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Linux / WINE / ASCOM?


DaveS

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Anyone had success running ASCOM applications under WINE?

I'm getting sufficiently fed up with Win-Dross updates trashing divers etc that I'd be willing to give Linux a go, but some vital software I use is ASCOM dependent. So has anyone managed to run ASCOM under WINE?

I did put the question up on the ASA forum but had only one reply from someone who'd tried and given up.

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I doubt someone ever try that, but in my opinion this is impossible because Wine implement user space library but none of the Windows kernel functionality required by a driver.

If you really want to run on Linux you need to use INDI driver instead of ASCOM and use applications that support this drivers.
If the application you want to use do not support INDI the best solution is to stay on Windows and look for a way to better manage the Windows update process so it not interfere with the observation.

Patrick

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If you haven't a Internet connection on the Windows Astro hardware then Windows cant update itself. It means a bit of network work/knowledge and extra network hardware (maybe depend on your current set up) to create a private network without Internet connection. 

You can always connect to your Internet Home network via its Wifi profile as and when required , to do update or install software.

There are other ways to limit Windows interference - some work and many dont - google it. 🙂

Else its the Indi/Linux route as Peter suggested. 

But as you state you may well be governed by the Windows dependant software (plus Ascom) you use.

Perhaps if you state what the important software is people will be able to suggest an alternative 🙂

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Thanks, that was what I was thinking.

The Win-Dross critical software is the ASA Autoslew and Sequence. ASA say they are developing a platform agnostic package, but there's no sign of it yet.

Wonder if @Waldemar has heard anything?

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3 hours ago, DaveS said:

Thanks, that was what I was thinking.

The Win-Dross critical software is the ASA Autoslew and Sequence. ASA say they are developing a platform agnostic package, but there's no sign of it yet.

Wonder if @Waldemar has heard anything?

I am sorry, Dave, but no I didn't...

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Genuine question. I’ve have run W10 since its release and it’s never updated with me giving explicit consent.

 Further I have never skipped an update and nothing has ever broken, stopped working, mysteriously changed, borked or otherwise caused an issue. 

I run it on 4 PC’s which undertake all manner of tasks and we run it at work as well without any problems at all. Most of my friends run it just fine as well. 
 

It’s therefore entirely possible to run W10 quite happily and without any issues whatsoever and I just don’t understand what people are doing to their settings to  cause such issues. 
 

So that is the question - just how are people borking their W10 computers. Interestingly I’ve only ever seen (on here and on many other groups and forums) people with a clear dislike of W10 in the first place having problems. 

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As far as I can tell, there was nothing odd in my settings.

I had everything working smoothly after ASA has sorted out a problem in Sequence due to a software bug that meant it needed a focuser of some kind, in my case I was running the ASCOM simulator.

Then Micro-$-Oft did a sneaky security update that stuffed my ASCOM platform so that neither Cartes du Ciel nor Maxim could connect to the mount through ASCOM. I ended up having to reinstall the ASCOM platform, and thought everything was back to normal, but Sequence went off doing a pre-sequence focus which it had never done before and getting into an infinite loop as it couldn't see a movement in the focuser.

So now I've been unable to use Sequence to its full potential, having to do the slew and synch in C du C, missing the automatic meridian flip and re-synch. The only thing still working was MLPT fortunately, so the mount could still guide on its encodes and sky model.

As a result of all this I've been forced into buying a real autofocuser before I wanted to, and have the 'scope on my dining room table while I fix it up. I'll likely be doing some rough calibration of the focuser tomorrow, I hope.

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Thing is I genuinely doubt it is anything to do with the Windows update. 
 

There are literally thousands of astronomers running W10 with all manner of different astro set ups who don’t have any issues at all and who update their computers all the time. 
 

Further W10 doesn’t do sneaky updates. It tells you its going to do them and you can opt to delay them if required (or to not carry them out at all but that is not recommended). 
 

It is more likely software conflicts that have coincidentally reared their heads after an update than the update itself. 

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I've had several updates since I had the software playing nicely with no problems. It was only when trying to work out what happened when I looked at the update log and saw a couple that happened the day before when I wasn't imaging.

I'll see what happens when I have the real focuser installed.

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There are cheap refurbished laptops available for less than £200.  I've got one of these and it has performed flawlessly since May 2018.   As it happens, I left it as a dual boot system in case I ever wanted to have Windows available on it.

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Another issue with wine is the support for multiple threading. It’s not brilliant for high performance work (ie real-time or games) but does work well enough for low end stuff.

personally I’d have a look at Linux and INDI/Kstars. Lots of drivers and they seem good enough.

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