You're viewing a single thread.
It's all pointless without replacing windows, which is impossible if you work in any sort of manufacturing job. CAD/CAM requires Windows (please don't suggest FreeCAD), industrial automation requires Windows, any specialized devices with software control requires Windows.
Heck, industrial PCs by and large run Windows, which is insane to me.
First of all, it's not pointless -- every little bit helps.
Second, CAM requires gcode, and that runs on microcontrollers, not Windows PCs. Gcode can be emitted by all sorts of software, and not all of it requires Windows.
First of all, it's not pointless -- every little bit helps.
And I really want to emphasize this. People are having an "all or nothing" attitude about this when that's not even the point.
If we can replace 50, 40, even 30% of the US software we use daily with European alternatives, it's already a massive win for us. The difference then adds up to millions at scale at the end of the fiscal year.
Sure but the vast majority of profession CAM software only runs on windows. Autodesk, SolidWorks, Mastercam, and Siemens NX all only have windows versions.
And I think you'd be shocked at how many industrial machines do run on specialized embedded windows machines and not just little esp32 microcontrollers.
Source: IT manager at a manufacturing company.
Siemens is finally moving on to BSD IIRC and (slowly) industrial PC's are going to switch over.
Last new industrial windows based PC, server, as well as HMI I installed was in 2022. But yeah it's slow.
Beckhoff Is supposed to have a Linux version of the TwinCAT runtime SOON™
Awesome! Glad we are getting rid of windows in critical infrastructure. I can't count the amount of times I've had to make workarounds that feel wrong due to windows being... Windows. And the amount of time I've spent on making sure it doesn't cause trouble anytime...