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Linux support by Parallax? — Parallax Forums

Linux support by Parallax?

RonPRonP Posts: 384
edited 2008-07-20 09:14 in General Discussion
How's everyone doing?

I am new to the Basic Stamp, Electronics, Linux(Ubuntu). I have been playing with the Stamp Home Work Board from Radio Shack for about a year.
Have a Boe-Bot BS1 and alot of other things just to play with and see what makes them tick.

On to my question why can't Parallax support a Linux Based Editor for those of us that are not so much into programing and new to Linux. I just want to dump Windows alltogether but i have to·keep it around for some of those programs that are·just not easy for me to configure in Linux?

I guess its more of a gripe than a question but ill send it on anyway looking for answers.

Thanks in advance.

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Im not that bright and i can prove it.

Comments

  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2008-07-17 19:43
    www.parallax.com/tabid/390/Default.aspx is the page where you get the linux version of the tokenizer.

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    - Stephen
  • RonPRonP Posts: 384
    edited 2008-07-17 23:10
    OK in one year with Framklin whar do i do with it know. no answers just run around i can go to work for that

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    Im not that bright and i can prove it.
  • FranklinFranklin Posts: 4,747
    edited 2008-07-18 01:41
    I didn't understand your last post, could you clarify?

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    - Stephen
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2008-07-19 17:42
    Simply put, creation and installation of BasicStamp software in Linux is much more involved than in Windows. Using the Tokenizer, it takes three steps. Without Parallax's IDE, the creation of BasicStamp programs is not as user friendly because you don't have Parallax's complete IDE to guide you with corrections to grammar, color codes, and examples. You also have to set up your own serial port in the /dev directory.

    There is other Linux software available from Sourceforge that supports the only the older BasicStamps. Take a look at Parallax's Downloads for BasicStamp software.

    What do you usually do?
    You have to write your code in any preferred line editor [noparse][[/noparse]like VIM or NANO], then create the tokens by running the program through the Tokenizer program, and then send them to the BasicStamp via a pipe and your established serial port. I think you can write a small shell program for the last part after you have a working serial port.

    That is a fairly steep learning curve for the average Ubuntu user. But it can be done if you really want to. This only supports the BasicStamps -- no Propeller and no SXes. I see, the Tokenizer supports the most advanced BasicStamps as it has been recently updated.

    Parallax doesn't provide an IDE for Linux because 95% of the world is using Windows or Apples. They really don't publish a Linux version of their IDEs as it is too expensive. But they do offer help to developers that want to do so.

    I have accepted that it is easier just to keep my WindowsXP on a dual boot with Linux {I have Fedora Core 9 installed on the same computer} for when I want to use Parallax products [noparse][[/noparse]and a lot of other things too].

    There is another alternative.
    You can use all the IDEs - the BasicStamp, SX-Key, and Propeller Spin by using Crossover Linux or WINE to create, read, study and edit. But you don't have the ability to directly program by that route.

    When you are ready to program your hardware, just move your files to a Windows machine via a USB memory stick. The code is all good and since the software is free, you can have a duplicate on a Windows machine. (Maybe you can just move a BasicStamp program to the Tokenizer, but I haven't tried it.)

    By the way, don't give up on Linux as it will teach you much more about good programing than Windows ever will. It just takes a heck of a lot of reading and thinking.

    Try reading "How Linux Works: What every superuser should know" by Brian Ward. That should get you started if you really want to learn.

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    It's sunny and warm here. It is always sunny and warm here.... (unless a typhoon blows through).

    Tropically, G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse] 黃鶴 ] in Taiwan

    Post Edited (Kramer) : 7/20/2008 10:17:59 AM GMT
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2008-07-20 09:14
    I am going to try to install and use the Tokenizer on my two Linux platforms. I have Fedora Core 9 and Xandros. Then I might be able to report back and provide more detail. If this isn't too much, I may eventually write a HOW TO install Parallax's Tokenizer and use it on an Asus EeePC.

    As with ANY Linux installation, It all starts with getting the .tar.gz file from the downloads link above and unzipping. Then read the README file. Some of these files require you to compile a binary using MAKE, others provide a ready made binary. But you have to unzip the file to find out. Also, often a binary is not useful for your particular distro of Linux, so you still have to rely on the source code and using MAKE.

    BTW, you can see that this all adds a lot of layers to getting beginners into using PBasic. For most beginners, Linux is just too much extra learning and a poor choice of an entry point. That may be changing with Ubuntu, but more can go wrong when installing in Linux.

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    It's sunny and warm here. It is always sunny and warm here.... (unless a typhoon blows through).

    Tropically, G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse] 黃鶴 ] in Taiwan

    Post Edited (Kramer) : 7/20/2008 10:21:02 AM GMT
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