To FMSLight or not FMSLight, that is the question.

[eugenebrooks]

I am starting this thread as a place for teams and organizations to discuss the importance of FMSLight in putting on their off-season events. At the WRRF CalGames, we have used FMSLight to control our off-season event since FMSLight was first available in 2009. Every few years we have augmented FMSLight with a custom real time scoring system when required, the most recent example being scoring mini-bots which climbed towers. Without FMSLight, the WRRF pretty much does not have a CalGames event. Computers with a working install of the last version of FMSLight are literally croaking and are becoming hard to find.

Maintaining FMSLight obviously cost FIRST money and it was not used at actual FIRST regional events. It is understandable that FIRST dropped support of FMSLight. The off-season events are a major part of the FIRST program, however, which teams use to attract new students to the program each year. New teams for the FIRST program are also likely to have their first exposure to the program through an off-season event. Off-season events encourage growth of the FIRST program!

What would I, as the President of the WRRF, like to see FIRST do if it isn't going to support FMSLight? I would like to see FIRST establish the source code for the 2010 FMSLight as free software so that teams, and organizations who support off-season events, can maintain FMSLight as free software in the FIRST community. It would cost FIRST nothing to do this and FIRST has everything to gain if it did.

The one thing that I will ask of those who participate in this discussion is lets keep it positive and pleasant.

Eugene Brooks
President of the Western Region Robots Forum (WRRF)