That is how I too will go except not worrying about it being off-line. LightBurn is at a really nice point with lots of editing and design capabilities along with materials library feature, camera, etc. Fantastic software which will work well for many years.
But the “no longer supports Linux” flag will turn away those entering the field or looking to stop dealing with Windows crashing, virus scans changing settings, or updates in the middle of engravings and the like. Schools and Universities won’t use LightBurn for Linux without support and likely not commercial customers.
And then there’s also the discontinuation of MillMage for Linux. No way off Windows for Vectrics users now. Kiri:Moto is fantastic but it’s an easier ‘sell’ when they trust LightBurn and know MillMage is by LightBurn Software.
Just add me to the growing list of disappointed Linux Lightburn users. I drive my laser with an older laptop that cannot run Windoze. Add to the fact that Windoze is pushing advertisements, crazy Copilot snooping every screen, forcing using MS accounts and of course, those unscheduled updates. I was planning my escape from Windoze to Linux, but this hurts.
Well, on the plus side, I will save a few dollars per year not renewing my license.
I’m sad to hear that linux support is being sunset. While I certainly understand the business decision which has brought us to this point.
I would ask that the lightburn team at least consider trying to have their software be functional through wine via Lutris or Bottles. This would perhaps be an easier approach to supporting Linux without heavy development/packaging overhead.
lots of people do understand it but usually when something goes “unsupported” it also means it might not work for very long for some reason or another. GRBL is pretty solid but there are many new variations( 32bit ) going around since the 8bit stuff is limited and who knows when Ruida will change their firmware…
So there’s still stuff to worry about and be disappointed in since it might run for a billion years just that it might not be capable of talking to the hardware then.
If they give us a working 1.7 package today and don’t touch it, why wouldn’t it work in a year or two? If it stops working, it’s only because of a problem with your hardware. Either you fix it yourself or you look for a distro that will run it; ) The selection of distros and derivatives is large. Windows XP has no support and still sits in ATMs and is run on Linux in a virtual machine
I don’t understand why they would bother with this? Wine and this type of emulation is a tricky topic. Everyone should mess with wine on their own equipment and not expect someone to do it for you. They will create a solution for Wine, which will work for one person, but for another, they will start wandering around wine distributions and versions because it doesn’t work, and again, there will be great outrage. Out of curiosity, I tested Wine and, for example, Photoshop CC worked, but Corel didn’t want to, and I didn’t even delve into why.
Interesting since Corel once did what you were recommending not to do. Not only did they ship a Corel Linux distribution but they also made sure all the Corel Office apps worked on Linux through WINE. Right up until they settled a lawsuit with Microsoft which required Corel to stop making Corel Linux and supporting their apps on Linux. I guess the new owners of Corel didn’t support WINE either.
I didn’t advise against it. I think that we should mess around with Wine on our own side and not burden people who have their heads full of ideas on how to develop the application and not deal with Linux or Wine for some users. Of course, I say this from the perspective of a hobbyist. I understand the irritation of people whose business is based on Linux, but this is life and it often kicks us. Linux Corel is an old dead project
Hi,
is my first post too. I don’t understand like you.I agree with you. I think that is the difference here is between a Linux user and a real root. They’re using Linux like windows, and the result is the problem that Lightburn Developers have now. I read the message that Lightburn send me and I have no issue with this. No .deb or .sh ? Just Mac or windows? Ok so I will run a VM with a (beurk) winstufftscarrything. No problem when you are root. It’s the price to pay for using Lightburn is ok for me. It’s an excellent soft, I like it and so it’s ok to have a little VM to make it work. Real Linux Users know that: not all soft on these planets is available for Linux, and so sometimes you have to use a workaround. That’s not a issue.
Just the message for the license is not clear. I will check out this with the support.
So go ahead, guys: continue to add good features to the soft. That’s your job, and you make it well.
You make some good points on the principal of “If you want something you have to be willing to enter an arrangement with the provider of it where you help to support it in some way, preferably with $$$.”
Fair enough. But isn’t that what we’re doing when we purchase a licence and pay (optional) maintenance fees?
This is beyond disappointing for me, but I won’t go on about that. I do understand your dilemma, and even though I have just recently found LightBurn and made the decision to purchase a licence based on its excellent operation on Ubuntu, I still plan to buy the licence when my trial expires. That’s my “vote” to continue supporting Linux, even though it looks like it’ll be a wasted vote.
You mention you may resume support for Linux if the demand justifies it. How do you plan to measure that perceived demand? If we Linux users are given some insight on this question, we’ll know which doorbell to ring, if know what I mean. Personally, it would be worth it to me to pay a higher license fee – if it costs you more to support it, that would justify charging more for it, wouldn’t you say? I can’t speak for everyone, though. And I guess it would also depend on how much more you think it would be worth to you to continue supporting Linux.
Thank you for all you’ve done so far. At least I have something I can use to keep my business running for now and the foreseeable future, and that’ll give me time to find other alternatives if/when it comes to that.
I have already made a comment about the loss of LInux but there are a couple things I’d like to know. I bought a licence a month ago, when is the last Linux update due? I don’t want my money back, if it covers up to 1.8. I want to be able to download the latest versions. Will my purchase cover those updates?
To be clear, Linux will be supported through the end of the 1.7.x releases and will no longer be supported started with v1.8.0.
v1.7.0 is slated to be released at the end of August. But we usually have a few bugfix releases, such as 1.7.1, 1.7.2, 1.7.3, and so on. ALL of those will also support Linux. Note, those are truly bugfix releases only and will not include any new features.
Whatever version of 1.7.x we release prior to v1.8 coming out will be the last LightBurn release to come with a Linux build.
v1.8.0 release date is unknown but likely to be late 2024 or early 2025 at this point.
A couple suggestions if you go back to supporting Linux someday.
Put your foot down and only support the distro(s) you say you will support.
Make it clear what distro(s) you support. Don’t bury that information in a FAQ that no one reads until they have a problem. Put that distro info on the download page at least.
Your software is great and I will continue to use and upgrade it. I have it on 2 computers. Desktop Linux for design and another one running Linux to run the laser. Is it possible to just output the code (GRBL) from ver >17 to a file that the Linux computer could upload to the laser and run? Save me from having to buy windows for the computer that runs the laser.
Hadn’t heard of Millmage before reading this thread… I use CamBam for CAM processing, and that is available for Windows, and Linux (32 and 64bit). According to Andy, the developer, he is intending to continue supporting Linux
This is disappointing. While I understand the reasons behind this decision, it is still unfavorable. I believe Linux represents the future for many users, and this decision feels like a significant step backward. Many of us use older hardware to run our lasers and CNC machines (as I do). I have two new systems set up in my shed running Linux Ubuntu. Needless to say, I’m not pleased with this decision.
I recognize the amount of work involved, but why exclude Linux as an operating system? Why not select just one distribution in consultation with your Linux users? Why is Linux considered inferior to Windows and Macs? Is it simply because it has fewer users?
The Linux market is rapidly expanding and will grow even faster in the near future. Therefore, I think you are making a mistake by forcing your (paying) Linux users to switch to Windows or Mac. This is very disappointing, to say the least.
when you are root. It’s the price to pay for using Lightburn is ok for me. It’s an excellent soft, I like it and so it’s ok to have a little VM to make it work. Real Linux Users know that: not all soft on these planets is available for Linux, and so sometimes you have to use a workaround. That’s not a issue.