Vixen 3.0?

[budude]

Fellow Members - I respectfully suggest we table this discussion... It got fairly heated the last time it was discussed (not that long ago - see http://doityourselfchristmas.com/for...ad.php?p=94553 starting at #352) and the final outcome was that KC said he had no plans to open up the code - period. There are good arguments pro/con but in the end it's a pointless argument as it's already been gone over and for now the case is closed.

[smartalec]

well vixen works great on my windows laptop, Im so happy with what KC has done for the christmas lighting community.

if i ever do go with linux for the show, then there is pleanty of DMX software out there.

one thing i have noticed tho that KC might of forgot, an error reporter back to KC himself to know when there is problems, that way he knows if its a fault worth worrying about or simple operator error.

i also have noticed that if the usb to rs485 adapter has a problem at any time, vixen will crash out.
but i think its more EMF shielding on the adapter, eg it does'nt have any.
(so i would say thats a operator error then would'nt it?)

[ErnieHorning]

Crashing is never a good thing but neither is fixing hardware problems with software.

I happen to know that Light-O-Rama has issues with USB and I believe it crashes too. The current fix is a ferrite bead on both ends of the USB cable something like this. I don't know if this will help in your case but if you're having a lot of problems, it would be worth the effort. Be sure to measure your cable; the three that I have on my desk range from 3mm to 5mm.

[mrpackethead]

As I said, a few posts ago.. If you want an open source lighting software, then heres your options

(1) Keep hassling mr KC.. Unlikely to be sucessful, but hey you never know.
(2) Go and start your own project. This is DO it yourself.. So go and get started on it. No-one says you have to use Vixen, or any other software for that matter. At least down-under there are no laws specifying you must use software X..
(3) Go and find some of the open-source lighting projects out there on the interent..There are some...

I'd once contemplated doing something, but right now, time precludes me from doing anything, so i'm just using the stuff i can download / buy / and modify.

[smartalec]

I wont be hassling KC, just incase he removes his product off the market.
option 2 sounds intresting esp with alot of the open source examples, but honestly who has the time. even with my coding skills, try in 10yrs an it might be working..lol

Honestly MrPacket i thought you was DMX? there loads of open source to make your own.
but if i was to write all my own software, i would also design my own controllers, an sell it off like lights'o'rama.
Im glad software like Vixen is free for anyone to try blinky flashie.
(even tho i have only selected all 196 channels an then went random patten with random dim. ) - still learning, but the ren64's have been running for like over 2-3 weeks now, an the only time vixen crashed is when the usb to rs485 picked up me switching off a certain fluro, have'nt used the fluro for a week, an windows crashed.

ErnieHorning :- yer i reckon that might me the fault or it could be cause the usb=rs484 adapter is just a circuit board, no surounding case for it, so i reckon that might of also been the fault.

some may call it silly, but i wanted a burn in progress of the system working flawlessly for 24/7.

As I said, a few posts ago.. If you want an open source lighting software, then heres your options

(1) Keep hassling mr KC.. Unlikely to be sucessful, but hey you never know.
(2) Go and start your own project. This is DO it yourself.. So go and get started on it. No-one says you have to use Vixen, or any other software for that matter. At least down-under there are no laws specifying you must use software X..
(3) Go and find some of the open-source lighting projects out there on the interent..There are some...

I'd once contemplated doing something, but right now, time precludes me from doing anything, so i'm just using the stuff i can download / buy / and modify.

[bobkeyes]

I concur wholeheartedly!! Follow the link for an in depth discussion with responses from KC. I'm sure he's working on something as we speak, but I also think that he believes that he went public with the last version too soon. So, he will wait until everything is right this time.

Just my 2

Fellow Members - I respectfully suggest we table this discussion... It got fairly heated the last time it was discussed (not that long ago - see http://doityourselfchristmas.com/for...ad.php?p=94553 starting at #352) and the final outcome was that KC said he had no plans to open up the code - period. There are good arguments pro/con but in the end it's a pointless argument as it's already been gone over and for now the case is closed.

[mrpackethead]

I wont be hassling KC, just incase he removes his product off the market.

That is probably a wise choice. And i'd hope that the majority of people will think that way as well. A few monkeys and a 600 pound gorilla will probably be incapable of thinking why option 1 is'nt such a good idea.

option 2 sounds intresting esp with alot of the open source examples, but honestly who has the time. even with my coding skills, try in 10yrs an it might be working..lol

Yup. It sure does. But I don't have enough brain cycles right now to do it. THe only way i could get it done in any resonable time frame would be to pay someone to do it.

Honestly MrPacket i thought you was DMX? there loads of open source to make your own.
but if i was to write all my own software, i would also design my own controllers, an sell it off like lights'o'rama.

I'm not DMX. I'm human.. ( snigger, chuckle ).. I use a lot of dmx stuff, primarly because its got universal compatiblity. Even our good old Renards run DMX if you want. Does that preclude the use of Vixen? Of course not! Theres alot of people using Vixen to drive their DMX dongles ( RJ's dongle, RPM's dongle, Pshorts dongle... then the pay dongles, the entec pro and open )... and recently we've been able to add Art-net support.. ( dmx over ip )... and hopefully one day we might even get an ACN plugin..

I actually use Vixen for my home show. Not in the typical way that most people do.. Vixen sends DMX to other controllers, which in turn send out lots more dmx to thousands of nodes. ( think of this, as vixen calling 'macros' on other controllers, rather than controlling the end devices directly. I promise this year i will detail and write up my system for you. )

For those that can't see the obvious, no where was I bashing Vixen ( or KC ), i was merely pointing out that if you don't like the way the situation is, you do have an opportunity to do something about it, but all those options would require you to do more than simply moaning... You or I don't need approval from the world.. Sadly i sometimes think that the DIYC community (myslef included) can be quite harsh on people with new ideas.. I've made a real effort to encourage the efforts of new development rather than knock them.. Even if its been done ( and possibly failed ) before, those failures are often massive learning opportunitys for those doing the work.. Just ask Mr Edison how many failures he had before he made the proverbal light bulb.

And lastly maybe we need to have some threads in the forum that are allowed to go 'off-topic'.. There are times and places, where an on-topic thread is not only sensible, its the only way to get the right informaiton out.. However theres times when a thread will morph and the discussion changes.. ( hey does that happen at your dinner table, or with your golf/fishing buddys, or at the superbowl/cricket/rugby/<insert your sport> )..

Ok.. bringing my post back on topic...

Vixen is really useful, and i'm glad it exisits becaue it helps me do somthing i could'nt otherwise.

[ErnieHorning]

Just ask Mr Edison how many failures he had before he made the proverbal light bulb.

My favorite quote is: "I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work."

[stenersonj]

just to get my 2 cents in- i have tried two other software packages and i am thoroughly impressed with Vixen. very easy to learn, very intuitive, very powerful for what i need, and works with many types of hardware. and FREE.

i cant thank the developer enough.

[JonathonReinhart]

Fellow Members - I respectfully suggest we table this discussion... It got fairly heated the last time it was discussed (not that long ago - see http://doityourselfchristmas.com/for...ad.php?p=94553 starting at #352) and the final outcome was that KC said he had no plans to open up the code - period. There are good arguments pro/con but in the end it's a pointless argument as it's already been gone over and for now the case is closed.

Haha, of course the link goes straight to my post :-P

I partially agree with you. The entire problem however, was too many people stating "how things are" and "how things are going to be". The indisputable truth of the matter is, Not One of us here (I don't care how long they have been around, or how close they are with KC) knows exactly what his plans are, whether it be regarding 3.0 / rewrite plans, Open Source possibilities, etc. KC clearly doesn't have time to sit on this forum and make sure his opinions are being expressed correctly. So we all need to show extreme discretion when explaining to someone what his plans may be.

budude, your statement is a bit misleading. KC said open-sourcing of the application may have strong benefits down the road, but is not applicable to the product in its current state, or his current state of affairs with the software. But again, it's up to him to both decide and state to us here. (More of a dot-dot-dot than a period )

I believe suggestions need to be viewed respectfully, or else the "veterans" here might lose sight of the spirit of this forum, and push intelligent newcomers away. Just reading through this thread, there's been a lot of disrespect, and that saddens me. Feel free to read through the aforementioned thread - it did get heated, and I'll be the first one to admit that I said some disrespectful things. But I was hoping all that was past us.

Can everyone please be reminded that this is a forum which is a place for discussion. If someone wants to ask about Vixen 3.0, or 5.0, is that such a crime? Please people, let the discussion and ideas flow! Not be hindered by stubborn attitudes. As long as no one is intruding upon KC by constant emails, etc I am in full support of whatever discussion is to be had here. And if you disagree with someone, is it so hard to show a little restraint and kindly share your differing opinion? Whatever happened to the benefit of the doubt, as opposed to the jumping down of the throat?

Best regards to everyone, and hope your year is going well.