Very Computer

I'm using Tornado for PowerPC SBC development and am extremely frustrated
with the incredible instability of Windows NT.  All to often when I close
one of the Tornado tools (shells, browsers, etc.) I get an NT task error
panel pop-up indicating that NT cannot end the task gracefully.  I ignore
the panel and it disappears after five or ten seconds after which I'm am
able to continue working.  This is irksome at best.  The task error panel
says something about Dr. Watson detecting an error (blah, blah, blah).  
I'm at home now and don't have access (thank god) to the PC and hence
cannot remember the exact message.  I get the same message from other PC
applications such as Matlab.

Another irksome problem is that the PC/NT system that is hosting our
Tornado license server ceases to function properly after several days.
When I check the Tornado License and Registry control panel everything
appears to be functioning properly (i.e. it says that there are four
licenses available and zero in use) but other machines are denied
licenses, getting an error message to the effect that the license server
is down when in fact it is not.  The only way to recover from this
situation is to reboot NT.   Wind River support personnel have been very
helpful in trying to find this problem but when we examine the evidence
everything appears to be set up properly (it has to be for the server to
function properly for several days at a time).

Normally I would complain to the application developer (in this case Wind
River) except for the fact that the same kind of problems happen with
other NT-based applications such as Matlab as mentioned above.  

I ask Wind River to please release a Linux version of Tornado/VxWorks so
that people like me can continue to use cheap PC hardware but don't have
to suffer using such a horrible operating system as NT.  The Mathworks has
released a Linux version of Matlab, Oracle is releasing their database
programs,  etc.  It would seem to me that porting a Solaris version of
Tornado to Linux would be almost trivial compared to making Tornado run,
albeit somewhat unreliably, under NT.

Well that's enough griping for now.  I like Tornado/VxWorks but I hate
having my productivity reduced by a lousy operating system like NT.

Cheers,

Jim Luby

Quote:>I don't want to start a flame war on the virtues of Linux -- I think it's
>really eat and serves a real purpose.  However, as a WRS stock holder, I'd be
>fairly disappointed if they started spending any funds developing and
>supporting host tools for it.

I do wonder how much work would be involved in porting to Linux -
after all, Tornado runs on Suns, etc now - lots of code is in tcl,
they use gnu, networking based on IP, etc - all things that fit
into Linux well ...

In fact I find it a pain trying to get NT to be Unix like in order
to use the advanced facilities that VxWorks offers - NFS/ftp/rpc/etc
all come from the Unix camp ... (recall that WRS have to provide an
ftp server as part of Tornado as there isn't one as standard for NT).

Just out of interest - why don't WRS support linux ?  Anyone know ?

I have encountered problems using NT that seem to be easily resolved
on the Unix versions (multiple users using Tornado, sharing source trees,
etc) - but we are stuck with PCs.

Just wondering ... :-)

Kevin Taylor.

Quote:>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  Big Snip >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> I ask Wind River to please release a Linux version of Tornado/VxWorks so
> that people like me can continue to use cheap PC hardware but don't have
> to suffer using such a horrible operating system as NT.  The Mathworks has
> released a Linux version of Matlab, Oracle is releasing their database
> programs,  etc.  It would seem to me that porting a Solaris version of
> Tornado to Linux would be almost trivial compared to making Tornado run,
> albeit somewhat unreliably, under NT.

I second the motion for a linux version!!  I cannot believe that it would
be that hard!  It is mostly Tcl and runs on solaris.  Such a port
would/should be trivial.  I think the payoff would be huge for such little
effort!

Avoid the Rush

Support Linux Now!!

Rick
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[snip]

Quote:> Finally, regarding your comment about  WRS investment in Linux
> support, I can only say that your motivation as a WRS stock holder
> is quite different than mine as a developer.  I purchased  Tornado
> for development and expect it to work reliably with any operating
> system for which it is provided.

If there are enough people that want Tornado on Linux (because they find
it more productive than NT), then the stockholders ought to support it,
because there's a market there.
--

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the management...

The more I work as an engineer, the more I disbelieve the theory of
evolution.

It's a support issue, of course.  Though I've suggested that they dump all
platforms except for Solaris, Linux, and NT.  There must be some big
accounts using the other *nices.

I suggest you get a letter of intent from your company stating that they
will be X number of Tornado for Linux licenses if it is available by X
date.  That carries a lot more weight since it would come from the people
who make the decisions on what platform is purchased, rather than a bunch
of us screaming engineers.

--
Matt Porter

Unix is a Linux-like operating system.

Ahem,

It is true that NT 3.5 did not come with an FTP server standard, you had to
purchase additonal software.  NT 4.0 however does come with the FTP server, it
exists on the installation CD as a seperate installable option.  I have used the
NT 4.0 provided FTP server with no problems.

Quote:> <snip>

> Just wondering ... :-)

> Kevin Taylor.

--
David Schmidt
Nortel Networks

If each time NT crach it is comming from the hardware, and supose
98% of world wide PC are out of order !!!

Quote:

> We've been running Windows NT and Tornado for a year now on HP P-IIs, and the
> two have been rock solid.  Recently, we started buying Dell's, and these
> platforms BSOD (blue screen of death) ocassionally.

You are probabelly the only one that have no trouble with NT. If you
know
well enought some people from WRS support team ask them about was they
think of NT !!! Furthermore you probabelly never want to debut more
than one thread at a time on your target !!!

Quote:> Also, one caveat: NT isn't unix -- don't be afraid to reboot.  Personally, I
> reboot my PC every night when I go home.  Others here in the lab only reboot
> when things become slow.

This is your right, it you leave unplug all week long you wont have any
trouble at all. Personnally mine PC is running Linux since 18 days
and I usually reboot it each one or two month for some major clean up
of my office.

Quote:> I don't want to start a flame war on the virtues of Linux -- I think it's
> really eat and serves a real purpose.  However, as a WRS stock holder, I'd be
> fairly disappointed if they started spending any funds developing and
> supporting host tools for it.

I am also a stock holder, and I would like WRS to move to Linux.

Raison for doing it:
 - Many custumers want it
 - Porting from Solaris to Linux is a mater of days, and furthermore
   I am sure that some WRS developper internally already made the
   job for themself.
 - Tornado NT custumer are unhappy and unhappy custumer is bad for
   stock value.
 - They are 7 Millions Linux custumers, and many are working in
   industrial and scientific area [usually accouting departement
   are not VxWorks users].
 - Using NT will push custumers to use WINDOW-CE, and this is
   the definitivelly a very bad option for my WRS stock.
   [It is even the only think I could be affraid of].

Raison for not doing it
 - Linux could push down VxWorks licence price.

Conclusion: They are more raison for doing it, that for not
 doing it. For licence price problem one easy option is not
 to sell a "Linux version" but sell a "PC version" that
 would include both Linux and NT.

In the mean time, you can

 - build gcc cross tools on Linux for VxWorks, and recompile
   WTX client library [source shouls be avaliable on your WRS CD].
   As shell I build a generic shell for Tornado base on TCL and
   WTX that compile on Linux [check jWrap on www.fridu.com]

 - switch to an other RT_OS. Sun Chorus RT-OS is avaliable on
   Linux. Or use RTEMS [a free RT-OS that run on Linux/Solaris/NT ...]

Philippe

La vitesse peut tuer: Utilisez Windows    (o^o)
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