Originally Posted by PyroEvil  opensource and free software package |
Open source is a much larger idea than no $. I'm sure you're aware of this, but the distinction is important. Ruling out free proprietary software narrows the field considerably.
Samco gave you the answer for the control. I'm also an EMC2 user. There's no denying Mach3 is a true bargain at approx $149 however.
Open source 3D CAD is very limited. Open source 3D CAM is near non-existent
afaik.
There is a discussion going on the emc-user-mailinglist on this topic currently. One user was having good results with Salome
http://www.salome-platform.org/home/...tion/overview/
The CAM software recommended was FreeMill. FreeMill is not open source unfortunately.
On the topic of rebooting between operating systems: I don't. I run XP in VirtualBox. Files created in XP are simply moved to a shared folder.