GrblController or UniversalGcodeSender programs with tinyg 8

GrblController - No, as far as I know.
UGS - yes
Also CoolTerm for basic tinyGV8 control and setup.

What OS are you running? Windows?

Have you reviewed

https://github.com/synthetos/TinyG/wiki/TinyG-Configuration-for-Firmware-Version-0.97

and other Wiki items?

I can see the picture.

What Software am I looking at - don't recognize it?

I had never tried UGS, have seen comments that "it" works.

You are trying version 1.0.9.
I just tried it on Linux, got about as far as you did.

What host OS and Java version on your system?

I have no great suggestions , perhaps another user swill stop by

I just brought up UGS-daily build on Win10 with java 8 installed.
Connects to my tinyGV8.
I can jog, see lights flash on tinyG, position status updates,

UGS-daily also running on Linux running openJDK 1.8.0, similar results.

But commands like $ or $$ don't display anything.
Not sure why

I also tried sending an old Gcode file.
The Gcode Visualizer running, seems to be progressing very slowly (relative to Chilipeppr), but Visualizer tracking progress.
Interestingly, the Machine Status window not tracking X Y Z position.

I don't have motors actually connected to this tinyG, I am just watching the Motor LEDs flash.

Still fiddling

One additional item - UGS works MUCH better with tinyG flow control set to $ex=2, RTS/CTS. You have to use CoolTerm to do that.

The process of sending a Gcode file, and the Visualizer, seems to work OK.
There are a lot of functions that don't work or don't work completely.

I could find no way to do Setup from within UGS (such as set parameters, display parameters with $, $$, etc.)

So you have to use CoolTerm or similar for management functions.
UGS does seem to send Gcode with progress trace capability