NetLinx Studio on an Intel Mac?
annuello
Posts: 294
Gday all,
Just wondering if any Intel Mac owners have tried NetLinx Studio using the boot-into-XP option. http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
The only issue I can see would be the initial setting up of comms to the NetLinx master, given that the Mac does not have a built in RS232 port. Once the IP for the master is set, then that issue disappears.
I'd be interested to hear how well (or even if) it works. I don't have an Intel Mac to try it myself.
Curious,
Roger McLean
Just wondering if any Intel Mac owners have tried NetLinx Studio using the boot-into-XP option. http://www.apple.com/macosx/bootcamp/
The only issue I can see would be the initial setting up of comms to the NetLinx master, given that the Mac does not have a built in RS232 port. Once the IP for the master is set, then that issue disappears.
I'd be interested to hear how well (or even if) it works. I don't have an Intel Mac to try it myself.
Curious,
Roger McLean
0
Comments
I'll just wait for software development to "port everything over" (in universal binary of course, that is what they've been waiting for, right?).
Bill Ravenel
p.s. My wife said no to BootCamp. And there are enough issues that crop up in straight Windows that I would never try it for AMX apps. But just imagine TPD4 on that MacBook Pro.....
I use BootCamp for anything that requires a 232 connection.
I use Parallels when I don't need a 232 connection.
Haven't had any problem with either.
Hopefully Parallels will soon support 232.
Vince
Ryan
parrallels work also for RS232 connection with and adapter of course , like boot camp also
Buy a mac !!!!!
maybe one Day ( i know i dream ) amx make software also for mac
Yours,
Roger McLean.
We have a MacBook Pro here that runs Netlinx studio just fine on either Boot Camp or Parallels. Really nifty writing code on a high res, 17" LCD laptop.
Why do you think Mr. Gates bought 150 million in Apple stock when things were going bad a few years back?
By the way, that little investment is now worth 850 million.
Did someone try to use an usb/serial adapter with NSX and IREdit in Parallels ? to know if it works correctly when you need to capture IR or setup IP adress in NetLinx master ?
Thanks
Vince
I use since few years Keyspan USB adapter with my Powerbook and never got any issues with it, works like a charm with Virtual PC for AMX applications
Vinc
Has anyone tried NLS with a non-Pro MacBook (the 13" one)? I expect it would be slower, but does is still work to an acceptable speed?
Roger McLean
I should be able to tell you end of week when I'll receive my own Macbook 2G 13"
Vinc
Vinc
Greetings to all MAC users. Working with VirtualBox from SUN (http://www.virtualbox.org/) - nice and free Virtual machine. Everything works fine so far (more than 4 months). It seems not to have stability issues as Parallels has, works fine with USB 2 COM (different models). Speaking about performance - works acceptably fast on Macbook 13 (2.4 Ghz Core 2 Duo with 2 gigs of RAM), when using XP as a guest operating system (even faster than latest laptops with Vista though) . The only issue - kind of geeky in terms of setting up for the first time, but manual helps in 100% cases.
Everything runs on Parallels (Window XP Pro SP3), I do RS-232 with ATEN UC-232A adapter which has never failed me, I never installed BootCamp for anything. It also allows me to tethered my Sprint Internet via my Blackberry down to OS X :O).
I recently received one of these, and although it is very cool, I'm almost afraid to do too much with it because it seems so fragile. I know it is more of a novelty computer than an actual workhorse like the Pros, but has anyone done anything like this on the Air?
Thanks1
I use it with my 13" macbook and it works great. I also use the keyspan usb->serial adapter. The only problem I've found with parallels is that I can't use my bluetooth->serial without booting directly into windows.
The only issues I've ever had have been related to the IRIS /IR edit. Sometimes I've not been able to send captured data back in the Mac (MacBook running XP Pro in Parallels, Prolific USB to serial). NLS itself is fine
The best advice I can give for running Parallels is get lots of RAM. RAM is good.
When I was at AMX HQ this summer for Prog II, I was having lunch with one of the software managers (I think...), and jokingly asked for OS X ports. He told me that it was being considered, but they needed more customer feedback. Apparently some of the dev team are Apple users, but since the majority of the user base is XP, they have not given it serious consideration.
So, if you want OS X versions of AMX dev apps, call them and ask for them! The more requests they get, the more seriously they will consider it. I'd shoot for TPDesign and Studio first. Stuff like DIP switch should be easy enough for even a hobby programmer to do.
If any of the dev team is reading this, I want OS X dev tools! Please!
Doug Menke
I'd would much rather AMX use their resources to provide perfected software for a single platform than have them spread resources trying to provide support for both OS's. Let get one right before we try two.
Me to! Perhaps someone could start a poll?
From what I understand, the command-line compiler (for Win32) is mostly "right". The bulk of complaints are in regard to the IDE environment (NLS). It makes no sense to try and port the M$ VisualStudio-based IDE to the Mac platform, not to mention any licensing issues AMX may have with M$.
Given that the Win32 compiler is stable, that would be the logical starting point for Mac support. We can use Xcode as our IDE. (For those interested, create a "new target", select the "other" template, and select "External Target". You can then utilise make/command-line in your build chain.)
The "missing parts" would be:
1. NetLinx Diagnostics for Mac - The PC version has all the AMX-specific features which are crammed into NLS except the following two issues.
2. A file transfer mechanism - This shouldn't be hard at all, and I'm sure that others on the forum already know how this would be done. (When using Xcode with makefile, the FileTransferer could even be launched upon successful compilation if you wish. Build = compile. Build&Run = compile & transfer.)
3. An online tree. Hmmm... My experience is that the existing one needs re-writing anyway. Perhaps it has been improved since v2.5 (which I'm using), but the hassles of v2.6 & v2.7 have kept me from investigating.
I think I'd be happy with that as a basic native tool set. I'd even forgo the online tree if it came down to it. Taking a component-based approach can potentially improve the software quality, provided that their integration is not too tight. I guess a case-in-point is that AMX have branched their firmware for TPs rather than maintaining a one-size-fits-none model.
Development of TouchPanel pages for the Mac is an entirely different topic. I can appreciate the fact that it would probably require a complete re-write. Personally, I'd like to see the TP file format change to an XML-based format with references to images where required, rather than the current quasi-binary approach. Okay, so the TPs would need new firmware to understand such a new format, but it could potentially allow us to one day use alternative editors for TPs. Let's face it, AMX don't make $$ off their dev tools (except Duet).
Roger McLean
Swinburne University
Is AMX life on a PC really that bad? C'mon, most of the Mac guys that I know also have an XP machine that they use regularly.
Unless you've allowed your PC to get trashed with who-knows-what, XP machines run very well and certainly fast enough for any AMX apps.
heck, I'd settle for AMX geting stuff to work reliably with Vista... I don't use it on either my desktop that I program on nor my PC Laptop. But I do use it at my home on our family machine. I have installed the AMX stuff on it for emergencies and to test it's use with Vista. It's kinda so-so. It does work but you do find some weird things happening at times.
By the way, I'm one of those people who lives in both worlds, Mac and PC.
I'm a long-time Mac person. (since 1984 and the Mac Plus I actually still have it in my garage.) I now have a Mac in my Mixing studio. (Pro Tools HD on a G4, OSX) A Mac OS X Server runs my home/business network. Our family computer is a Gateway PC with Vista and I have a Laptop with XP Pro. My work PC is XP Pro.
It's crazy to think how much I rely on these things. If the power goes out, I"m left with only an acoustic guitar and hand percussion...
Hmmm... I wish for a 15-inch MacBook Pro with a 23 inch cinema display, to the extent that I've just asked work to buy them for me. It would complement "my" four Xraids, 10 rendering Xserves and four video delivery Xserves just nicely.
If ever you've worked in an institution where you're Win32 platform is forced to run Novell, dead-slow virus scanners, automatic OS updates (all of them), and a ridiculously bloated Win32 core OS, I think you'd appreciate my desire for Mac support a bit more. Don't get me wrong. I'm sure WinXP runs just fine when you have full admin rights to set it up how you like - It's just not the situation in my work. At least the powers-that-be don't exert so much performance-killing control on the Mac OS.
Hmmmm... I never intended this to be a PC vs Mac flame war. There are plenty of other forums for that!
My comment in my previous post were along the line of "If you don't ask for it, you certainly won't get it." I'm not asking for AMX to develop an IDE for the Mac platform - just a few smaller tools. I'm sure their compiler developers haven't had much to do recently. So I shall reiterate - I'd like AMX to develop a Mac-based command-line based compiler for NetLinx, and a tool for transferring the results (including IR files) to a NetLinx master. If they were really keen, a Mac-based NetLinx Diagnostics would be great, and an OnlineTree would be a nice (but less essential) addition.
Roger McLean
Swinburne University
VMware it works great, no prob at all with usb to serial adapter.
If I am going to do some heavy work in TPD4, I switch to straight XP using bootcamp.
Jeff
Even if you're running a PC, I don't see the reason anyone bothers with usb based 232 adapters. Grab yourself a bluetooth serial adapter, they use a generic serial port profile which allows them to work with anything without the need for drivers, plus you're not tethered by a cable.
In the Mac vs PC debate, by all means, grab a mac, then chuck a 'real' linux distro on it
I'm currently using one of these http://www.rovingnetworks.com/firefly.php with a 9v battery taped to it so I don't need a power source. The same company manufactures battery power ones but they cost twice as much.