LinuxCNC 2.8.0 is released.

I am pleased (and a little relieved) to announce the release of LinuxCNC v2.8.0

This release has been a long time in development. The main new feature, the separation of joints (actuators) and (cartesian) axes has been in development since around 2010.

This is one of the biggest updates to LinuxCNC ever. The changelog can be viewed here: github.com/LinuxCNC/linuxcnc/blob/2.8/debian/changelog

Highlights include:

* Joints-axes separation - mainly obvious as much better support for gantries and their homing but also for robots and any other non-cartesian system
* Reverse-run - negative feed-overide will now reverse along the previous path - introduced for wire spark eroders, but I am sure you will find other uses.
* Multiple spindle support - up to 9 spindles
* Tool table expanded to 1000 tools
* Packages available for Raspberry Pi 4.
* External offsets and Extra (not controlled by G-code) joints. - G-code is not the only way to move things.
* QTvcp: New QT-based VCP framework
* QTdragon, QTlathe, QTtouchy, QTscreen - new GUIs based on QTVP
* Silverdragon: New gscreen based GUI
* plasmac: New full-featured Plasma cutter controller - with integrated THC and a whole lot more.
* Massively expanded and improved Spanish translations of documentation and manpages
* New Chinese translation of the "入门" (Getting Started) documentation. 

Installable packages are available for Ubuntu Precise and Debians Wheezy, Stretch, Jessie and Buster (including Raspbian). Support for Ubuntu Lucid has ended.
At the moment most supported platforms only work with the preempt-rt kernels. There is an experimental 64-bit RTAI kernel for those needing it. We hope to mainline this soon, but help would be appreciated. 

More details of how to update here:
linuxcnc.org/docs/2.8/html/getting-start...dating-linuxcnc.html

For new installations, or to test-run the new version and OS on your existing hardware without committing to an OS upgrade use the ISO images and process described here:
linuxcnc.org/docs/2.8/html/getting-start...etting-linuxcnc.html


Many thanks to the following contributors, and to anyone else who has submitted work or code to the project.
Alec Ari
Alexander Brock
Alex Joni
Alex Wigen
Al Smart
Andrea Ricchi
Andrew Kyrychenko
andypugh
Anthony Barney
Anton Midyukov
ascurtis
Balestrino
bebro
Bence Kovacs
Benjamin Brockhaus
Benjamin Weis
Bernhard M. Wiedemann
Bertho Stultiens
blazini36
Boris Skegin
Brian Hicks
cascade256
Chris Edwards
Chris Morley
Chris Radek
Colten Edwards
Curtis Dutton
Daniel Rogge
david
David Shore
Dewey Garrett
Eduard Kachur
Edward Tomasz Napierala
Ernesto Lo Valvo
Florian Kerle
Gergely Nagymate
Hannah Lau
Håvard Flaget Aasen
itai
itaib
James Waples
Jan Mrázek
jasen
Jeff Epler
Jim Craig
Jin
j.m. garcia
Joe Hildreth
John
John Kasunich
John Morris
John Thornton
Jon Elson
Kim Kirwan
Kurt Jacobson
Lars Bensmann
Les Newell
loopsun
Lorenz Neureuter
Lubomir Rintel
Luke Peterson
Mark Andrew Gerads
Markus
Mateusz Konieczny
Matsche
Michael Geszkiewicz
Michael Haberler
Mick
Moses McKnight
MrFouFou
Nicola Quargentan
Norbert Schechner
Oleg Pryadko
peter wallace
Phillip A Carter
Phillip Carter
pippin88
Rene Hopf
Rick M
Robert W. Ellenberg
rolf
Rudy du Preez
Ruoxi Wang
Rushabh Loladia
sam sokolik
Sam Sokolik
Sebastian Kuzminsky
Sergey Alirzaev
Solitarily
sphasse
Stephen Wille Padnos
Sync
Tero Kaarlela
Thomas Burkhard
Tom Schneider
Trần Ngọc Quân
tseufl
TurBoss
Will Glynn