Liberation professional laser software - coming soon

[swamidog]

I am super curious how the abstracts will look too! No one has quite take the place of LSX yet for that kind of fun/flexibility.

Hopefully someone is able to bring a instance of Liberation to SELEM. ;-)

i've been working on tighter integration of LSX+Radiator. I'll show some stuff at SELEM, but that's a topic for another thread. Liberation does look quite interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing it in action.

[james]

It is surprising that the Mac version is done enough for beta but the Windows version isn't yet, considering that the name of it implies being freed from having to use that other big commercial laser display system that only works in Windows. As inexpensive as generic computers are that can run Windows or Linux, I would think the developer would have made sure there was a clear path to a working Windows app while testing it in Linux and Mac.

[cfavreau]

I don't know. I don't find it surprising. Even though Open Frame Works cross compiles there often times are issues with the platforms you did not develop on. Linux might be a closer match. Seb probably works on a Mac. He's only 1 person. Amazing job on it so far. Have you looked at OpenFrameWorks James? I have looked at it a bit recently. Pretty neato stuff.

[james]

No I have not looked at Open Frameworks. I'm not criticizing him. I'm just kind of surprised about his priorities. Windows is obviously the most popular target by a long shot. If it's supposed to be an alternative, it should certainly work on the same OS. I'm sure he'll figure it out. It's quite an ambitious project. That's for sure.

I will say that most of the people I know who communicate with me directly about my app seem to be using MacOS. But that's because they are mostly media artists who use audio devices to control laser projectors or crt vector displays.

(I have never owned a Mac!)



.

[swamidog]

It is surprising that the Mac version is done enough for beta but the Windows version isn't yet, considering that the name of it implies being freed from having to use that other big commercial laser display system that only works in Windows. As inexpensive as generic computers are that can run Windows or Linux, I would think the developer would have made sure there was a clear path to a working Windows app while testing it in Linux and Mac.

seb used the system that made the most sense for him to use. the OS it runs on is irrelevant to it being competitive with other systems that are windows only. if the software is good enough people will buy the hardware. there is no surprise here. i would love to throw my windows laptop away and use only osx.

[HankLloydRight]

Until about 6 years ago, I was 110% committed to the Windows ecosystem for all my development. Never even considered a Mac. Macs were for poets and artists.

But when I had a chance to inherit an old MacBook Air, I jumped on it just to expand my world, it was eye-opening.

Now I still use a Windoze box for my 'main' desktop and coding workbench, but I also have currently three MacBookPros I use for different tasks/needs.

• 17" 2013 MBP on my desktop next to my Windows box (maybe be replaced soon with a newer model)
• 15" 2015 MBP I've been using for running Beyond in a Windows 10 VM (which works perfectly),
• 15" 2021 MBP I use when I'm traveling (also running Windows 11 in a VM).

I also use these Macs to build my iOS and Android mobile apps. It really is the best of both worlds.

So if you have a chance to jump into the Mac ecosystem, I highly recommend it.

And as for Liberation, I'd love to be in the beta program but not for the cost of the lowest Beginner Patreon level.

[swamidog]

for sure.. not to start a religious war, but i love my macs and i'm excited to see laser software for them.

Until about 6 years ago, I was 110% committed to the Windows ecosystem for all my development. Never even considered a Mac. Macs were for poets and artists.

But when I had a chance to inherit an old MacBook Air, I jumped on it just to expand my world, it was eye-opening.

Now I still use a Windoze box for my 'main' desktop and coding workbench, but I also have currently three MacBookPros I use for different tasks/needs.

• 17" 2013 MBP on my desktop next to my Windows box (maybe be replaced soon with a newer model)
• 15" 2015 MBP I've been using for running Beyond in a Windows 10 VM (which works perfectly),
• 15" 2021 MBP I use when I'm traveling (also running Windows 11 in a VM).

I also use these Macs to build my iOS and Android mobile apps. It really is the best of both worlds.

So if you have a chance to jump into the Mac ecosystem, I highly recommend it.

And as for Liberation, I'd love to be in the beta program but not for the cost of the lowest Beginner Patreon level.

[buffo]

I'm just kind of surprised about his priorities. Windows is obviously the most popular target by a long shot.

I agree, although I suspect that he is a long-time Mac user, which suggests that it's not so much a matter of priorities, but rather that he simply started with the platform he is most familiar with.

He did mention that he tried compiling the software for Windows, but it still has some bugs that need to be worked out before the Windows version is ready. So I think he understands that Windows represents a larger market and will get there sooner or later. (Big question is WHEN.)

It's quite an ambitious project. That's for sure.

Indeed. I admire his courage in attempting this feat.

most of the people I know who communicate with me directly about my app seem to be using MacOS. But that's because they are mostly media artists

Yup. Lots more Mac users in the artistic community compared with the general population.

if the software is good enough people will buy the hardware.

I'm not sure I agree. True, the Mac seems to be wildly popular in artistic markets, but I wonder how much of that is due to the superior software vs simple institutional inertia. (If you go to an art college and everyone is using a Mac, you buy a Mac and become comfortable with it, thus perpetuating the cycle.)

I know that there are options in the Mac world for a wide variety of tasks that are superior to what I'm currently using with Windows, yet I've never seriously considered spending the money to switch platforms. Then again, I never went to an arts school either...

As for Liberation, I'd love to be in the beta program but not for the cost of the lowest Beginner Patreon level.

This is my main objection as well. Oh, sure, I could be a jerk and sign up for a month at the "Beginner" level, and then drop my Patreon support at the end of the month, but that seems dishonest. I'd rather have a set price, or a monthly subscription level that is more appropriate to my level of curiosity (call it the "Hobbyist" level) about this software. The current pricing is doubly painful given that I'd need the Windows version, which isn't even stable at the moment.

Another issue is that while I do try to perform at least one or two commercial shows each year, there's no way I'd be ready to start using Liberation for commercial work any time soon. I already have a ton of money invested in my existing hardware / software combination, and I'm not going to ditch all that without a lot of testing, learning, and confidence building.

So I'm really looking to get in at the "hobbyist" level (which doesn't exist), but because I do perform commercial shows, I feel morally obligated to pony up for at least the Windows User level, if not the Enthusiast level. And at $40 to $50 per month, even for just 1 year, that seems a bit steep for something that doesn't currently run stably under Windows and may end up as merely another cool item in my growing collection of hardware and software.

I'm honestly conflicted here. Part of me really wants to support this. And part of me says it's not worth it. Decisions...

Adam

[swamidog]

I
I'm not sure I agree. True, the Mac seems to be wildly popular in artistic markets, but I wonder how much of that is due to the superior software vs simple institutional inertia. (If you go to an art college and everyone is using a Mac, you buy a Mac and become comfortable with it, thus perpetuating the cycle.)
Adam

i didn't go to an art school and i spent a big chunk of my university time working in a computational molecular biology lab. i used sun sparc stations for work, and amigas for video.

the philosophy that macs are only for creatives is a bit silly, but if it is true, laser shows are art so laser software should be mac only.

[james]

The best possible solution is his absolute objective and that is to be platform independent. He will get there.