[digitalradio] Ham Radio Software Should Never Be Free!

[Andrew J. O'Brien]

I thought this article by G4ILO to be most odd. Andy K3UK   Should ham radio software be free? You may have seen my recent letter in the May issue of the RSGB journal RadCom, in which I criticize the RSGB for giving the society's 90th Anniversary Award to the authors of Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD). Let me make it clear that I was not implying that there was anything wrong with the HRD software, nor was I arguing that no amateur radio software should be free. However, the RSGB's award was allegedly given "for significant contribution to the development of amateur radio technology." HRD may be an attractively designed, powerful and well-supported piece of software, but it does nothing that other, existing software cannot already do. In no way does it make a significant contribution to the hobby in the way that, for example, the PSK31 software developed several years ago by G3PLX has done. I am afraid that the RSGB gave this award to HRD simply because it is free. If so, I believe that it is sending entirely the wrong message to both amateur radio programmers and users. Promoting their software in various newsgroups and forums, Ham Radio Deluxe authors Simon Brown and Peter Halpin have aggressively stated their belief that "ham radio software should be free." On their website (at the time of writing) they claim that they are against "so-called Radio Amateurs selling poor-quality software at exorbitantly inflated prices." This is both a gratuitous slur on commercial ham radio software, and an insult to those ham programmers who choose to ask for payment from those who use their programs. If a program is poorly-written and overpriced, people simply won't buy it. But that is no reason why those who develop software for radio hams should not sell it for a reasonable price. Not everyone is in the fortunate position of HRD developer Simon Brown, whose job as a business partner in a technical firm apparently leaves him plenty of time and money to devote to his hobby, or Peter Halpin who is retired and "able to devote copious free time to the project." The development of amateur radio software technology will not advance very much if the only people who write new software for the hobby are rich or retired people. Freeware is great, but amateur radio, like any other activity, needs a healthy commercial market to ensure the development of new products. We would not have all the radios and accessories we are able to buy now if it wasn't somebody's job to create them. The people who design and make radio equipment are mostly hams, and they earn their living from it. The dealers who sell radio equipment are mostly hams, and they earn their living from it. Why shouldn't hams who happen to be programmers be able to earn their living creating ham radio software products? Do those who run a business writing ham radio software deserve to be derided as "so-called Radio Amateurs" by Simon Brown and Peter Halpin? Most radio amateurs spend significant amounts of money on their hobby so it's not as if they need free software because they can't afford to pay for it. Most ham radio programs that are given away for free were written primarily for the author's own personal use, and shared with others on an "as-is" basis. It is pretty common with such programs that development ceases once the program does everything the author wants, and you will often not get much in the way of support either. The program is a hobby project, and like most hobby projects, once it is finished the author moves on to other stuff. The great thing about things that are free is that you always get more than you pay for. But you may not get exactly what you want, and if it is in no-one's interest to provide what you want, you may never get it, ever. It takes considerable time and effort to develop a complex program, and it demands continuing time, effort and resources to publish, support and update it. In a few cases, someone might do this as a labor of love, but mostly it only happens because someone can earn money from it. HRD's developers are apparently in the position that they can devote time and money on developing their software without asking anything from its users. That's nice for them. But by turning this advantage into a campaign against ham programmers who choose to charge for their software, they are making a rude gesture in the face of all those who are not so fortunate. They are also helping to foster a climate of expecting something for nothing that is bad for the hobby because it will discourage anyone who hopes to make money selling a program from entering the market. By awarding the society's 90th Anniversary Award to a software product whose most notable feature is that it is free, the RSGB appears to be supporting this. The day, Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu et al become non-profit organizations and start selling radios for just the cost of the parts, I'll agree that ham radio software should be free too. The K3UK DIGITAL MODES SPOTTING CLUSTER AT telnet://208.15.25.196/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/digitalradio/   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.