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[on:]

Just a heads up,a new version of the fantastic flowchart based programming software flowol has just been released, this release allows the software to connect to the arduino displaying real time out puts and allowing control from the software, well worth a look.

www.flowol.co.uk

[Reply #1 on:]

It's just a copy of the old PIC logicator simulator:


Which in my opinion still looks like it performs better (mind you I've never tried Flowol but I've used logicator a bit some years ago).

There have been many copies of this type of software over the years so apart from running with arduino, what's different?

[Reply #2 on:]

For more information on Flowol's support for the Arduino, take a look at the short video we've just put together here:
http://www.flowol.com/InterfaceArduino.aspx

Flowol has been in use (mostly in an education setting) for many years now.  It was the first major flowchart software to introduce on-screen simulations (called mimics) which are great for teaching how flowcharts work before getting to grips with the hardware.

To try Flowol, head to http://www.flowol.com/Flowol4.aspx and sign-up for a free trial download.

Best Regards,
Anthony Bowker

[Reply #3 on:]

It was the first major flowchart software to introduce on-screen simulations (called mimics) which are great for teaching how flowcharts work before getting to grips with the hardware.

Was it?

Reading about Flowol 2, I can't work out when it was produced but logicator has been around for rather a long time now and so have the simulations.

So... what's different?

[Reply #4 on:]

Flowol was released in 1995 initially for Acorn RISC OS computers.  It built on the Trol and Montrol products that we had for the Archimedes and BBC Micro.  Mimics were first added in Flowol 2 about a year later.

I think you are confusing the two Logicator products, the Soft System you show appears to be from the Logicator software which supports control boxes, not the PIC Logicator (now called Logicator for PIC and PICAXE) which is a separate product targeting PIC and PICAXE.  Flowol and Logicator are entirely different products, independently developed.

Clearly the pertinant feature for readers here is that Flowol now supports the Arduino and so provides a programming option for Arduino users.

I am not an expert about Logicator, but some of the main distinctive features of Flowol 4 are:
1. Flowol has a straightforward user interface for building the flowchart: lines automatically route when drawn, multi-stage undo/redo.
2. Flowol supports a wide range of control boxes (e.g. the new fischertechnik ROBO TX) and microcontrollers (e.g. Arduino and PICAXE) all from the same program.
3. Flowol's mimics use 3D animated graphics giving a realistic simulation. (I believe that Logicator uses either 2D graphics or video clips).
4. Flowol supports advanced features such as multiple mimics and interfaces.

As always, you should try for yourself.  Flowol 4 is available for PC and Mac, details can be found here: http://www.flowol.com/Flowol4.aspx

[Reply #5 on:]

Well thanks for the info - that sounds about right.