I have purchased
over one million dollars worth of CNC equipment in my life, and I couldn't tell
you what operating system (OS) any of it ran on. I was only interested in how
the CNC equipment would work; that is, the "final results." I chose Linux and
the EMC (Enhanced Machine Controller) because I felt the final results were
excellent. Unlike the Windows OS, the Linux OS dedicated itself to only running
the EMC program. This meant that buffering wasn't needed to prevent unwanted
multitasking delays while the program was running. Another obvious reason is
that it is an open source code, which allows Sherline to legally give the
program to you at no charge. An added bonus is that if you care to use the Linux
OS there are many other free programs available for it developed by a marvelous
group of intelligent and dedicated people.
—Joe Martin
Many people express apprehension when they find that the Sherline CNC system runs under the Linux operating system rather than under the more familiar Windows® operating system. With the latest Debian version of Linux, this fear is pretty much unfounded. From the point of view of the user, if you are familiar with Windows, you will feel right at home immediately with Linux. The basic operations of handling files are accomplished in much the same way in both systems, and the desktops are also laid out in a similar fashion. Once EMC is open you operate within the EMC program itself, and the underlying operating system is not much of a consideration, just like once you open a program in Windows. Below is a list of some of the common operations in turning on and using a computer with the Windows procedure compared to the Linux procedure. If you compare the two, you will see that there is really not much to worry about.
|
Operation |
In Windows |
In Linux (Debian) |
|
Turn on computer |
Press “power” button on front of computer. Windows loads automatically. |
Press “power” button on front of computer. Linux loads automatically. |
|
Open a program from a desktop icon |
Double click on program icon |
Single click on program icon |
|
Open a program from the main menu |
Click on “Start” Menu in lower left corner of screen. Select program from menu and click on it. |
Click on “K” Menu in lower left corner of screen. Select program from menu and click on it. |
|
Open a folder |
Double click on folder icon. A window appears showing contents of folder. |
Single click on folder icon. A window appears showing contents of folder. |
|
Move a window |
Put cursor on bar at top of window, drag to new location and release. |
Put cursor on bar at top of window, drag to new location and release. |
|
Move a file from one window to another |
Open a window for source folder and one for target folder. Click on file icon, hold down mouse button, drag from source folder to target folder and release. |
Open a window for source folder and one for target folder. Click on file icon, hold down mouse button, drag from source folder to target folder and release. Select “move here” from menu that pops up. |
|
Copy a file from one window to another |
Open a window for source folder and one for target folder. Click on file icon, hold down mouse button, with other hand hold down “Control” button, drag icon from source folder to target folder and release. |
Same as above except select “copy here” from pop-up menu. |
|
Copy from a floppy disk to a file folder |
Open a window for source (Floppy disk) and one for target folder. Click on file icon, hold down mouse button, drag icon from source folder to target folder and release. |
Same as above |
|
Copy from a file folder to a floppy |
Open a window for source folder and one for floppy drive. Click on file icon, hold down mouse button, drag icon from source folder to target folder and release. Wait for drive light to go out before removing floppy. |
Same as above. Then, click on desktop icon for floppy drive and select “unmount” to complete saving process. Wait for drive light to go out before removing floppy. |
|
Close a window |
Click on “X” in upper right corner of window |
Click on “X” in upper right corner of window |
|
Turn off computer |
Click on “Start” menu in lower left corner of screen, select “Shut Down” or “Restart” |
Click on “K” menu in lower left corner of screen, select “Shut Down” or “Restart” |
The figure above shows the Linux desktop with two windows open. The left window is the "gcode" folder containing all the g-code programs that come with the system and that you have written. The right hand window shows the contents of the floppy drive. You can drag and drop files from one window to another much like in Windows. On the left of the desktop you can see "S" icons for opening the inch or metric versions of EMC. The third "S" opens a copy of the instructions. (Current versions now use a Penguin icon instead of the "S.") Icons for the CD-ROM drive and floppy drive are also there as is the familiar trash can. In Linux you single click on items instead of double clicking as you would in Windows, but that's pretty easy to get used to. In the lower left corner of the screen is a "K" icon that functions the same as the "Start" menu in Windows. From here you can access programs that don't have a desktop icon. You also restart or shut down the computer from here just like in Windows. If you locate a program in the "K" menu, you can click on it's icon and drag it to the desktop to create a shortcut for future use. Pretty familiar, huh?
NOTE: The default desktop is a simple blue gradient. This particular desktop uses one of the many available custom wallpapers that can be chosen by right clicking on the desktop and choosing the "Desktop Themes" menu. You can also reach this menu by clicking on the small wrench that is the third icon from the left in the lower screen menu bar.
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