apple

[Guest Bogdan]

does cx-programer support Apple computers (Mac OS)

[Jay Anthony 118]

Sure...with Windows Simulator Software.

[KinK 0]

LOL

[CX_Luigi 1]

as said by Jay you need to install Virtual PC, however Omron does not guarantee that CXP will work properly under emulation. In my experience as both Omron and Mac user, as long as you stay away from online operation using CXP under emulation is without problem, files generated on a Mac are readable by a PC as well. I must also note that previous versions of Virtual PC (pre-Microsoft acquisition) allowed decent work with online operations as well.

[Jay Anthony 118]

Luigi... lighten up. I was just kidding. Who in their right mind would run industrial software on an Apple platform??

[CX_Luigi 1]

Virtual PC is a very good software, to the point that MS itself bought it from its original developer and offers it as solution for keeping on legacy system impossible to port on more updated system (Virtual PC for Windows) . I did not think you were kidding, actually is a decent solution if one's understanding about its limits, and Omron does not explicitly discourage the use of its software under emulation (cfr. CX-Programmer's User Manual). Emulation includes not only Virtual PC on Apple, but also Linux/WINE and Win4Lin. As said, my experience of CXP running in emulation has been entirely positive. Actually more than one FA mainstay application was created on Apple systems and following ported on Windows (the more obvious one that comes to mind is LABView, but do not forget Word and Excel, both born straight on Mac platform). However i must note that the topic "industrial software on Apple systems" when resurface on various forums is a highly controversial one <> . This in my opinion means two things: a) people are increasingly wary of MS domination and practices in the software market and keep asking for alternatives, and invariably Apple and/or Linux are the two most asked ones, and b) due to recent changes in Apple system software and its widening appeal more people are willing to give it a try in areas far from the traditional strongholds of graphics and multimedia. My work, as anyone work here, is based on Wintel solutions and while I reckon it will be like this for many years coming, it doesn't stop me to be concerned of the shortcomings of this platform, especially in safety, performance and stability, that appears to increase as time goes on. Dismissing the possibility that one day Linux or Mac solution will replace Wintel as the mainstay of FA does not seems to me a good idea. Just my 2 cents,

[Chris Elston 78]

The new Apple OS 10 runs on a Unix platform. I think this is a move in the right direction for Apple. I don't use Apple but certainly is a good thing in my opinion. I think more and more things will start to appear in the automation field that runs on Linux or Unix. I use a hipot tester from Cirris that runs a Linux OS. I've never seen that tester "crash" and it's 100% PC based. Oh well...my 2 cents...MrPLC.com runs on Linux It's only crashed TWICE since 1999. Once was a bad stick of memory, the second was a total hard drive failure.

[KinK 0]

I have played around with linux quite a bit I like it for everything it does, However I have a prob with the fact that if you buy some newer hardware you have to wait 6 months for a driver to come out and that a lot of customers dont want to touch it because its a big unknowen. but I do like it and I like the fact that you can do just about anything with it. ie rewrite the kernal to make it one sweet process control machine.