IGNORE THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN.
User space drivers, behind Vista layers and layers of bulk and protection of digital media rights, is possible. It is just awful so why would we do it? I have a strong opinion. It is my strongest possible opinion that for the future, Flex should build stand alone radios running Linux on the computer inside the box and then we can support the control/GUI on ALL machines as add ons to the stand alone radio which more capability, etc. The radio performance will then not be harmed by XP, Vista, 2000, Windows 98 or even ME and 95. We can have a GUI on ALL of them. This to me is the best of all possible worlds. This is typical of the enterprise model these days. Servers running Linux AND sometimes Windows Server (but Linux is doing very well in the server market) and here, the desktop is typically Windows. Linux has penetrated the desktop market very poorly. It is just too much perceived work for people to be sysadmins on their desktops. To me, it is just something new. Ubuntu is busting their humps with Shuttleworth's billion to make a difference and I hope they succeed. Until we break the mold of Linux always playing catchup to the hardware and software that Microsoft orders built, I perceive this will always be the case. It is my heart felt belief that this is Microsoft's approach. Constantly be the leader given their huge share of the market and force all others to play catch up and stay one step behind. Until this is broken, we are doomed to follow MS. BUT, with this radio, we can break a large part of that paradigm. If we follow this distributed, the developers can all run free tools to their utter delight and be free from 666 land: Redmond, Wa. This has been Frank's model as the chief architect of the software model since day 1. We compromised (rather I presented Frank with a fait d'accompli) which I believed was necessary for the survival of Flex. It has survived and is thriving. Now, we are going to do things in a revolutionary manner, supporting Frank's vision. There is no Windows, linux, OSX, XP, NT, 98,95, etc. controversy for the future. We are using them all and using them where appropriate. After we have the radio running either stand alone with a Linux box in it (or in the case of SDR-1000, by it) we can then work out the delivery of audio across the room, across town, across the planet. It will simply be a different connection for the Linux box, running jack, providing the ultimate in audio service and delivered to the registered client managed by the erlang core. CAPTURE THE VISION. Do not be trapped by your standard view of radios. This is a revolution and one for the betterment of all of radio but especially ham radio. Bob Cowdery has given you a glimpse as has John Melton, Edson Pereira, Leif Asbrink, etc. They have all used SDR cores as stand alone tools. Melton and Pereira and now Cowdery have become masters of wrapping these core processes with other things to deliver the end service. Leif Asbrink is delivering audio, etc. over IP/LAN's. We can do this too officially. And we should. With your SDR-1000 and the SDR-X,Y, and Z, you are about to be able to break out and fly beyond the traditional view of radio. I hope you will think of the radio as a computer service when we are done. You will still have your fancy console but it will be capable of so much more. I think we can get there with DttSP, GnuRadio, and more all talking to Flex Radio hardware, USRP, HPSDR, Quicksilver, AMSAT satellites, SoftRocks, etc. This really is the goal behind the distributed computing and the reason for learning a new language designed expressly for this purpose. I want the revolution and I want it now and I want to be a leader in it with my friends pushing, pulling, arguing, and helping and yes, even your complaining and support are aids. It is my opinion, we are about to realize the promise of all of this and to leave the lack of imagination from Asia and their (primarily US) competitors well behind us. Happy New Year Bob N4HY Brad A. Steffler wrote: > Re: Bob McGwier's post: > > With the advent of the twisted /trusted computing /and the DRM signed > driver requirements as well as new > hardware requirements for Vista compatible boards, we may be in deep > weeds in the future. The great strength of Software Defined > Radio can also be its Achilles heel, if Vista is any indication. The > radio could be held hostage to Microsoft's dictates. > It appears, near as I can tell, in this convoluted (to me) scheme of > Microsoft's that we WILL be held hostage to the > whims of Microsoft with increased costs and loss of freedom to use our > computers as we see fit when we install > Vista. > > The philosophy behind SDR is individual flexibility and freedom by using > infinitely configurable software to be the "guts" > of the radio. The use of software allows almost infinite flexibility. > This presupposes that the OS and the hardware (PC) > itself is constructed/made with no "built-in" restrictions. When we get > hardware and software requirements that add > such restrictions, the law of unintended consequences will really > increase the complexity of our systems in the future > and potentially severely limit our options. Development costs for both > software and hardware could potentially soar, > making our SDR's as, or more, expensive than the rigs competing with SDR > (such as IC-7800, etc). > > Maybe I am crying wolf here. But if I am not, the conversion of SDR to > Linux is of paramount importance. Dependence > upon Microsoft/Apple may be a severe mistake for SDR for the masses. > > My wife just promised me an SDR, and other goodies, early in 2007. Now I > am not so sure... > > What do Eric, Gerald and the others think? > > Brad > KE4XJ > > > _______________________________________________ > FlexRadio mailing list > FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz > Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ > FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com > > -- Robert W. McGwier, Ph.D. Center for Communications Research 805 Bunn Drive Princeton, NJ 08540 (609)-924-4600 (sig required by employer) _______________________________________________ FlexRadio mailing list FlexRadio@flex-radio.biz http://mail.flex-radio.biz/mailman/listinfo/flexradio_flex-radio.biz Archive Link: http://www.mail-archive.com/flexradio%40flex-radio.biz/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/
