While I am a huge Apple fanboy and Mac convert - and would always be happy to see more Mac-native lighting applications - I can't logically argue that Mac development should currently supersede Windows development or that Windows is in any way a dead platform.
With approximately 90% of the active PC users in the world and a much broader range of available hardware, many more people are still likely to have Windows machines. In addition, tablet PCs and more configurable laptop solutions (versus Apple's product line) are in many cases more robust or economical solutions for things like RFUs and backup machines.
I would love to see a native Mac OS X application. Would save all the hassle of running 3PC software in a virtual machine plus the costs of software and licences.
But, in my opinion ESP for Mac has come out a bit soon. Theres not a lot of things fully working in ESP - and its painfully slow on a Mac.
I have some doubts that this will be done any time soon however, since I am led to beleive Barco are spending more money into their video side, rather than the High End areas.
I also think its a great shame that HES has gone in the direction of these Showgun, Showpix etc units - rather than re-inventing/re-working more modern equivelents of the X.Spot and Studio series, which in their heyday were great and very popular lights.
I'm a Mac guy but I'd be totally happy with just an iPAD app which is essentially what Robbie said they have already started development on. I feel like the MAC vs Windows debate is quickly becoming moot. I can currently run HOG 3 on my MAC using Bootcamp but it still is pretty unusable as the interface really doesn't work properly without a playback wing with it's wheels and thus can't be easily carried around for remote focusing. As all of these tablet devices are beginning to change what's possible it seems pretty obvious that the small device model is the way to go.
The "works on any small device" approach that Robbie spoke of makes a ton of sense. Having a Hog app that can be easily ported to Android, iPhone, or whatever comes out in the next couple of years seems like the best bang for the time spent to write the code.
[QUOTE=robbie_bruce;42295]As it relates to developing a MAC solution..
As a group we would like to do it however there are some serious hurdles to overcome..
1. Debian Linux != MACOS - There a tons of differences from a linux perspective where we today we can't just compile on Mac and we get it for free
This may be a long shot, but would there ever be consideration to making a public debian (non console) release? I understand it'd probably be powerPC only but I'd love to run hogPC under linux (on mac hardware)
I would much rather have an app for my phone to do remote focus with my Hog PC setup!!!!!!!!
Also new features are way more important to me than a mac native version. I believe a console computer should be dedicated almost exclusively to being a console.
Many of us can see the MAC as being a very nice computer, but the cost of the MAC vs PC is why I have never went the way of a MAC. I can have 2 PC's to every 1 MAC dollar wise. I sold a single widget to a friend who has a MAC. He has no wings and when he uses the front panel encoder wheels with the mouse, there are problems getting them to work correctly. So unless you have a program wing, your pretty much SOL on the MAC. High End has their plate full of unfinished and incomplete projects that need their attention way before they worry about another operating system for the MAC. Let's see them finish the fixture builder. How about a remote focus application for Windows XP/Vista? Windows 7 for HOG 3PC and for the consoles? Who cares about an Iphone App? I am with Sprint and cannot use an Iphone anyway. I have a blackberry. How about fixing the bugs we have in the consoles operating system before creating new features and more stuff to trouble shoot? How about making the Axon work like it should even 95% of the time? Maybe if High End would stop wasting money manufacturing the Studio Color 575 fixture(dead horse that knowone is buying) there would be resources available to finish some projects. Oh and we really needed another 100lb mirror fixture again......NOT! LED fixtures with media servers built in them is another brilliant waste of time and money that could be better used. There is your R&D money and resources to have a MAC OS right there!
[QUOTE=JeffM]Many of us can see the MAC as being a very nice computer, but the cost of the MAC vs PC is why I have never went the way of a MAC. I can have 2 PC's to every 1 MAC dollar wise.
Well, with the Mac, you can have a fully functional PC with Bootcamp. So, you actually get 2 full working computers. I use my MacBookPro ALL the time for both Windows and Mac. Windows side for Hog3PC, Wysiwyg, GMa OnPC, etc. No issues at all.
[QUOTE=JeffM]I sold a single widget to a friend who has a MAC. He has no wings and when he uses the front panel encoder wheels with the mouse, there are problems getting them to work correctly. So unless you have a program wing, your pretty much SOL on the MAC.
There must be something setup wrong then. As I said above, I use my Mac for programming Hog3PC 5-7 days per week with NO issues.
[QUOTE=JeffM]High End has their plate full of unfinished and incomplete projects that need their attention way before they worry about another operating system for the MAC.
Agreed...
[QUOTE=JeffM]Let's see them finish the fixture builder. How about a remote focus application for Windows XP/Vista? Windows 7 for HOG 3PC and for the consoles? Who cares about an Iphone App? I am with Sprint and cannot use an Iphone anyway. I have a blackberry. How about fixing the bugs we have in the consoles operating system before creating new features and more stuff to trouble shoot?
Again...agreed
[QUOTE=JeffM]How about making the Axon work like it should even 95% of the time?
What doesn't work on the Axon for you? I use Axon's and DL's 5-7 days per week and it's never had an issue. I'm curious as to what you're having problems with.
[QUOTE=JeffM]Maybe if High End would stop wasting money manufacturing the Studio Color 575 fixture(dead horse that knowone is buying) there would be resources available to finish some projects. Oh and we really needed another 100lb mirror fixture again......NOT! LED fixtures with media servers built in them is another brilliant waste of time and money that could be better used.
I have to disagree with you here. The Studio Color is a definite workhorse. We own quite a few (and just purchased more). Show me another fixture that does color mixing, runs on 110v and is convection cooled (this is the reason we have VL1000's, Studio Colors and Studio Spot CMY Zooms). We had to have NO FANS. Cyber 2.0 is a great fixture when you have either trim issues or sway issues (I have a few places where I can't use a moving head because of the truss sway...and yes, I've seen the RSC Light Lock) Same with StudioPix/Showpix. I use them a lot for daytime shows that want eye-candy and lo-res video.
No doubt that the studio color is a solid work horse in that is works and works with minimal problems ever. As far as studio spots, yes, very dependable units. Now here are the flaws. studio color: loud pan/tilt belt noise. Way louder than the fans would be. Start mixing colors on the studio color and get several different shades of blue, magenta, and yellow between fixtures. Also has no zoom and noisy strobe function. Studio beam blows the studio color away. Lighter, faster brighter and quieter! And yes, I use these fixtures often. Studio Spot just has not light output. Not bright enough. Sad when a technobeam is just as bright at 250W as the studio spot is at 575w. Axon servers work great when they are booted up and running. It's the 25% of the time when they will not boot up at all, then your resetting them and playing the waiting game for them to correct themselves. Same problem in the DL 2 & 3. Same servers. Or the occasional time when you walk away from the system for a while to set up another room leaving it running, and return to find it locked up. Real nice. And yes, I use them all the the time also. I own Axons myself. I have yet to get a client that wants to piss away enough money to rent a studio or show pix nor have I seen any good use for the over priced/designed fixtures. I love a moving mirror and own technobeams. If they weighed 100lbs and took up 4 ft of truss, I would not have any! I also do my own fixture repair and do so for many other companies that own moving lights. I have repaired more studio colors than I can remember. The dichroics in those lights are terrible.
I was recently doing a show in the arts space of an engineering college in the us. The students have developed their own lighting and video protocol based on an ethernet system, they have an iphone app for remote control of the same and are working right now on an iphone wireless intercom system, a modular automated stage dolly system (similar to visual act) and further development of the lighting protocol and a heads up projected display show control system with augumented reality and similar systems developed and posted ton the ted forum for technical development, it was pretty amazing to see their enthusiasm and their progress without any real leadership or direction toward cureent industry based or passed products, they are developing for the needs of their performance space and engineering a solution that fits. I'd imagine these guys could do a lot toward helping a hog 3 mac beta version and there are a lot of us here that would test it even if only for programming and visualiser use it would be a great help.... so if anyone at HES would like help from these genious programmers please do get in touch
[QUOTE=Marty Postma;40411]Doesn't make much sense when the consoles are Linux and Windows based, plus you cover a larger number of users with Windows versions, especially when you can run the Windows versions on Mac.
Why would you want to run software in emulation when you can run it native. In my experience as a designer, the majority of my peers run a Mac, not a PC. A native Mac version would be appreciated by those of us who use a Mac. I dont see this as a waste of resources but an additional income stream for High End and also the support of a large number of users.
[QUOTE=holesinthedark;46639]Why would you want to run software in emulation when you can run it native. In my experience as a designer, the majority of my peers run a Mac, not a PC. A native Mac version would be appreciated by those of us who use a Mac. I dont see this as a waste of resources but an additional income stream for High End and also the support of a large number of users.
Well then we are going to have to agree to diasgree. ;)
If you run it via Bootcamp it IS native.
Most of my peers in the industry fall into the "power-user" category for computers, and looking at the power-user trends....Mac has been and is getting crushed there due to things like no Blu-Ray support and lagging behind anywhere from 6 months to two years in GFX card and processor support offering much fewer hardware options for Mac users (not somthing power-users take very kindly to).
A Mac version wouldn't generate any more income for HES-FPS-Barco b/c the software is free.
You would think it would be a minor change to port it over to linux. But really how many users that would want it on linux don't already have a pc they can run it on. I would rather they spend time working on bug fixes and enhancements.
