About the community
The industrialNETworX Community Platform combines knowledge of network technologies with the people who use them. A platform on which developers, product managers and users can ask questions, exchange experience and initiate joint projects.
It is also a source of basic technology like protocol stacks, test and configuration tools or schematic which you can use to build a network interface for all different types of industrial networks.
All programs are available in source code which you can use free of charge under the "industrialNETworX Public License" (we call it from now on INPL). The programs are running directly on the network controller family netX under the real-time-kernel rcX. That is what Hilscher can supply and that is what we can support. But the programs are using a HAL interface to access the hardware and a well defined interface to the operating system which you can use to port it to other hardware or operating systems. There is no legal restriction in not doing this.
We are convinced that netX is the best network technology because it covers all networks and it is a complete solution easy to use. You can figure this out and if you have questions regarding netX we will assist you. If you have question to other controllers or other operating systems we hope there will be someone else who helps you. We invite everyone to do this by using the Community Platform.
We want to make it clear that we do not provide Open Source software. We have to respect the clear Open Source Definition which we can not fulfill in all details. With the industrialNETworX Public License you have to accept the third party rights of the network technology provider and the rules of the official user organizations, you have not to publish any changes or make a license note if you using the software in your devices, but you get the source code and you can use it free of charge. You only have to make a reference to this website if you publish the source code. With these we are more liberal as some Open Source Licenses, easier do understand and work with. It meets the requirement of the automation market.
Of cause we would be really happy if you help us to improve the quality of the software, implement more features or port the protocol stacks to other operating systems and uploaded it back onto the Community Platform. Doing so we will offer you a side box where you can place your services or a reference to your homepage.
If you have any ideas about improving the Community Platform, subjects which we should address or a project on which you are interested please let us know and participate on the Community. We would be happy to follow you with the reasonable budget we have and the industrialNETworX Community Platform will be successful and well known in the industrial communication arena.