You might suspect it’s all shiny happy flamethrowers with a Krautrock soundtrack here at the SB bunker, but now and then we like to take the safety pads off our actuators and shred something real good. Today’s target is Microsoft Robotics Studio, which sure smells like another attempt by everyone’s favorite software monopoly to lock you into using their overcomplicated and incompatible development environment. Flames commence after the break; stay clear of the stripy yellow zone lest you get hit by fragments.

I hereby release SB from liability from injury due to gratuitous flamage

There’s been a lot of hoo-hah in the press over this SFGate:

For instance, hobby robots may come with a cutoff sensor — a toggle switch that signals when the mobile device hits an obstacle. The toolkit could simplify the task of writing software code to turn off the robot’s motor instead of letting it sit there, spinning its wheels.

Waitaminute. Thank you Oh Mighty Microsoft for helping us poor pitiable programmers! Without Microsoft Visual Development Studio Integrated Dashboard Wizard, you know, it’s really freaking difficult to write something like:
    if (sensor > threshold) halt();

Yep, you need some sort of massive 629 MB Assimilated Development Environment that has more windows and menus than Space Shuttle Mission Control to “simplify” things. And sheesh, without a physics simulation engine, why, our little bot friends would likely never work at all! Nowww, just maybe simulation is useful for exploring the design space — say three wheels versus four, or where to put the center of gravity — but from my experience, I don’t know how you could realistically simulate anything practical. Is it good enough to simulate the small-but-critical differences like a grippier tire tread or swapping in slightly fresher batteries? I kinda doubt it! Let alone figuring out how much torque is gonna pop the drivechain. (Yes, I suppose there is a good argument that a simulator might be educational, but the kids I know would much rather bash on metal.)

This looks like yet another attempt to lock people into the Microsoft code environment, which is the Roach Motel of development hell. It’s so bleeding complicated it will take months out of your life, and pretty much preclude you being an expert in anything else. (The Head Rotor has some experience in this department: he was once obliged to climb — grudgingly — up the Visual Studio learning curve, and those are lost years of life he is not likely to get back.) Which is not to imply that, say, Linux is without its hassles, but unless you want to end up one of those rotating-spiral-eyballed Micro-Borg-osofties I would urge a skeptical approach.
Anyway enough baseless calumny for today. Has anybody actually used the thing? Is the Head Rotor here getting his RPMs up over nothing? Anyone done good stuff with it? Let us know: maybe the Rotor is due for a heapin’ helpin of crow.

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2006 at 4:55 pm and is filed under Bill Joy Might Be Right, Shop Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.