PixInsight platform support

[jshortt]

This is from the INDI thread and it got me thinking:

...
As for operating systems, as a software developer and a user of a large variety of computing systems since the early 80's, I have to say that I have basically zero interest in Windows....

Juan I've read a few times that this is what you think and I wonder how you reconcile this with the fact (I stand to be corrected) that the majority of PixInsight usage is on Windows? Don't you think you need to be better aligned with your users?

My own habits right now are to use MacOS, then Windows then Linux BUT honestly I feel that the PixInsight community would be better served by the PTeam focusing on one of these platforms (I really don't care which one and see it would likely be Linux) and making the best product for that platform. I know this would be a very controversial decision but with over 30 years of software development experience in small teams I know for sure that supporting 3 major platforms is a major PITA and cost for you

My guess is that you've already considered this although I don't remember seeing any discussion on the forums about it

John

[Juan Conejero]

Hi John,

Thank you for bringing up such an interesting and fundamental topic.

I wonder how you reconcile this with the fact (I stand to be corrected) that the majority of PixInsight usage is on Windows?

I reconcile it very well. This is professional software development, not a hobby. As a professional, my personal preferences are irrelevant when and where appropriate. I develop PixInsight on FreeBSD, Linux, macOS and Windows because PixInsight is a multiplatform software development project. This is my goal and this is how I have designed and planned this project since the beginning.

That said, a good question is, why these four platforms precisely, why not less, why not others? My reasons are, respectively:

Linux: I love it. I need it. I would probably quit software development if I were forced to work on a non-UNIX or non-UNIX-like platform.

FreeBSD: I love it. It is pure and authentic UNIX, where the concept of free software is real. I'd use it instead of Linux, if it had the same level of hardware support.

macOS: A lot of users run PixInsight on this operating system (maybe about a 25%, although I don't have precise statistics now), and a growing number of amateur and professional astronomers use it. On the other hand, macOS is a certified UNIX operating system. So it isn't so bad after all, and the graphics are nice In fact, besides development, I use iMacs daily for other tasks like music production (there are wonderful macOS applications for this, like Logic Pro X, pure magic!).

Windows: Most users work on this operating system.


So I have no intention at all to discontinue the development of PixInsight on any of the current four platforms. Admittedly, the FreeBSD version 1.8.4 of PixInsight has been difficult, mainly because Qt 5 has not been ported correctly to this OS until relatively recent times (which is a big shame, but that's a different topic), and has required a lot of extra work. For the next version 1.8.5 it seems we'll have no problems (fingers crossed!).

[jshortt]

Thanks for answering this Juan. Coincidentally I was integrating 100 bias frames this afternoon on my Mac and PI crashed when I save the master. It seems reproducible so I'll try to narrow it down. The same integration works flawlessly on my Windows 10 machine. I tend to switch back and forth between them depending on what else I am doing.

I understand what you're saying. I do think there's a cost to multi-platform support and wonder if anyone agrees with me that it would be better for all of is if this weren't the case?

Thanks,
John

[msmythers]

Hi John


Myself I am stuck with Windows because of other programs that I need that are Windows only. Those programs are using hardware that will only under full windows control, not from an emulation. If Juan had decided to only focus on Linux or OSX lets say then I would never had been able to run PI. I would not have made the attempt even. I have no interest anymore with dual booting systems. Someday that may change but not in the near future.

There were other pieces of software that I very easily could have chosen but the real reason I choose PI was not because of just how good the software really is but the fact that the PI team has made a big statement to provide this software on the different platforms. This is something I would love to see other developers do. In the long run I think it would make for better software for the consumer. It's not easy but it might also spur better programming tools and techniques.

The other thing thing that caused me to buy a license is how generous the commercial license is. If I had the resources I am permitted to operate on multiple machines over multiple platforms all at the same time. I can tell you that in a true scientific software tool, which is what I consider PI, as far I know that is unheard of. I want to support a developer that forward thinking. 

One last thing, PI has not charged for a single update in the last 4 years that I have been using the software. That is remarkable. To me that speaks volumes about how PI feels about their users. When PI says it's time to pay more I will do so willingly.


Mike