With the imminent death of Linux support, and the death of Windows 10 on the horizon, I have a very hard choice to make; do I shell out cash for a new PC that runs Windows 11 for my shop area, just so that I can stay on the latest version, or do I convert my existing PC to Linux and end up stuck with 1.7 forever?
To make this decision, it would be very helpful to know where Lightburn is going, and what features I will be missing out on in future releases (both 1.7 and beyond). Can you share you roadmap for planned features and improvements?
I would be very surprised if this also meant the death of Lightburn compatibility. If I remember right, Lightburn can be (or could be) used on Windows as far back as Win7. I have a Dell i7 SSD machine that is not Win11 compatible, but I am not worried.
Iām sure Lightburn will continue to work on and support Windows 10, but Iām /incredibly/ uncomfortable having anything on my network running Windows 10 in general after support ends. If the machine has internet access (which my shop PC needs), it puts it in a very vulnerable position.
Even Lightburn would need a crystal ball to answer thatā¦
Any proper answer would have to come from the development people who are likely enjoying their weekend. And youād need to be more specific as to what youāre asking.
LightBurn v1.8 and the initial release of MillMage are targeted to support:
Windows 10 (1809 or later)
Windows 11
Mac OS 11 or newer
Windows 7 will likely no longer work at all or have issues (remember, MS killed Windows 7 support 9 years ago so this was bound to happen sooner than later)
The change in supported operating systems (beyond Linux in general) is caused by a move from Qt 5.15 to Qt 6.5 for which you can see the OS support details here: Supported Platforms | Qt 6.5
Thanks, Adam, I appreciate the response! I was more interested in actual features, though, and not specifically OS support. Are there any specific feature suggestions or new things that you have on your release roadmap and/or plan on implementing?
In other words, Iām pretty happy with Lightburn as it is today and donāt immediately see a compelling reason to re-up my subscription once it expires. I imagine thereās all sorts of awesomeness that you have planned for the future, however, and knowing what it is might convince me to upgrade my PC and renew my subscription.
Hey, quick follow up. I didnāt realize there were multiple views on the feature suggestions page. The āplannedā and āstartedā tabs were exactly what I was looking for. No need for additional static. Thanks!
I too am very happy with Lightburn and it does way more than I know how to use. But as a previously employed developer, I view the annual āupgrade feeā differently. Even if there are no improvements useful to me coming down the pipe, Lightburn still has to support the current releases. I also know 70+ hour workweeks are the normal, so the per-hour pay is not that impressive. In other words, I will keep paying the annual cost to keep them in business.
As a currently employed software developer, that comment is a little cringy. If the folks at Lightburn are really working 70+ hour weeks, thatās unfortunate. Iām happy to discuss my thoughts on the rest, but Iām new here and donāt know if itās appropriate to do so in this venue.
Bottom line, I really appreciate all the effort the folks at Lightburn have put into the product. Iāll renew my subscription if and/or when it makes sense.for me.
Not sure I know what this means, but no matter. If the current version lasts you for 10 years, that is okay (I hope Oz does not blacklist me for saying this).
