What else do you run on your shop/CNC computer. Internet, games????

[blackhollowmfg]

I'm just curoius if you all are running anything else on you CNC computer? Does running another application like a game, Microsoft Office (or similar), or the internet interfere with the CNC operation? I have nothing else hooked up to mine, but have an extra UBS wireless antenna that is collecting dust. It would be nice to have an internet connection in the shop, but I wonder about having it on this computer or if I should just keep bringing the laptop into the shop on those long nights?

Thanks,
Bob

[massajamesb]

I am unfamiliar with Torchmate's latest software setup, but I do know that my software runs under Windows, and anything that detracts from the Cnc controller will stop movement.
Most softwares rely on the computers' processor for step pulse timing, and the more applications that are open, the less processor you have available. My software uses an external pulse timer, but even so, I can't run other apps while cutting. I think the Flashcut you use has an external pulse timer, but still don't think it would work too well.
Now I do have other applications on there such as my CAD and CAM programs, but I try to keep all my cut files and drawings off of the computer, and just save them to small flash drives. I want the cnc side to have all the memory it needs.
Perhaps you will have a different result than me.