With ASCOM now having become the de-facto standard allowing the
interconnection of mounts, cameras, domes, etc.. it allows you to do
just that. For my automated goto system to work I need the following
software to be able to run simultaneously and share information: Maxim
DL, ACP, dome controller, FocusMax, Robofocus, PinPoint, MaxPoint,
SkyMap Pro, Starry Night Pro, The Sky, etc. This collection works very
well together thanks to (free) ASCOM. Sadly, I can't intergrate Guide8
into the chain as it doesn't know, and can't command, where the mount
is.
If all you need is to just couple your mount and planetarium program
together, for visual work, then you don't need ASCOM ... provided the
software supports your particular mount.

You can read all about, and download, ASCOM at http://ascom-
standards.org.

Bernard

> What additional advantages would people be expecting if Guide
> were "ASCOM friendly"? Is it just that Guide doesn't support some
> telescopes for which an ASCOM drivers exist?