Welcome to LinuxCNC.org

Newbie here. First a bit of background. I have recently completed a CNC retrofit of a mill drill that is working wonderfully. For that RTAI machine I used the live CD to install and it worked perfectly. I use a different computer to do my design and g-code programming and have been using a dual boot system where the Linux OS was also from the live CD. The dual boot works, but is very cumbersome. I have been trying to get a solution that will run in Windows XP so I don't have to keep re-booting to perform a simulation. I have tried both VMWare and Virtualbox running under windows, but they are too slow because I use a Netbook for this stuff. I have found out about CoLinux which runs concurrently with windows so that the linux kernel has direct access to the processor and memory. It works great and is much faster than VMware or Virtualbox. Anyway, I have installed the simulator on the coLinux OS and it works mostly. Everything works except for the graphical backplot window, and without it simulation is kid of useless. I have run glxgears and that runs fine with no problems, but the LinuxCNC backplot doesn't. I have tried searching for a solution to this problem but haven't found one. Any help would be appreciated. BTW, the linux OS that is running in Colinux is 8.04LTS.

Thanks in advance,

John B.

109jb wrote:This might be an OpenGL issue (though gxgears working might indicate otherwise).
Still, it might be worth trying software openGL, if the system is enough like linux for that to be plausible.
wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Troubl...oftware_based_OpenGL

Thanks. I will give it a try. Colinux is running an actual linux kernel, but it uses the MS Windows window manager to display the windows. For example, the Axis window looks like a MS Windows window and even has a button on the XP start bar when open. It minimizes, maximizes, etc just like an XP program but is really being run by the linux OS. who knows if it will work. I just had a thought as to whether it might be an opengl problem in XP. Going on vacation this week, so probably won't get to chrck it out for a couple weeks. I'll report back what I find as it may be useful to someone else.

Well I got it to work sort of. It turns out it is an open gl issue of some sort. Using a software open gl works, but is too slow updating the backplot. In order to be useful it will have to run faster. Haven't given up yet, just haven't had much time to mess with it.