LinuxCNC running on Ubuntu 18.04 updated to kernel 4.18.12 with Preempt RT

I did the installation on the machine at the shop, had the problem with screen resolution and fixed that with a grub modification. I tried loading one of my config files, but got the error about changes in HAL and INI files and the routine did not fix the problem. Then I tried using stepconf to modify an existing config. I loaded one of my existing configs in stepconf, stepped through the pages and saved, and that now runs.
i can't remember if my configs were hand-edited so will compare the ini files to make sure that everything I thought i needed is still there.
I haven't tried cutting a new pcb, but the machine moves according to the code so it seems good.

One change I would like to make which is apparently an improvement with LinuCNC 2.8 is the display showing the work-piece and the tool paths is now covered with G-Code status. I had liked having only X,Y, Z and velocity. How can I fix this?

And lastly, this whole thing was so easy and the result so much better than trying to run 10.04, why isn't it the prime recommendation for folks wanting to run a newer flavor of Ubuntu?

I should add that I was unable to get the Nvidia driver to actually work. It says it's using it in the Software Update routine, but "nvidia settings" says it isn't. No big deal as resolution I'm getting 1078x768 is plenty good. Screen display is a bit jumpy though which I had thought might be cured if I COULD get nvidia driver to load.

jferguson wrote:
One change I would like to make which is apparently an improvement with LinuCNC 2.8 is the display showing the work-piece and the tool paths is now covered with G-Code status. I had liked having only X,Y, Z and velocity. How can I fix this?

On the View menu click on "show offsets"

thanks much.

You are welcomed, always.

jferguson wrote: I did the installation on the machine at the shop, had the problem with screen resolution and fixed that with a grub modification.

What did you use?

On the Buster VM running on my Mac the RTAI kernel will only go to 1152x768, which is a bit lump on a 27" 5k monitor.

This isn't a massive issue, as this is just a VM that I test things on. But I do worry that there is a glitch with that RTAI kernel.

I'm not at the shop, but will post what I did. They symptom was that the settings menu in ubuntu only offered something like 640x480 resolution. After a lot off googling, I found a suggestion that I do a couple of hardware lists referring to VBE in a terminal window, then change /etc/default/grub line that says #GRUB_GFXMODE="640x480" to best resolution found using VBE. and of course removing the hashtag, rebooting.

Like the view things in life that actually worked the first time, I cannot remember exactly but this page seems the right one.
linuxconfig.org/how-to-increase-tty-cons...-ubuntu-18-04-server