Quote:
Originally Posted by yash101
This is a tad off topic, but please bear with me 
I think it would be time for NI to make a Linux version of the driver station.
All the other development tools for Java and C++ already work in Linux, and are easier to set up and even smoother to use. I was able to download and install Java 8 JDK using apt-get in about 5 minutes and Eclipse was really just a large download and unzip. I preferred using Ubuntu for Java programming this year because it gave me no issues rapidly changing networks. It's also much easier to connect to the robot network as well as the internet at the same time.
Linux has very robust networking capabilities, so that would mean less connection drops on the field.
Linux is very fast. My laptop takes up to 20 seconds to wake up from sleep in Windows; It takes 1-3 seconds in Ubuntu, to get to the lock screen.
Some of the most common distributions like Ubuntu are really easy to use and have most of the nitty-gritty Linux maintenance tasks automated.
The biggest plus: Linux is free it works on most typical laptops. It'll give a good performance on many lower-end laptops and be usable.
I'd be up to making a driver station version which is completely cross platform myself if I had the RoboRIO protocol. It doesn't seem like much of a challenge. Instead, it's the motivation which is lacking. |
It would not make sense for NI to have to run support for additional operating systems. Focusing on one basic common operating software (Windows) helps reduce software issues by eliminating the need to spread resources and cross-compile. This (FRC) isn't a commercial product and doesn't have the same requirements or an income stream that would lend itself to such a large cost increase. Adding one full time engineer to develop and maintain a separate branch of the driver station could cost NI $150-250k depending on what the fully-burdened cost of that employee is.
Windows as an operating system isn't really a factor in connection issues on the field. Most connection issues are caused by robot electrical issues and improperly configured driver stations. On a properly configured laptop, Windows can boot in seconds as well (it can boot to the desktop in 20 seconds from being off).
The cost of the operating system also isn't really a factor in the overall scheme of things.