I took a look at MS Robotics Studio when I read the article in ROBOT Magazine about it. My first impression was not real positive, although I see potential for what MS is attempting to do as an example for others who would do a better implementation.
For MS Robotics Studio to be truely successful, I think it is going to have to be MUCH easier for everyone, people like us, to add new models of robots to the existing line up. I think MS could have done better with the robot profiles they already have, in that they could have added more hobby type robots to the line. They certainly should have looked more at the Lynxmotion, Budget Robotics, and similar lines of kits.
I may take another look at MS Robotics Studie and give it another go, but so far I am not too impressed with it. This is mainly due to the fact they do not have more hobby type robots in the current profiles and it doesn’t seem easy or possible to add new profiles.
While I am admittedly not a fan of Microsoft products as a rule, I do see quite a lot of good in what they are doing with products like Robotics Studio and Visual C#.
Now we need some of the hot shot Open Source folks to come along and do it right…
I tried MS Robotic studio and it was hard for me to understand how to use it. There were a bunch of files that didn’t make any sence to me. I was expecting a GUI App that allowed a user to create something, but it seemed that one had to know how to program in other languages to use it.
I’m sure it’s a powerful development platform, but it was far from user friendly. It felt like everything was slaped together with scotch tape and buble gum.
I have to agree, as far as the current state of MS Robtics Studio goes. While I am definitely not new to software development, that is not the reason I decided to try this out.
I was expecting a much more polished and end user friendly product, which I do not think this is at present. I expected to be able to put in the parameters of a robot and be able to somehow model it, which is the impression I got from the MS hype that I could do.
MS Robotics Studio is not ready for prime time in my opinion.
Did you actually get anything working when you looked at the MSRS? I just redownloaded and installed it (the October version) and actually got some response from the runtime. I never was able to get any response when I looked at it last time.
Well, we are not here to bash Microsoft, even though we might strongly disagree with some things the company does. We are just here to discuss the merit or lack of merit of Microsoft’s Robotics Studio.
I do see a lot of good possibilities with Robotics Studio, even if it isn’t perfect. There will be others who will come along later with improvements, added modules, etc. that will enhance Robotics Studio. If anything, Microsoft has always been good at creating great 3rd party markets for accessories and sofware.
If Robotics Studio is as open a platform as Microsoft claims, then there will be no shortage of add ons for it. I will be continuing to look closely at Robotics Studio, especially since I happen to have a BOE-Bot type robot that Studio should be able to support without any changes.
I got nowhere with the MSRS. Nick Rieser was able to open a simulation some how, where you can place objects in it.
I tried to read the help file, but that was out of order also. There was simply way to much stuff in the early version that I looked at. It needs a GUI app. that allows users to setup what they want to do, and then only have the tools that relate to the users platform, be visible, and then hiding all else that does not apply. For example, I would like to see a wizard that asks such questions as programming language, basic hardware, etc, and then provide a GUI IDE that will allow users to develop their bot, but with only tools that apply based on the setup wizard.
You may want to take a look at this current October CTP version then. I know the August release was trash as far as I was concerned and I uninstalled it pretty fast. This new version look much more promising though.
Yes, this would definitely be a good thing to have for MSRS. Maybe they have a feedback method we can give them input on stuff like this, or maybe they are already working on something like this.
I’ve written many a program with EditPad in less time than it took me to install this MSRS. Of course it didn’t work and the installation failed on the first try (it’s MS no ?). Ok so maybe I don’t use Vista and my XP isn’t exactly kosher. I was sure to set a recovery point before I tried this. Even when I managed to get it working it just reminded me of work. My ex-boss made me use visual interdev to program but I did most with a text editor anyways. I just don’t get it. Waste all that time to learn the MS method of programming just so they can help you crank out crappy inefficient code. Sure it must be real pretty to see it in simulations, personally I’d just as soon see my robot do it and test my code directly.
Call me an old crank, wrote my first basic program in 1976. When the only thing visual was the print out on the yellow paper of an old teletype terminal. We had to write efficiently, didn’t have a lot of memory, and it took a long time to debug, and I had to ‘save’ my programs on paper tape(go ask gramps what that was like). I think MS doesn’t want people capable of programming without using their tools. One of the things I like most about bot’s is going to the events and seeing people programming with a text editor, now it looks like MS is going to ruin that too.
A pair of crutches may make it easier to walk, but I’ll use my own two legs thank you very much!
