--- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, "Andrew J. O'Brien" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > 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. >
... As a professional software developer, I also have a somewhat uneasy feeling about free software and I have no problem with paying money for good software, but I do object to being asked to pay for second- rate code. I have spent a lot of time exploring amateur radio software and settled on HRD because its currently the best around, not because it is free. If the authors chose to charge a moderate price, I would certainly have no hesitation in paying up. I use HRD primarily for rig control and logging - for that, it leaves the competition standing. The PSK functionality is not bad and I do use it sometimes, but it is not a major consideration for me. I use HRD with a Kenwood ts2000 - I tried the commercial Kenwood rig control software and it really cannot compete - I was actually given a pirate licence key for it, but still did not load it! I have looked at the evaluation copies of MixW and have come close to purchasing - it is pretty good, but I would only use it for PSK (I use a Pakratt for RTTY and packet) and I think it is a little overpriced for that alone. I did start building my own software, implementing the best features drawn from a variety of other packages, but life really is too short for that and it is currently suspended. If I ever get round to completing it, will I give it away? Probably, if anyone is interested in it - as soon as you start taking money from people for your code, you are required to support them and that is a real pain! The market for amateur radio software really is too small to bother with commercially, even if there were no free competition... Martin (G8FXC) 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: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
