Hi

A friend has purchased a Sherline 4410 CNC lathe with computer (supplied with the lathe) running Linux. I am trying to help him get started as I know about Linux, but I know nothing about CNC. I need to understand the workflow. I guess the best way to understand is to ask some questions.

1) I believe the starting point is to write some g-code. Is that typical or would you expect to use a CAD package for that?

2) I've heard that the g-code must be compiled into machine code. Is that correct?

3) My friend was thinking of using Mach3 but I believe that only runs on Windows. Would LinuxCNC be a sensible choice?

4) Any other advice please? Such as how to use Windows for part of the workflow (he is more familiar with Windows than Linux).

Best regards

David