Subject:
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Re: FLL not allowing NQC; Mindscript is allowed
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Thu, 10 Mar 2005 02:13:45 GMT
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Original-From:
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Steve Baker <sjbaker1@airmail.net!saynotospam!>
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Viewed:
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3455 times
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Mark Tarrabain wrote:
> If one allows things that are not produced or distributed by lego, then
> why can't one use non-official sensors? Why can't one drop the entire
> default firmware? Heck, why does a person even have to use the RCX in
> the first place and not a more robust microcontroller?
The difference is a really bright line.
All of the examples you quote are to do with non-standard things ending
up inside the robot.
NQC DOESN'T end up inside the robot.
Using NQC instead of RIS is no different from using a pocketknife to
unstick my bricks instead of the official Lego brick-unsticker. They
are both TOOLS. So long as the pocket knife doesn't end up as a part
of the robot when it trundles out into the arena - it's considered OK.
Once you start to legislate what tools (software or hardware) your students
can use, you are starting down a VERY difficult slope.
> The actual solution is for Lego to make more of an effort at producing
> platform independant development environments of their own, not for FLL
> to allow NQC.
Lego don't need to do that. They already recognise AND promote NQC - they
clearly realise it's value. The only reason they don't sell it is that it's
already freely available for $0.
If Lego made a C subset compiler for RCX, it would have to compete against
an established, effective tool that costs nothing.
Given that Lego is not a software company, that makes NO sense at all.
The Lego community don't need to pressure Lego into doing ANYTHING with
regards to having something like NQC.
Would you be happy if Lego offered NQC for download for free from their
web site? Would you be happy if we had to pay Lego a nominal ten cent
fee to download it? Does it have to cost $50 before it's somehow
credible?
It's just ludicrous. NQC is just a tool - like many others you use
on your computer every day.
The idea that everything that helps you PRODUCE the robot has to be
made by Lego is an impossible goal - you are using a non-Lego PC with
a non-Lego operating system, non-Lego USB drivers and storing the RIS
files on a non-Lego filing system. All those are just software tools
on a par with NQC. None of them end up in the robot - so they are
all perfectly OK in my mind.
Changing out the firmware in the RCX is clearly on the other side of
the line. That's something you've loaded into the RCX which was not
something you made yourself and not something that Lego made.
The bytecode that comes out of NQC was made by *YOU* - NQC was just a
tool that helped you out along the way.
---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net> WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://www.sjbaker.org
Projects : http://plib.sf.net http://tuxaqfh.sf.net
http://tuxkart.sf.net http://prettypoly.sf.net
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: FLL not allowing NQC; Mindscript is allowed
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| (...) Yes, no, and no. If Lego themselves also acted as a distributor for NQC (heck, there's nothing saying that LEGO couldn't print CD's and sell them, is there? Sure, the software's freely available, but people buy CD's with free software on them (...) (20 years ago, 10-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: FLL not allowing NQC; Mindscript is allowed
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| If one allows things that are not produced or distributed by lego, then why can't one use non-official sensors? Why can't one drop the entire default firmware? Heck, why does a person even have to use the RCX in the first place and not a more robust (...) (20 years ago, 9-Mar-05, to lugnet.robotics)
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