As a customer and basically an appliance operator, I think that the great appeal of the Flex radios is a break away from the status quo of boxed, "this is it" radios. Having made that great understatement, that is what starts the consumer, Joe Ham, into the "I must have this" mentality that pulls us away from everything and into the new world of SDR. For most of us who have lived with MS since the 80s, we are in that transitional phase of selecting the computer to operate a 5000A to give us the greatest control and freedom with the radio and to deal with the awkward Microsoft movement from XP to Vista. In my case, right or wrong, I selected a Vista machine in the form of a Sony Dual Core 2.2 gig processor and 2 gig RAM, dedicating the machine primarily for running the Flex. All the Telpac, Airmail, Office tasks on other machines. Once the Flex Radio turns into it's own computer and interface then it's a high quality radio like the others that can be upgraded. As Rob says, most of us enjoy a little different journey. With all the hair pulling, messaging, and experimenting, it's the toy of my ham career and I'm loving my 5000A. So far it's been relatively smooth sailing and mega fun. Most of my snags have been with the computer, which has always been the case in computer driven ham radio. Nothing new about that and I love that challenge.
As far as the Apple Flex and the Unix Flex, etc...I cannot comment. I could go off on a rant about the PC and about Microsoft all day and it wouldn't change the world. I started saying the Serenity Prayer about 4 years ago and it's helped a great deal. I am just enjoying the fact that the Flex5000A gives the end use the options of computer hardware, PowerSDR version, settings to work with the computer, screen size to fit price/needs, and personal preferences in all areas. This is the system of the future as generic radios become a thing of the past. 73, Dale W4NBF ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <flexradio@flex-radio.biz>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, December 23, 2007 10:25 PM Subject: Re: [Flexradio] Vista Installation Oddities > Hi Frank, > > Reality is that Research must be free to explore and find new solutions > to customer needs. Production development must sustain the business > based on return on investment. Successful Corporations some how find a > way to balance the two. Passing a solution from research to development > is like transferring a sailor from one ship to another in a hurricane. > > The obvious solution is to make the research solution the production > development solution. An ideal seldom achievable. Each must have a > different balance between freedom and responsibility. > > Based on it's business model, each Corperation must find it's own R&D > model. FlexRadio is very unique in that it has a unique and free cadre > of research and development folk to draw on. How far this model can be > pushed, time will tell. The volunteers that like to work on the > bleeding edge are like scouts. They like to live dangerously. Scouts > are fascinated by Linux and Erlang. They are researchers. Explorers > follow behind the scouts and clear the wilderness, put up cabins and > occasionally fight indians. They are developers. These guys will convert > Linux and Erlang to what ever provides the biggest ROI. Settlers are > appliance customers and folks with profit and loss responsibility. > > If Flex is to be sustained as a viable (even if non profit) organization > then it will need appliance customers. They are the bulk of a small > market. > > If your business model is based on the 5000C style then details such as > language and OS are hidden from the user, choices can be made on one set > of parameters mainly performance and functionality with ease of > maintenance/reliability thrown in. Do research in Linux and Erlang. Do > development in Linux and Erlang. ( Don't forget if one day Erlang isn't > supported the development must be done again.) > > If your business model is based on the 5000A style then you don't want > language and OS to be a limiting factor for a customer making a purchase. > Do research in Linux and Erlang. Do development in Functional C and > Functional Windows or what ever M$ creates. > > If you business style is a mix of styles then the A style rules. Likely > can't afford to carry two implementations. > > Because some of the flexers are scouts and explorers, you will have > some customers who will always want to run a Linux/Erlang (research) > version. This would be terrific. > > I think a very public involved research program suits Flexradio's SW > world. As Flexradio succeeds, I'm not sure of the publics roll is in > production SW development. My guess production SW development will have > a paid professional core supported by volunteers. > > Well, best I can do Frank and probably too wordy. To paraphrase Mark > Twain, "If I'd only had more time..." Flex of course will have to find > it's own way. I only hope I can add a bit of my experience along the > way. > > I for one, am sure Flex will succeed and will help any way I can. > > vy 73's > Rob > AB7CF > > > > > > > > > > On Sun, 23 Dec 2007 18:08:31 -0500 "Frank Brickle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > writes: > On Dec 23, 2007 5:24 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > This will come sooner than later. Yes it's fun to play with Linux and > Erlang. Yes L & E will provide a lot of understanding for the inevitable > programming of PowerSDR in Functional C for Functional Windows. In the > mean time please for the sake of us FlexRadio supports don't get confused > about the end result. Also, please don't start a lot of rumors which > might limit a budding market. > > Is there a reality-based point in here somewhere? > > 73 > Frank > AB2KT > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: > http://mail.flex-radio.biz/pipermail/flexradio_flex-radio.biz/attachments/20071223/44526c7a/attachment.html > _______________________________________________ > 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ > FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/ > > _______________________________________________ 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 Knowledge Base: http://kb.flex-radio.com/ FlexRadio Homepage: http://www.flex-radio.com/
