Society of Robots - Robot Forum

Software => Software => Topic started by: gamefreak on March 10, 2007, 06:45:34 PM

Title: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 10, 2007, 06:45:34 PM
Is there any FREE simulator that has mass, physics, dynamics, and that sorta of useful stuff? The only thing i have found is Webots which seems to have it all but it is not free.....
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 10, 2007, 06:47:24 PM
I havent used it but i think Microsoft Robotics studio has that type of stuff.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 10, 2007, 06:55:23 PM
i thought the robotics studio was complicatyed, or something like that
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 10, 2007, 08:24:55 PM
I dont know which one off hand, but the microsoft version physics simulater is copied from an open source version
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 11, 2007, 05:02:44 PM
If you know how to do unix and linux programing well the Player/Stage/Gazebo stack works decently well and is free and open.
http://playerstage.sourceforge.net/


Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 10:36:03 AM
i have a windows and it says :Player Project software runs on Linux, Solaris, *BSD and Mac OSX (Darwin)

so i cant use that
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 12, 2007, 10:39:04 AM
well it's never to late to switch :P
Linux and BSD are free.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 11:38:44 AM
well wouldnt that change my entire computer if i switched to a linux operating system?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 12, 2007, 12:34:32 PM
you can dual boot to run both linux and windows, but you need to make partitions to do this. Ubuntu is probably the easiest distro to use. But beware, if you try to do linux half heartidly you will fail misserably as so many wtf's will escape your mouth.
You have to want to learn things to use linux. But uless you are really interested in using player or linux you might as well
just stick with windows.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 03:14:12 PM
since i dotn know how to do that, and i know nothign about linux,unless i get step by step directions taht can be followed easily then i wont bother :D

besides, whats so special about linux? its not as good as macs and windows
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: hgordon on March 12, 2007, 04:03:11 PM
I heard Jesse bite his tongue from 3000 miles away after reading the last post ...

Gamefreak -

What's special about Linux is that it is a completely open software architecture, so software developers have full access to the source code of everything that has to do with the operating system, its tools, and most of its applications.  This is NOT the case for Mac or Windows. 

If you're not a software developer, you probably don't care, and you'll be happy to purchase shrink-wrap software from your local computer store or Walmart or whatever.  If you are a software developer, you will be grateful to all those other developers who came before you and contributed so much time and effort to the Linux community.

One additional note - I've used variations of Unix on and off since the early '80's, and I must say that the latest Linux distribution from Ubuntu is the closest I've seen to the quality and usability of a commercial operating system release (e.g. Mac OS/X or Windows) from the open source community for non-techy users.  It's really nicely done ...


Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 12, 2007, 04:16:56 PM
you can lead a horse to water....... ;)
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 05:19:20 PM
i always wondered about linux.....

Alright, but how can i hook up my windows computer so that it can do linux and still be able to use windows?

horses cant be led to water :P
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: ed1380 on March 12, 2007, 05:25:49 PM
apple products suck.
I've tried sabayon and just messed up my boot files, after refusing to instal on a new partition, so until i get another HDD no linux for me.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Eco19R on March 12, 2007, 06:14:12 PM
I have never used Linux but from what I have read on it a while back a fairly large amount of softwear won't run on it.

Windows is far from great but I personally think its still the best OS out there for general use.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 06:21:57 PM
what is a partition? is it a segemnt of your harddrive devoted to the new system or something?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Eco19R on March 12, 2007, 06:27:05 PM
From what I understand -  When you partition your hard drive you are creating two separate virtual smaller hard drives within the original drive. Most company made PCs usually partition the hard drives in there computers - one partition windows is installed in and is usually smaller.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 12, 2007, 06:43:37 PM
Instead of creating a new partition you can you VMware to run linux from within windows(or windows from within linux. your choice).
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 06:57:16 PM
ok so how do i make/edit a partition, and what would be advantages/disadvantages to that, same thing for vmware
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 12, 2007, 07:15:09 PM
If you already have windows installed you probably need to delete it and reinstall. While reinstalling there is an option to manually format the hard drive. Or you can use a program like partition magic ($$) to create a new partition with an already installed windows. When dual booting always install windows first and then Linux since the windows boot loader does not like Linux.

The Vmware is a program you install that emulates a computer and it vary easy to set up(the Linux copy is free, windows copy i think costs $). The disadvantage to this is that Linux will run slowly relative to windows( my 1GB RAM computer can usually run the vmware version at full speed).

If you just want to play with Linux you can use whats called a live CD. Which is a CD you put in the computer and boot from. it operates like Linux but when you shut down and remove the CD your computer is that same as before and windows wont be harmed. Disadvantages include same speed problems as above and that you cant save anything(actually you can but its difficult).

Another option is if you computer can boot from USB you can install it on an external drive.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Eco19R on March 12, 2007, 07:18:17 PM
Before you start messing around with your OS, you better make a backup copy of your HD.

Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 12, 2007, 07:58:41 PM
since i fear i screw up my relativly new computer by messing with the OS, i'll probably use the linux VMware, whats this about no tbeing able to save with a live boot disk?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 12, 2007, 08:06:06 PM
The linux Vmware is if you have linux and you want to run windows in linux  :(

With the live boot CD any change you make gets changed back when you shutdown. if you want to actually make a change you need to manually mount your primary hard drive.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 12, 2007, 10:52:09 PM
maybe you guys should start here if you are interested:
http://www.ubuntu.com/

I use Ubuntu on my laptop because it is the easiest to use. I'm sure you can direct your questions to the
ubuntu forums and some one will gladly help you get set up. If its some thing you really want to do go for
it but I warn you there is a steep learning curve and you can't be affraid or else it won't lead you any where.

But on the other hand if you use Linux, you will never have to pay for an OS again, and you will learn alot
more about programing than you would with windows, which does help you when you are working on robotics.

The other part of "you can lead a horse to water" is the fact that you can't drink for the horse. just like
robotics, if you want to learn it's going to take hard work and dedication, and alot of self directed learning.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 13, 2007, 07:18:55 AM
alright, ubuntu looks good, and im assuming that i need the desktop version

im going to look at vmware later and see if that would be a better choice.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: hgordon on March 13, 2007, 07:37:19 AM
Right - you want the desktop edition of Ubuntu.  I would suggest going with the new version (6.10 "Edgy"), as it worked better on my old Toshiba notebook than 6.06, but others may have different experiences.

It's common to configure a computer to "dual boot", so that Linux is run is a separate disk partition of a Windows mahine.  I generally allocate a separate machine to Linux - one of the big advantages of Linux is that it tends to run well on older machines that would be considered obsolete for Windows, and in fact, Linux sometimes won't run on the newest systems because device drivers haven't been written yet.  That's a good reason to try a Test Drive CD before committing to convert a specific machine to Linux.  Alternatively, do an online search for your machine model + Linux or + Ubuntu, e.g. "Compaq Presario V5000 Ubuntu 6.10"
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Sam_Charette on March 13, 2007, 08:38:40 AM
besides, whats so special about linux? its not as good as macs and windows

I'd just like to mention that the latest mac OS uses linux as it's back end... though it does so rather horribly.

I'll put my two cents on linux, since I've run a linux server for several years.  There is a steep learning curve for sure, but the amount of things you can do with it are staggering.  It's not ideal for someone who relies on an easy to use front end, though it's certainly much better than before (and as said, with Ubuntu it's very close), nor can you use it for everything (video games, graphic editing outside of the gimp, etc), but everything else you may need it to do it can do.

The apache web server is more flexible, easier to use once you know what you're doing and far more stable than IIS.  It has all sorts of servers you can use.  It's just an all around great product, and for free.  The only catch is you only get out of it what you put into it.  If you don't want to climb that learning curve, you will only end up frustrated.

In essence, it is not a case of "mac and windows are better".  They are all good for different reasons.  If you need to use it easily, windows/mac.  If you want power and flexibility, with an enormous community to help you, then windows and mac haven't even entered the race.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 13, 2007, 09:00:31 AM
i think im going to use the ubuntu, but is it that i just downlaod it and i can use linux at anytime?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Sam_Charette on March 13, 2007, 10:13:37 AM
Yup, Linux is totally free that way.  Download, install and use it whenever and wherever you like.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 13, 2007, 11:50:59 AM
Just a side note: OSX uses a BSD backend.

You can see the evolution and nuances of the BSD, OSX, Linux and Unix in this diagram:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Unix_history.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linux the wiki where it is found.

Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: hgordon on March 13, 2007, 12:07:13 PM
Not that it really matters, but I'm reasonably certain that OS/X originally derived from Mach, which was a Unix clone developed at CMU as an add-on to BSD, but subsequently going its own way, then getting adopted by Next Computers (Steve Jobs' company after leaving Apple) as NextStep, then getting absorbed into Apple when the company purchased Next and rehired Jobs. 

There's a description of Mach here - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mach_(kernel)

The reason Unix clones were developed in the first place was because ATT / Bell Labs charged so much money for Unix licenses (we paid $40,000 in 1983 for a Unix System 5 source code license).  Berkeley (BSD) Unix used parts of ATT Unix source code, so BSD licenses were subject to those fees as well.  It was a big boost to the Unix community when those license fees went away.  I think the existence of Linux, which used no ATT code and was not subject to any license fees, was a factor in the end of Unix fees, though the current owner of ATT Unix, SCO, is trying to sue anyone they can to try to collect some money.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 13, 2007, 12:48:49 PM
Don't forget to mention that SCO is failing miserably because it has not legal leg to stand on.  ;)

But you are correct for the most part. OSX does have it's beginning in NewStep, which was derived from
the original BSD. I guess I oversimplified my explanation:P
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 13, 2007, 04:09:19 PM
i downloaded ubuntu, the newest version, and when i try to execute the start program i get the error of file not found
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: dcole07 on March 13, 2007, 04:30:04 PM
You download Ubuntu as an ISO, you can't run ISO right from Windows. You need to play it in VMware or burn in to a CD and reboot your computer.

I love Linux... I was running Windows Server 2000 and things were so hard to set up and change. There were so many restrictions too. Then I switch to Fedora and I've loved it!  But then again I'm a smart and logical person. Everything was so much easier to change... I could write simple code to change things automatically, vs. Windows where I had to written run time programs with a lot of pointless junk.

Wait... I was thinking, and someone did find a way to run Ubuntu right from the Window's desktop. The link is here: http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28948 (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=28948)
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 13, 2007, 06:29:48 PM
i downloaded the :CD Image for desktop and laptop PCs

and i downloaded the vmware player, but nothing from the ubutnu dowload is vmx,vmc, or sv2i

so i cant run anything with VMware


also when messing around wiht my boot menu i noticed a boot from USB, if i boot the "CD" from my usb will the next time i start my computer be windows again?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: ed1380 on March 13, 2007, 06:54:52 PM

also when messing around wiht my boot menu i noticed a boot from USB, if i boot the "CD" from my usb will the next time i start my computer be windows again?
I booted from a real cd and my files got messed up.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 13, 2007, 06:56:13 PM
a CD with ubutnu on it?

ok i have the iso, but i cant figure out how to use it, vmplayer doesnt support it apparently.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 13, 2007, 08:09:01 PM
You need to burn the .iso to a cd. in your cd burning program select data disk and one of the options should be to burn an image onto a cd for backup purposes; that will unpack the .iso into a whole bunch of files on the cd.

after all that create a new Virtual Machine (vm). boot the vm and select boot from cd and install linux as if it were on a regular computer.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 13, 2007, 08:31:22 PM
so after i burn, i go to my boot menu and boot form disk, but if i dont have the disk in will the computer boot normally? also, can i save this way?

also, when im burnign to C, i dont have a choice of what kind of CD, i just give it a name and then it starts burning....
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: dunk on March 14, 2007, 06:42:19 AM
so i would usually have lots to say in a thread like this but i've been too busy to log on here for a few weeks. (sorry about that.)

so some quick clarification for any one reading this.
Linux is a different operating system to windows. if you want to run Linux software on a windows computer you will need some 3rd party software to emulate a Linux environment on your windows machine. (possible but fairly complicated.)
likewise if you want to run your latest windows video game on a Linux box you will need to install some software to emulate your windows environment on the Linux computer. this will always be far more complicated than it should be as it is in windows developer's interest to hold on the their operating system's monopoly. they therefore make it as difficult as possible to run windows software on any other platform.

Linux is *not* just a programme you can boot from windows.
it is a replacement for windows. you boot it instead of windows.
(this will sound obvious to anyone who is used to the concept of different operating systems but a lot of beginners miss this point.)

how can "free" software be any good?
so basically when you get Linux you also get all the source code. all the configuration files are accessable (unlike the leading operating system manufacturer's...) so anyone who doesn't like something is free to change it.
users are encouraged to feed their modifications back in and the whole thing evolves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source)

so if you want to experiment with Linux you have 2 easy options and a 3rd slightly risky one:
1. if you have a "spare" computer that you don't mind dedicating to the process you can install Linux straight onto the hard drive. this computer will now run Linux instead of windows.
if you are a beginner you won't learn how to run windows applications on that computer for quite some time. you will however be able to run open source Linux software that is free. there should be packages out there to do anything that you can do under windows.

2. if you don't want to go all the way and completely reinstall your computer with before you have tried out Linux there are several "live distros" out there. with these you burn an ISO image onto a CD and boot from that CD instead of your hard disk when you first power up your computer.
this way you get to try out Linux without making any permanent changes to your precious computer.
there are some downsides to this. your CD drive is not as fast as your hard drive so this method will be sloooowww.
also, while you will be able to save files to floppy disks and USB keys, you won't be able to make any big changes to the operating system using this method as the computer won't be making changes to your hard disk.
when you are downloading your CD image (ISO) make sure you are downloading a "live" image not an "install" image.
as allready recommended in this thread, Ubuntu is a good one to try. the CD image from them is always a "live" image (meaning it won't change your hard disk contents when it boots) but there is an option within the menus to permanently install it on your hard disk.
http://www.ubuntu.com/ (http://www.ubuntu.com/)

3. dual booting allows you to have more than one operating system on the same computer. when you first switch on you will get a menu asking if you want to boot into windows or Linux.
you split your disk into sections called "partitions". this is not a particularly safe thing to do to the existing operating system unless you know Exactly what you are doing.
if you have never tried this before be prepaired to have to make a few attempts to get it working and you will probably have to reinstall windows at some point before you have a nice stable dual boot system.

if you have never tried Linux i'd recommend option 2.
remember it won't perform as well running from CD as a full installed version but it will give you a taste.

personally it took me about 2 years from when i first started playing with Linux to using it exclusively.
in the early days i ran a file server in the house (which also made a log of when my doorbell rand among other things...).
these days i find windows far too inflexible an operating system although i still have a windows partition on my laptop for playing computer games when i'm stuck on aeroplanes though. (if you want the latest high street game this is the best option have found.)

my girlfriend on the other hand uses windows for everything. she can happily use one of my computers but she chooses to use windows on hers.
Linux isn't better or worse than windows, it just suits some users better.

as a point of interest, the majority of webservers run Linux. this forum for example is running on a Linux machine.
why? because it uses up less system resources to run the basic operating system, leaving the computer free to serve web pages.

dunk.
(Linux nerd.)
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 10:52:10 AM
alright, since i dont know how to make partitions im going with option 2

I assume i have it right because when i was at school i was going to check to see if my burner actaullly put the file on the CD and not just said it did, i put the cd in mid boot up and the computer restarted itself, im ssuming this is because the linux wanted to run.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 10:54:59 AM
the Ubuntu 6.06 distro online is a live CD. once it starts theres an icon that says something like install/make permanent. clicking on that will lead you into the install proccess.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 02:25:16 PM
alright, on my home computer i hit the power button and then during start up i put the CD in, but nothing happened and the computer booted up normally, whats up?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 14, 2007, 03:26:13 PM
TRY

Boot into windows.
Put CD into tray.
Reboot computer.
CD is already in tray so it should boot up.

ELSE

When booting enter the Bios and set the computer to boot from CD before harddrive (which is a good idea any ways).
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 03:27:57 PM
BIOS?

i just re-enabled my autorun, so that might help too.

what is the BIOS? and how do i get to it?

I have the choice of setup or boot menu
Title: Beginners guide to Ubuntu
Post by: dcole07 on March 14, 2007, 05:15:37 PM
I don't know if we figured out completely how to make a live CD work, so I will post this about it... no harm in over explaining.

# Download the latest release of Ubuntu
# Download and install Infra Recorder, a free and open source image burning program. You may not need it but I did because my computer can't make it bootable
# Insert a blank CD in the drive and select Do nothing or Cancel if an autorun dialog pops up.
# Open Infra Recorder, and select the ‘Actions’ menu, then ‘Burn image’.
# Select the image file, then click ‘Open’. (image file from step 1)
# In the dialog, click ‘OK’.
# Put the Ubuntu CD into your drive. (If it was taken out, or the CD drive opened when the Infra Recorder was complete.)
# Restart your computer. It should boot to your CD. If it doesn’t boot to the CD and instead boots to Windows then you need to restart your computer and go into your BIOS (not as scary as you might think) and change the boot order of your drives. Just make sure that your CD drive boots before your hard drive. When the computer restarts, you will see a logo of the company brand of your computer (Dell, HP, Gateway…) along with something saying F2 Setup or something similar. Press F2 or what ever it tells you to. Then find the boot order or sequence, then make ‘CD Drive’ come before the ‘Hard Drive’. Remember that companies do it differently, so if it says SATA Hard drive or anything else that’s a little different, it’s still the same thing.
# Select the first option in the Ubuntu menu that appears. It says something like “Start or Install Ubuntu.” That is what you came here to do, right?

... if you want to install Ubuntu, click on the install drive icon on the desktop and follow some steps. This goes for Dual boot too.

Gamefreak, about the BIOS... I would do Setup first. There is no harm in doing the wrong one, as long as you don't change something that shouldn't have been changed. Read though that 2nd to last #.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 05:58:59 PM
alright, i think the problem might have been that it wasnt burned as an image or something like that, i did it at school today and it gave me no options other then to just burn.

if this works, i'll be posting from linux :D
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 06:36:55 PM
alright.... im now looking at a funny looking OS

i think i got linux to run :P

thanks all, now after all this work i can download and use the simulator..... lol


now how do i install this thing....
i get this error:

Code: [Select]
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$ /home/ubuntu/Desktop/gazebo-0.7.0/configure
checking build system type... i686-pc-linux-gnulibc1
checking host system type... i686-pc-linux-gnulibc1
checking target system type... i686-pc-linux-gnulibc1
checking for a BSD-compatible install... /usr/bin/install -c
checking whether build environment is sane... yes
checking for gawk... no
checking for mawk... mawk
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes
checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... (cached) yes
checking for gcc... gcc
checking for C compiler default output file name... configure: error: C compiler cannot create executables
See `config.log' for more details.
ubuntu@ubuntu:~$
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 07:01:06 PM
Hi
when did this error show up( before/after the GUI, Did you type anything in, was the rest of the screen in color or black/white command line style.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 07:05:06 PM
ummm... i typed in the directory into the CMD and it happened,  what GUI? i never got past CMD, and the rest of the screen was normal linux
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 07:09:12 PM
did you download ubuntu from the web site. did you boot into a version of Linux and click an icon saying to install? was it still booting? did you see a screen going through different files and saying pass/ fail next to it.

Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 07:18:43 PM
do i have to install it?

and during install i have: Erase entire disk, or edit tables manually, i want to do it myself and not erase, correct?

since i dont want to wipe my hard drive im gussing i should take 4 gigs out of it, the program says i need 2 for the / and at least 256mb for the rest, so that should be enough, right?

But how do i set this up right... i dont want to mess my comp up
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 07:21:44 PM
Sorry probably should have asked first are you just trying to use the live CD or emulator.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 07:44:40 PM
live CD,
but now back to my NEW question(so many questions) if i was going to install it, i would take 4 gigs from my main harddrive, create an extension partition and put a 2 gig and the other amount, correct? or would this mess up my comp?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 08:01:27 PM
you can only make an extended partition if there is empty room on your hard drive.
In windows right click My Computer > Manage>Disk Management
towards the center it should show your hard drive (ie disk 0) on the right it should show if you have unformatted/not partitioned space.
if you do when you install Linux make sure that's where you install to (i think there is an option to format the largest contiguous disk space).
if not then you don't have the room to install Linux and doing so will probably erase windows and your other stuff.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 08:04:02 PM
alright, so until i install linux i cant do the simulator.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 08:14:34 PM
When you say simulater do you mean vmware?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 08:16:27 PM
no, i mean the simulator that this whole topic is about. its like the 5 post on the first page i think.


i dont think i have any unformatted/unpartitioned space....
it says: 47 MB fat(healthy EISA),144.32 GB NTFS(Healthy system), 4.64 GB FAT32(healthy/unknown)


i would think that since i have 16 GB free on my C drive i would be able to partition it and nothin would happen....
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 14, 2007, 08:23:29 PM
LOL all this linux talk I forget the main simulator problem.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 14, 2007, 08:31:30 PM
thats because we are still stuck on getting the linux to work, stupid obsolete 1 year old technology.

so can i not install linux and therefore not use the simulator due to the fact that there is no unused partition?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: hgordon on March 14, 2007, 11:28:06 PM
Gamefreak -

Do yourself a favor and stay with Windows.  If you don't have the patience to work through basic procedures such as installing and configuring the operating system, you don't have a prayer of configuring applications such as Player / Stage / Gazebo on Linux, where you may have to edit script files, compile your code, etc.  Unless you find someone local who understands Linux configuration and can give you a lot of support, you're just going to get a lot more frustrated, and it's painful to watch.

I really think you should let it go ... you're not ready for this.

Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 15, 2007, 12:13:53 AM
I think the point is that this is a Robotics forum. He should take his questions to the Ubuntu Forums, and then maybe the player/stage/gazebo forums. I wish I had the time to help out but I'm in the process of moving from Montana to Iowa and then starting a new job, so I can't be that much help at the moment.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 15, 2007, 07:16:07 AM
alright, then can we get back to the original question?

Quote
Is there any FREE simulator that has mass, physics, dynamics, and that sorta of useful stuff? The only thing i have found is Webots which seems to have it all but it is not free.....
and the simulator needs to be for windows.

Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: dcole07 on March 15, 2007, 03:27:18 PM
Did anyone suggest running VMware Server? It's free(not this runs Operating Systems and is not a simulator)! I was going to test it out but I have VMware Workstation and it had a spazzz... so it sounds like it could run a Virtual Server for you.

For Ubuntu... here is some install help if you still want it:
# When Ubuntu finishes booting double click the icon that says “Install.”
# It will take you through a few basic steps, getting information about what language you speak and what time zone you live in. Then it asks you how you want to install Ubuntu, either as a dual boot system or all by itself. If you want to completely remove Windows and put Ubuntu in its place just check the option that says something like “reformat entire drive” or whatever. Then click “next” and finish out the install process.If you’re desiring to dual boot with Windows XP then tell it that you want to manually edit the partitions (I forget the exact wording). When you click “next” you’ll see that there is currently one partition on your drive. Click on the big box and then look in the menu bar, click the icon that looks like an arrow pointing at a wall. Then click and drag that big box to make it smaller. Click on the gray box that says “unpartitioned” and then “add new”. You need to create two new partitions in this unpartitioned space. The smaller one has to be something like 2 Gigs. The larger one should just be whatever is left over. The smaller partition will be used as “swap” space (whatever that is.) The other larger partition will hold your Ubuntu install and will be used for the “/”. Just trust me.
# Assign each partition to a particular purpose. Remember, the smaller partition will be used for “swap” and the larger for “/”.
# During the install process it may tell you that you have not assigned anything to Partition #1 and you can either go back and assign something to it or not use it at all. You don’t want to use it because that’s where Windows is. Continue installing.
# DONE!

Side note: http://www.dell.com/linuxsurvey Looks like Dell is getting Linux!!!
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 15, 2007, 04:26:14 PM
about the installing, earlier in this topic i was told that if i dont have a free partition i cant do this, but it appears that i make a new partition during the install....

also how do i backup my computer without an external harddrive and be garunteed that when i make a new partition that it wont erase the backup...
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: ed1380 on March 15, 2007, 04:37:47 PM
I tried doing that^ and it didn't work for me, just messed up my pc. teh best thing would to get some cheapo hard drive and do all on it. there is always the chance of losing data when doing stuff like this
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 15, 2007, 05:43:53 PM
you need an empty unpartitioned space in order to make a new partition.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: JesseWelling on March 15, 2007, 06:07:22 PM
Generaly the best thing to do is make a partition in windows and put linux on the just made partition when you install linux.
I've never done it personaly (it's just what my friend says)because the hard drives of all the windows computers I've had get wiped out. Not that you should do this, especialy if you are just trying linux out for a project.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 15, 2007, 06:12:44 PM
I have found the easiest is that during the install there is an option to use the largest continuous free space. and that way i let Linux worry about the swap, root, and boot partitions.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 15, 2007, 07:18:59 PM
@sdk: i dont think i ever got that option, i'll try again after i compress/defragment/uninstall stuff on my harddrive to help the linux.

this is from the ubuntu forum
Quote
Before you try to do manual partitioning, make sure you defragment the hard drive from within Windows. Windows writes data all over the drive regardless of how much space is available, and if you don't partition, you can lose data and make Windows inoperable in some cases.

As Kobalt mentioned, http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/installing is an excellent resource for getting help with installation and configuration.

so i figure after i get it defrgmented then if i dont get the option it should be fine to manual partition
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Kohanbash on March 15, 2007, 08:09:00 PM
Hi
I think that you always get that message the screen I'm talking about is within the manual partitioning when you create the install area there is an option for that.

As i said if you don't have free room now than unless you reinstall windows or use a program like partition magic you still wont have room.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 15, 2007, 08:24:19 PM
my C: drive has over 40 gigs of free space, so i have plenty of room.... i think when the defragmenting finishes i should have up to 50 gigs and that should have a fairly large "continous free space" for the installer to use.

also if i was to back up my computer, i absolutly want my system state, but is there anythign else i absoulutly need?
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: dunk on March 16, 2007, 06:33:13 AM
guys, if you are having to ask questions about partitions, DO NOT consider trying to install linux on the same hard drive as windows unless you are prepared to loose your existing windows partition.
if you want to make the backups and try anyway you will get far more help by finding an online tutorial explaining dual booting. this is a robotics forum not an operating systems forum after all.

dunk.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 16, 2007, 08:12:05 AM
i joined the ubuntu forum to figure this out, so can we get back to the original question about a free simulator..... for windows
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: Steve Joblin on March 17, 2007, 12:37:16 PM
I realize that this is kinda like letting the horse out of the barn after the fire, but there is a good free simulator at this site... www.behaviorbasedprogramming.com

I suggets you buy the book as well...
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: gamefreak on March 17, 2007, 05:56:49 PM
that is a simulator... but i mean one that i can actually design the robot, that one is just a circle with sensors and i cant modify it.
Title: Re: Free simulator
Post by: lakenside on April 17, 2007, 09:59:02 AM
do not worry about free or not just download it and go to www.freeserial.com for the keys.