Wondering if SmartSoft can be WINEd

Hi,

I have a Win7 64 bit personal laptop, and a Ubuntu Linux work one. I am going to need to run SmartSoft at a small school theatre venue next monday to see that everything is working ok. Since I could only find one post about Linux on the forums, here is my question:

Can you tell me whether the usb-driver for the Smartfade depends on the modules ntoskrnl.exe, hal.dll and usbd.sys?

If they have no other dependencies the software might actually be run through WINE on Linux as is stated at their wiki:

http://wiki.winehq.org/USB

I ask this because I would prefer sticking to the laptop provided from my corporation in work situations as much as possible, yet it is running Ubuntu. I do have WINE installed on it, but won't get to try whether it works before getting on site next monday and hence would prefer taking just the right laptop for the job along.

We probably have to do more than the current shows lighting if nobody at the school gets a hang of the operation of their new Smartfade 2496, so it would be better to get the Software working on the work computer.

Cheers

-Jon

  • Given that you're not going to have much time on site, I recommend that you take the Windows laptop this time as we know that works!

    While it may be possible to make SmartSoft and the USB drivers working under WINE, chances are that it would need some fiddling (like many apps under WINE!) as it's never been tested.

    If you do get time to try it, I'd be very interested to know how it goes.

  • Yeah, that is true. Better take the Windows 7 laptop for now and see about Ubuntu/Wine at a later date.

    I doubt i will have time to delve into the possibility much more than seeing whether the software installs alright on WINE before I need it to work. And with WINE there's alwaysthose secundary issues that are not all too fast to correct that then pop-up.... GUI troubles with wrong fonts and such.

    I will try WINEing it at a later point when there will be more time to play around at the venue. They are rehearsing Romeo & Juliet already and probably most time on monday will be going into programming their requested lighting scenes.

    Will definitely be faster If i can get started right away.

    If and/or when I eventually get to try it out with WINE I will post about it and probably add the software to the AppDB at their site with functionality ratings and tweaks I had or didn't have to do.

  • Well, on Windows 7 I had issues with USB updating of the console software. Win7 did recognize the device and drivers but when booting the 2496 into test mode it kept appearing as an unknown device again and couldn't locate the file from the updater.

    So Ii the end, I ended up loading the .SRC file onto the SD and updating console that way. Which all went well and after which I accessed the lights.

    Once that was done I had to wait for the guys to finish with the fixtures before I got to test the lights. Turns out the lights were in different order than what the installation company had documented and several supposedly empty channels had use while supposedly used channels were empty. Also only half of their installed LED fixtures on the 49-96 channels worked .

    Then the theatre group came around to rehearse although I was booked for the whole day so I would have real darkness to work dusk and dawn scenes and other subtle ones.

    In the end it was fun to see how well the system worked with the Software but I actually got not much done except cataloging the faders for each channel. Maybe next week. =P

    Cheers

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