| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| shadders |
Posted - 15 Jan 2016 : 13:49:42
Hi,
If possible, can Easy-PC be migrated to Linux OS as an alternative operating system?
Windows 7 support by Easy-PC/Number One ends in 2017.
The aggressive approach by Microsoft to move people to Windows 10, is a concern since new laptops and desktop PC's will not have the requisite drivers for older versions of Windows such as Windows 8.0/8.1.
If Microsoft move to a Software as a Service (SaaS), where people are required to make monthly subscriptions to ensure continued use of the OS, then many people will not be happy with this approach.
In addition, the telemetry collected, and personal information, which can be sold on to advertisers by Microsoft means that the OS ceases to be owned by oneself, and ones personal information and work will be known by unknown 3rd parties.
Therefore, is Number One planning an alternative parallel development of Easy-PC for a Linux or Mac based OS, to circumvent the impending costs associated with Windows 10?
Even if the version for Linux/Mac is a reduced version with a roadmap to be equivalent to the Windows version in a few years time, would be acceptable.
Is this achievable?
Are there any others considering the move from Windows to Linux/Mac?
Regards,
Shadders. |
| 30 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| shadders |
Posted - 27 Apr 2021 : 18:22:52
Hi jgrosjean,
If you run Easy-PC as a win32 program (x86) under WINE, then there are no issues as you have described, apart from an odd slow issue in the PCB infrequently.
Wine 6 seems to be failing for LTSpice - so if you do use Play On Linux, then download the latest version 5 staging, and it should be ok.
Regards,
Shadders. |
| dhaen |
Posted - 27 Apr 2021 : 16:02:38
I'm running 24.02 in Crossover Office Version 20.0.4 64-bit on a Mac. The only issue encountered has been the already noted problem with fonts other than the system stroke font.
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| jgrosjean |
Posted - 27 Apr 2021 : 15:55:48
I run EasyPC in a Windows virtual machine in VirtualBox. It works fine in XP, 7 and 10 which I am currently using. I tried it in Wine in Linux and it generally works but will crash for some operations like translating a schematic to PCB, so I stopped using it in Wine. |
| shadders |
Posted - 11 Nov 2020 : 15:00:40
Hi,
Yes, i have checked and it has always been Never Check Automatically.
It may be something to do with Wine, but i suppose not many people scan their packets etc., to discover this.
Regards,
Shadders. |
| Peter Johnson |
Posted - 11 Nov 2020 : 14:52:05
I don't think accessing the website in this instance is anything to do with the Start page. Would you please go to [Help], [Support], [Check for Updates] and just make sure that automatic checking is disabled? |
| shadders |
Posted - 11 Nov 2020 : 13:58:58
Hi,
Just completed a bit more testing - every time there is a file save, the Autoupdate GET function is implemented.
The packets are unencrypted, and there does not seem to be any information sent.
So, it seems to be a bug.
Regards,
Shadders. |
| shadders |
Posted - 11 Nov 2020 : 11:46:45
Hi,
I am using v23.06 via Play On Linux and Wine 5.19 staging. I have selected the requirement that Easy-PC does not check automatically for updates, but it still contacts "numberone.com" every time i start the application.
I checked multiple times and the same issue. I have seen one occurrence of number one being contacted when i close the application.
Has anyone else experienced this ?.
Does it happen when using Easy-PC on native Windows OS ?
Thanks and regards,
Shadders. |
| dhaen |
Posted - 21 Jul 2020 : 20:41:00
I have been using EasyPC since 1987 so its commands are my "muscle memory" - just a refresh when new features arrive.
I moved away from Microsoft in 2001 but still had to have an MS box available for my most important app.
I've tested each release of WINE for compatibility and performance with disappointment, until now.
Finally WINE performs acceptably and I can run EasyPC. I've completed one design without any hiccups and I'm so pleased.
I should point out that I'm using WINE on MacOS, though Linux results should be similar.
Are there any differences from W10? Yes: Crashes do occur but less frequently. There are some small (but not significant to me) display differences.
I realise that there is no guarantee that WINE will perform with future versions of EasyPC but I'm taking a chance and disposing of my MS box.
I can understand why the EasyPC team can't migrate to another OS, so this is a perfect compromise. |
| Ampdoctor |
Posted - 17 Aug 2019 : 11:57:16
Moved all our computers from XP to W10 a few years back.
Early on it would update regularly, I get the feeling it was released too early with quite a few issues / bugs.
Now it's solid and I've had no crashes or issues of any sort with it.
I know some folks dislike Microsoft (as I did when they released garbage like Win ME) however W10 has been stable and secure in the time I've been running it.
Now run a 4K dual screen with a Quadro 4000 video card, Easy PC is completely stable on it.
XP was OK, but used to hang occasionally, seemed like it was a minute before the auto save. |
| nigelwright7557 |
Posted - 16 Aug 2019 : 15:19:58
I don't understand the reluctance to move on to Windows 10.
I have used it since it came out.
While it had its teething problems it is mostly solid now.
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| shadders |
Posted - 01 Aug 2019 : 15:23:34
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Johnson
The biggest issue here is that in order to investigate any problems running under Wine, we need very detailed reporting of what's happening so that we can reproduce it. There's the additional issue that there's no guarantee that any of our current debugging software would be able to operate in this environment, which potentially presents another obstacle. I'm not a programmer, so I don't know the full implications, but finding and fixing issues with running under Wine is unlikely to be trivial.
(That's not to say it won't happen, but as mentioned above, there are potential economic problems as well, which I'm not in a position to address).
Hi,
Running WINE will provide an error report when there is a problem. What would be helpful is a list of the "install components" that must be added to the WINE implementation :
https://designspark.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/213438565-How-to-install-DesignSpark-PCB-on-Linux-with-Wine-
Any validation of the above would be helpful, even though the implementation cannot be officially supported.
Regards,
Shadders. |
| shadders |
Posted - 01 Aug 2019 : 15:13:22
quote:
Originally posted by nigelwright7557
I don't understand the objections to Windows 10.
I haven't had any driver problems.
The usual install problems are not installing .net framework first or not installing as administrator.
Hi,
The recurring problems of Windows 10 as an OS, reinstalling every half year, and the telemetry, are issues that some people would rather not have to deal with. The user interface - flat screen and non-3D effect is not something i like. So many people use Linux, which has various desktop environments such as Gnome or KDE etc.
You have a lot more control over the OS with Linux than you do with Windows 10.
Regards,
Shadders. |
| Peter Johnson |
Posted - 01 Aug 2019 : 09:41:22
The biggest issue here is that in order to investigate any problems running under Wine, we need very detailed reporting of what's happening so that we can reproduce it. There's the additional issue that there's no guarantee that any of our current debugging software would be able to operate in this environment, which potentially presents another obstacle. I'm not a programmer, so I don't know the full implications, but finding and fixing issues with running under Wine is unlikely to be trivial.
(That's not to say it won't happen, but as mentioned above, there are potential economic problems as well, which I'm not in a position to address). |
| nigelwright7557 |
Posted - 01 Aug 2019 : 01:38:11
I don't understand the objections to Windows 10.
I haven't had any driver problems.
The usual install problems are not installing .net framework first or not installing as administrator.
|
| shadders |
Posted - 27 Jun 2019 : 13:11:09
Hi,
It seems that Wine of Ubuntu will have support issues.
https://www.linuxuprising.com/2019/06/wine-developers-concerned-with-ubuntu.html
I implemented PlayOnLinux installed Easy-PC using a 32bit installation and Wine 4.10 Staging. The forward design changes which failed before works, as does the html report for design rules check.
Does anyone have any specific installation requirements such as specific components (MFC4.0 etc) or wine version that should be used to ensure stability ?
Thanks and regards,
Shadders. |
| martinb |
Posted - 05 Oct 2018 : 13:20:05
I've been a user of Easy-PC right from the DOS version back in the 90s and have always found it does what I need. The support Peter gives has been very much appreciated several times!
Having moved across to Linux around 10 years ago (currently using xubuntu 18.04), I kept an old WinXP machine running in a virtualbox environment just to use with Easy-PC and until V22 that has worked well. Something changed in V22 though and it would no longer run on XP. I was not terribly surprised, in fact, I was more surprised it had been supported for so long!
I was reluctantly trying to resign myself to moving to a different, native linux EDA package when Peter mentioned that Easy-PC had been used successfully on WINE. I've never had much success with WINE but I thought I'd give it a go, albeit using PlayOnLinux, and to my surprise, I'm pleased to say it installed easily and works!
I've seen a couple of oddities but I can work around them, not seen any show stoppers yet.  |
| jlawton |
Posted - 28 Aug 2018 : 10:21:27
quote:
Originally posted by edrees
Hi John,
quote:
If you do then you will stop receiving security updates in January 2020, which isn't so long away.
This sounds similar to all the recent Brexit scaremongery going on!
"We're all doomed Captain Mainwaring!"
Don't panic!
The Kubuntu & Wine installation I was using when I tried to upgrade to V22 was getting old so I have now migrated to the latest version 18.04. I was then able to install and run V22, I think the issue might have been the use of .NET code requiring Mono to be installed, but I am now using a fully up-to-date version of Wine which seems to cope with installing V22.
John
John |
| edrees |
Posted - 25 Aug 2018 : 11:39:27
Hi John,
quote:
If you do then you will stop receiving security updates in January 2020, which isn't so long away.
This sounds similar to all the recent Brexit scaremongery going on!
"We're all doomed Captain Mainwaring!" |
| jlawton |
Posted - 24 Aug 2018 : 20:57:08
quote:
Originally posted by edrees
Whilst sympathetic to the Linux users interest, I must admit that I feel somewhat relieved that support for a Linux version of EasyPC isn't currently on NumberOne's "roadmap".
Regardless of the commercial viability of producing a Linux version, I cannot help but feel that if a Linux EasyPC product was developed then the excellent support we receive would inevitably be diluted. Windows certainly isn't perfect, but it does do an awful lot very well,- which satisfies a great many of us. Not too sure of the impending costs associated with Windows 10 though....... I'm likely to stay with Win7/64 Pro for many more years.
If you do then you will stop receiving security updates in January 2020, which isn't so long away.
Back on topic of Linux & Wine, I tried installing EZ-PC V22 today and the installer took a long time. Then the program then wouldn't run so that's very bad news for me as a long time Linux+Wine user. I re-installed V21 with no problems. I wonder what has happened here?
John |
| Peter Johnson |
Posted - 13 Jun 2018 : 10:55:12
As a footnote to David's comments, Easy-PC still works on XP, with only one minor issue of some icons not displaying their images. I'm not aware of any current issues affecting Vista or Win7.
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| DavidM |
Posted - 13 Jun 2018 : 08:50:26
Our official support for Win 7 has indeed ceased, but effectively this means that if a problem is encountered that is reproducible on Win 7 and not on later (supported) editions then we may not be able to do anything about it. That doesn't mean we won't, it just sets the appropriate expectation. As with all businesses we have to work out where best to use our finite resources.
As for whether future versions of Easy-PC will continue to work on unsupported editions of Windows, we don't currently foresee the need to incorporate or use any technologies in the application that would preclude this.
David.
|
| jlawton |
Posted - 12 Jun 2018 : 22:21:21
You've been reading:
https://www.numberone.com/resources#sysreq
which ominously states EZ-PC is only officially supported until June 2017.
Personally I don't see the point of 'upgrading' from my copy of Win 7 to Win 8 or Win 8.1 as I dislike the tiles interface and hope to avoid Win 10 altogether, so I really hope WestDev keep it running on Win 7 for a good time yet.
Eventually the trickle of defectors from Windows 10 to Linux may become a stream, as Win 10 becomes even more of a pain, so that may affect their thinking on the matter in the future.
I have previously suggested that more effort into improving compatibility with Wine may be the best approach for now.
John |
| shadders |
Posted - 12 Jun 2018 : 18:57:17
Hi DavidM,
Thanks for the update - an update is better than no update.
Hi Edrees,
I was not sure about running Easy-PC for Win7/64 Pro since it is not supported by Number One, so i use Windows 8.1 in a VM.
What is going to happen with Windows 10 - just do not know - lots of complaints with every upgrade, and i am not sure that it will remain free - I can see that the drive for more profit may mean a subscription, or force programs to UWP, so Microsoft can receive a percentage.
Regards,
Shadders. |
| edrees |
Posted - 12 Jun 2018 : 16:20:53
Whilst sympathetic to the Linux users interest, I must admit that I feel somewhat relieved that support for a Linux version of EasyPC isn't currently on NumberOne's "roadmap".
Regardless of the commercial viability of producing a Linux version, I cannot help but feel that if a Linux EasyPC product was developed then the excellent support we receive would inevitably be diluted. Windows certainly isn't perfect, but it does do an awful lot very well,- which satisfies a great many of us. Not too sure of the impending costs associated with Windows 10 though....... I'm likely to stay with Win7/64 Pro for many more years. |
| DavidM |
Posted - 12 Jun 2018 : 15:59:08
Your desire for a Linux version is heard, but is certainly not on our roadmap for Easy-PC.
I can't speak directly for RS, but as far as I am aware it doesn't figure in their plans either. That's not to say it never will, but given that it would require significant effort to re-engineer the application just to get it back to the state its in now, its hard to see how that could stack up commercially for either product.
David. |
| shadders |
Posted - 12 Jun 2018 : 13:19:17
Hi,
As an update for Easy-PC on Linux :
https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/design-spark-on-linux
Some support for DesignSpark on Linux - comments are recent.
Not sure if there is any discussion with RS for a DesignSpark package on Linux, but Farnell actively promote Eagle, which runs on both Windows and Linux. Maybe RS would fund if they want to counter Farnell ?
Regards,
Shadders. |
| shadders |
Posted - 14 May 2018 : 12:37:55
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Johnson
No, Easy-PC is an entirely 32 bit application. When it was originally written (in 1998), 64 bit processors and operating systems bore a strong resemblance to hen's teeth, so 32 bit was the obvious choice. As time progressed, the support for 32 bit legacy programs was always so good that the extra investment in producing a 64 bit version, both In initial development and ongoing parallel maintenance, just couldn't be justified, so we are where we are today.
I'm no Linux guru, so I've no idea whether it's possible to simultaneously have 32 and 64 bit versions of Wine on the same system, but if it is, could this offer a possible solution? Under Windows, it might be as simple as renaming the executable, but not knowing about Linux, this might not be a viable approach.
Hi Peter,
Thanks. I assume that Number One will not begin to move to a pure 64bit application in the future ??? and will remain as a 32bit application ?
I have checked Wine, and the system either installs as 32bit prefix or 64bit prefix, but not both. Their FAQ is not really that helpful.
One application i need to run is LTSpice XVII which is 64bit only, so if i install the 32bit prefix, this program will not install under 32bit prefix.
Thanks and regards,
Shadders. |
| Peter Johnson |
Posted - 14 May 2018 : 11:32:35
No, Easy-PC is an entirely 32 bit application. When it was originally written (in 1998), 64 bit processors and operating systems bore a strong resemblance to hen's teeth, so 32 bit was the obvious choice. As time progressed, the support for 32 bit legacy programs was always so good that the extra investment in producing a 64 bit version, both In initial development and ongoing parallel maintenance, just couldn't be justified, so we are where we are today.
I'm no Linux guru, so I've no idea whether it's possible to simultaneously have 32 and 64 bit versions of Wine on the same system, but if it is, could this offer a possible solution? Under Windows, it might be as simple as renaming the executable, but not knowing about Linux, this might not be a viable approach. |
| shadders |
Posted - 14 May 2018 : 10:51:28
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Johnson
Regarding the problems with DRC checking, has anyone considered that the problem might lie with compatibility between Wine and the Easy-PC reports browser? There's an easy way to check this. If you go to [Settings], [Preferences] and look at the 'General' tab, in the second column there's an option to 'View Reports in Report Browser'. Uncheck this, and Easy-PC will output .txt files which will open with whatever the linked text editor happens to be. That might be all that's needed to avoid this issue. Feedback here, please.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the reply. Yes that has resolved, by not using the report browser, allows the report to open in notepad. Thanks.
I noticed that the error using the report browser is reporting 32bit caused page fault - so, i assume that Easy-PC uses many DLL's etc that are 32bit as opposed to 64bit ? or is the code compiled for 32bit target OS ?
Thanks and regards,
Shadders. |
| shadders |
Posted - 14 May 2018 : 10:45:20
quote:
Originally posted by Peter Johnson
Regarding the crash when forwarding design changes, are you using the dual screen option?
The reason for asking is that dual screen mode runs two copies of the program. When interaction between schematic and pcb is needed (integrity check, forward changes, cross probe, etc.) they communicate using Windows pipes. Aside from the fact that these malfunction at random under Windows, there's also the issue of how well this is supported by Wine.
Assuming that dual screen mode is in use, it might be worth reverting to single screen mode to see if the behaviour improves.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for the replies.
I am using Wine but it is the 64bit. The crash reports a 32bit memory issue where the initial start of the error report is :
Unhandled exception: page fault on write access to 0x00000000 in 32-bit code (0x1c10f797).
Register dump:
I am not using a dual screen. For me to progress - i would have to remove the Wine 64bit version and install the 32bit version, but i already have other programs running under the 64bit version. So i am reluctant to do this.
Regards,
Shadders. |
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