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Coolwind
Moderator
Italy
8957 Posts |
 Posted - 21/12/2013 : 03:35:16
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We all know too well how complicated it is to install a development platform to be able to "compile" (generate executable machine code) something. As developers, we had some bad times in the past helping people to join us on the source code, not to mention the fact that we were all testing on different environments.
Now that we "go linux", as a first step towards other operating systems, we felt it was time to settle and solve this problem once and forever.
We want that anybody, even non-techies people, can compile its own version of LK, and change it if they want to do it. Or at least, they can try on that too!
We want that new developers can jump on the project without the hassle of installing tons of things and packages, and be ready to go in less than 30 minutes, most of them spent on a simple single download of a file.
We wanted a friendly environment, exactly the same for all of us, consolidated and easy to maintain.
The only possible approach to fullfill all of this is to provide to everybody a computer, preinstalled, with nothing else to do but run it and find everything in it ready to be used.
Of course, we cannot ship a real computer. We ship a virtual machine instead. This is "nimbus". It is free of charge of course.
Nimbus is a debian 7 linux machine, preinstalled and preconfigured, running under VmWare player (free of charge).
It is 1G file, 7z format, uncompressed is about 4G.
It uncompress in one folder, and you simply open that folder in vmware player. Nimbus is ready to be run.
There is a quick lkmenu to make things easier that automatically appears on startup.
We have notes and instructions inside.
We have DropBox shared filesystem: what you copy in /lk/DropBox appears automatically on other nimbus.
To send a file, or to distribute an NMEA log, it is just as simple as
copying it there.
We have wine and LK installed, running PC version perfectly. COM1,2,3,4 are available and a gps simulator and NMEA replicator that can feed LK with nmea logs.
It is really an amazing approach to development, also exceptional for new people. Just consider that to compile LK you simply have to:
login
cd /lk/github/LK8000
make TARGET=PNA
mv LK8000-PNA.exe /shared
that's right, after login only 3 commands are needed, to expose a new compiled version inside your windows machine. Your own LK!
There is also an embedded chat system inside, to talk to other developers. And all of this can fit on a USB pen drive with at least 4G of space, if you want to "bring the development system" with you around, and run it on different computers.
It does not need much computing power, and it can be run also inside another linux machine: it is a virtual environment, running in only 256 M (mega) of ram.
We are preparing "nimbus" for an official release in january.
Stand by for further announces, and get ready to download the virtual machine!
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12Fly
Aquilotto
Netherlands
207 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 11:47:48
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| Does this mean that LK8000 v5.0 is the final version developped by you and your team and all future versions are personalized versions developped out of v5.0 by the user? |
I.I. van der Bijl |
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Coolwind
Moderator
Italy
8957 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 12:13:12
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I did not say so. We shall still be developing, on this platform, towards 6.0 .
But if anybody want to jump in the development board, now it is a matter of 30 minutes to do it.
Furthermore, there are features inside LK that are optionals, meaning they were developed but never got into production for any reason.
To enable such options, there is a text file called "options.h" with all of them well described.
Once enabled , a simple recompile will generate a custom version. |
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12Fly
Aquilotto
Netherlands
207 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 14:23:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Coolwind
We shall still be developing, on this platform, towards 6.0 .
That's a relief!
As a "non-techie" I am depending on the official releases of LK8000 and looking forward to the oncoming version 5.0. |
I.I. van der Bijl |
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mazuk
Falchetto
Germany
132 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 18:13:41
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Hi Coolwind,
that's all brilliant but changing the code means also for me losing the validation of the G record !
I know a lot of people don't care because they are using another recorder but as a Paraglider I used only the LK8000 for recording.
Would there be a way to have the logger part pre compiled and just link it to the changes of the main code?
Thank you for all the efforts
Mazuk
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parapenT1sta
Pterodattilo
Portugal
1864 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 18:20:57
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quote:
Originally posted by mazuk
that's all brilliant but changing the code means also for me losing the validation of the G record !
I know a lot of people don't care because they are using another recorder but as a Paraglider I used only the LK8000 for recording.
Like now the G-Record is only be available in the official release. Any beta doesn't support G-Record. I think the idea will be the same.
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Edited by - parapenT1sta on 21/12/2013 18:31:12 |
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jaaaaf
Pulcino
France
81 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 19:05:18
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This is a relly good news this environment "ready to use".
In my case, I loose all the environment because I was changing my laptop. And as I have again to change my OS in March, I was not really motivated to bring again all the environment.
Thanks for this very good idea ! |
Jack, competition paragliding pilot _LK8000 on V2, V3, V4, ..._ |
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Coolwind
Moderator
Italy
8957 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 19:33:20
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mazuk: I will prepare a special PNARUN that allows people to run their own LK . So your problem will be solved.
Jack: I made a testcase with sergio-tiguy already. He had to compile its own copy of LK starting from scratch.
Sergio, how did it go? You tell us. |
Edited by - Coolwind on 21/12/2013 19:33:31 |
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parapenT1sta
Pterodattilo
Portugal
1864 Posts |
Posted - 21/12/2013 : 20:01:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Coolwind
mazuk: I will prepare a special PNARUN that allows people to run their own LK . So your problem will be solved.
Jack: I made a testcase with sergio-tiguy already. He had to compile its own copy of LK starting from scratch.
Sergio, how did it go? You tell us.
So easy! Took me more time downloading the file than "making" my first LK using "nimbus"!
As as Paolo told, there is a Readme file that helps a lot.
One thing I couldn't do it for obvious reasons, was the programming, I am zero on it! eheh
I'm glad that you found out a way to make G-Record always valid. |
Edited by - parapenT1sta on 21/12/2013 23:23:06 |
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mbamberg
Pulcino
USA
5 Posts |
Posted - 14/01/2014 : 05:51:58
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I've downloaded VMWare Player and looking forward to the release of "Nimbus" to the unwashed masses. |
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cloudsun9
Pulcino
United Kingdom
58 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2014 : 20:22:02
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I wonder what effort it would take to make the process -
login
cd /lk/github/LK8000
make TARGET=KOBO_MINI
mv LK8000-PNA.exe /shared
My guess is a new makefile, any ideas? |
Cloudsun9 |
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cloudsun9
Pulcino
United Kingdom
58 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2014 : 20:23:01
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| ... and what would the third line be in that case? |
Cloudsun9 |
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jeffridj
Pulcino
United Kingdom
41 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2014 : 22:01:21
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Hi, has "nimbus" been released yet?
If so where do I find it?
If not, any idea when it's likely to be available? |
(Kestrel 19 and 22) |
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Coolwind
Moderator
Italy
8957 Posts |
Posted - 07/06/2014 : 23:59:01
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It has not been released. We spent more months to debug v5 and there was no time left to do anything else.
It will be released after august. |
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ivanson7
Pulcino
Spain
9 Posts |
Posted - 29/07/2014 : 14:46:06
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| Hi, has "nimbus" been released yet? |
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sirchdobo
Pulcino
13 Posts |
Posted - 11/09/2014 : 05:47:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Coolwind
It has not been released. We spent more months to debug v5 and there was no time left to do anything else.
It will be released after august.
has there been any update on this. im keen to see how it works
cheers |
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Topic |
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Announcing "nimbus" LK Development System