both Java and C#, the languages are so similar it is ridiculous. The problem is not with what OO language was chosen by either vendor. The problem is poor implementations by all. You can only program S# if you have Visual Studio 2008 Professional SP1, which is not easy to get ahold of because it is END OF LIFE. I don't know how much S+ documentation you have read, but if S# is more of the same we are in big trouble.
Nobody wants to pay for that level of development anyway, pretty soon we are going to be installing nothing but all-in-one conferencing appliances. Why do you think AMX is making Web Cams now?
I think you will find your complaints about Duet modules are a thing of of the past.
At the InfoComm 2014 booth there was a live demo showing a reboot comparison of NX vs. NI. Each controller was running the exact same NetLinx program which featured 7 extremely large Duet modules. A single touch panel (M2M) was used to start rebooting of both systems. A set of seven buttons on the panel indicated when the Duet module load was completed based upon the Duet virtual device ONLINE EVENT. Each controller had its own touch panel with the 7 buttons and either touch panel could start the reboot.
Once the initial OS loaded on the NX the 7 Duet modules loaded in about than a second. On the NI the 7 Duet modules loaded sequentially in what seemed like a couple of minutes. (Sorry, I didn't think to actually time this.) It became very clear that performance had improved significantly for Duet in the new NX based upon the initial firmware release. Once modules are loaded, benchmarks have shown that Duet in the new NX runs at least 25 times faster than NI. I was told the next rev of Java should double that.
And BTW, no waiting. The new NX is now shipping! NIs will only be available to until December or while supplies last.
The Visual Studio 2008 requirement is because Microsoft hasn't allowed .Net Compact Framework in Studio 2013 yet. It's really irritating because you can't demo 2008 (at least that I can find) which means there's no way to play around with S#Pro without shelling out for VS.
You can get it to run on visual studio 2012 as well. If we can do it, Crestron should be able to as well.
I see what you did there. Cute!
The secret of saying what you mean requires saying something else instead.
Lewis Carroll would approve.
Sometimes you just have to hack a little to get stuff to do the stuff you want it to do!