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WOW allot to add to all this why - because being sable and viruses don't exist i dont know anyone including myself that runs a virus scan. well they do a few but never heard of anyone getting one when we installed windows - had to find drivers - trouble to get everything working mainly the video when we installed ubuntu - if found everything on its own - i know people that it wasnt that easy but for us is was so easy 20 mins we were installed and running secure - yes they way the OS allows programs to run is different than in windows - some find it a pain to always enter a password to make any changes thats why a virus can run linux doesnt let a program to have admin rites windows will allow that design software - yeas we all use inkscape to cut - yes it doesn't care what cutter you use it treats it as if its a printer - it will send raw HPGL code to the port that the cutter is connected too what ever you design it cuts we havent had to mess with cut lines it just works if you can add the cutter as a raw printer it will work drivers dont need them unless you use an MH or another that uses FTI serial to usb converter web server YES very powerful desktop very good my opinion - LOL no blue screen i am not trying to convert anyone and not looking for an OS war - just want a place for everyone using linux to go thanks for everything

Biggest one is price...linux is free and so are all the programs. Most people who run and use linux say it is more stable, and more secure than windows. There is some merit to that IMO...but a properly kept and updated windows machine is also very stable in my opinion. To me its not worth the aggravation of having to "make things work" in linux when there are turn key solutions in windows already for a production environment sign shop, but like I said it would be something fun to play with. Linux can be frustrating at times, but it is making strides in becoming more user friendly lowly but surely (other people have differeing opinions, I am windows man who dabbles in linux....someone who is a linux man who dabbles in windows would probably call linux intuitive and windows frustrating). Now if we could get some turn key solutions to install on something like ubuntu that came with say inkscape and the ability to cut straight from it and control weeding lines, and offsets, colors, maybe even rip, print, and contour cut, oooh and make sure it works for all cutters on both 32 and 64 bit versions of linux with a drop down list of preinstalled working drivers.....now we are talking! Sign me up!

***SARCASM*** Hmmm......figured the dude with the penguin was behind this one*** LOL...that said, I would be interested.....I have Dual Boot on this machine and can go into Ubuntu whenever I want....hardly ever do though Windows is rock solid for me, plus I don't think flexi runs on linux, but if there was good enough options I would be interested in playing if nothing else. TuxCut looks kinda cool.

hah, it wouldn't surprise me either, Winblows, sorry, Windows is just a terrible platform. If i could I wouldn't ever run Winblows again. I'd rather run Ubuntu the newest build if OS X wasn't available. Least it's free. Sorry but Windows is a memory hog, has been since Vista. XP is about the best Windows has seen yet.

I love linux, have been running different distros since 1995. Mostly servers, if I could run corel and CS4 in Linux I would have no need to use M$ at all. The first thing I cut with my 721 was a couple ubuntu logos to go on our cars.

aweee yeahhh back to my trusty ubuntu install..

I know this is an older post and I am not sure if you got this working but I just set it up and it works great. for reference I am running Ubuntu 9.04 with Sun Virtual Box 2.2.4. I have XP loaded in a Vbox. the way I got it to work was with the vbox off, connect the cutter to the computer. no need to install anything in linux. launch the Sun Virtual Box manager, select your vm, from the details tab click on USB, click the usb+ icon on the right and select FTDI FT232 USB UART[0600] from the list then boot your gues os. from there windows will detect the usb device and will ask for the drivers. from there follow the standard install instructions. I am running all my apps that need Micro$oft in a vm. Here is a screen shot that my help.

VMware server is a free app, I use it at work on a couple different machines. I run a couple linux servers from it. It works great. http://www.vmware.com/products/server/ I would kill to get the time to set my ubuntu machine to cut with, but I just don't have it right now. Once word got around I was cutting it's been crazy non stop. Kevin

Maybes you can run a virtual machine running win98 that way you don't have to use a whole other box dedicated for the plotter. That's what I did to get my copam to work while I was running ubuntu on my main box. I just set up a virtual machine with vmware running xp and I had no problem doing it that way, should work for you too.

I dont think illustrator will work in ubuntu. I am looking for a solution while staying in the linux invironment. I just tried gimp and it works. but is there anyway to do it only in inkscape? I would like to save myself an extra step if I could.

Another option that should work. If you have another program that you do graphics in, ie: Corel, Arts & Letters, or Inkscape (which is FREE), or whatever else, so long as it will export an eps, create it there export it, then import it to SBE. If you don't have any other program I would suggest that you download Inkscape and start learning it. Somewhere. somehow, sometime you will run across something that you cannot create/duplicate in SBE. I have used Corel since it first came out, as well have A&L. And my experience has been in corporate logo reproduction. I have not used Inkscape, but learned about it here in the forums. I downloaded it and have played with it a few times, it is absolutely loaded with features. The computer shop where I hang out and where I have my machine s etup wanted some office hours door signs, I told him about Inkscape, he downloaded it and set his signs up in a matter of a few minutes, so the learning curve is not killer. http://www.inkscape.org/ I'm too old to switch horses, but before I paid out hardearned money for a graphics (read vector) proggie I would give Inkscape a serious looksee. Actually, I may just put Ubuntu on this lil' ol laptop and throw inkscape on here .. be a good overhaul for this ol' 850MHz puppy ...... Open Source is sooooooo wunnerful ....

great success!!! use the serial cable NOT USB, and then use the hpgl version of whatever plotter you are using inside signblazer....then...install winxp inside VMWARE with vmware and ubuntu-kde-compiz-fusion running...i only use 836MB with all my other crap running..... here is a screenshot for everyone ;P

i use ubuntu linux...i hate windows but i have vmware installed running winxp, all my other printers work just fine