API's missing

[ArcEye]

Issue by mhaberler
Wed Apr 2 19:56:40 2014
Originally opened as machinekit/machinekit#99

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API's should cover programmatic access to core functionality, optionally remote

The core component interfaces currently are:

• HAL library: local, C++ and Python - no remote access
• halrmt: deprecated, unsuitable for programmatic access, poor code
• linuxcncrsh: a telnet interface, unsuitable for programmatic access, poor code
• schedrmt: based on linuxcncrsh, supposed to be an improvement over same, completely undocumented, no known uses, poor code
• the linuxcnc Python module: local access only, covers only a small subset of NML messages
• raw NML bindings: C++ only, limited remote access (no known uses ATM), very restrictive formats and use
• Web UI: there is a start with emcweb, with all the downsides of NML behind it.

Axis UI interfaces: axis-remote: specific to Axis and tkinter. Not a general API.
Others: none known

Problem: programmatic/remote access to LinuxCNC is currently utterly inadaequate.

[ArcEye]

See machinekit/machinekit-cnc#35 for full text, this is a copy header only.