Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] FCC creates obstacles for Open Source software radio
David Young schrieb: Do you think that the software that concerns the FCC is concerned with must reside in the radio? Sometimes the transmission parameters such as modulation, mask, and power are under control of the host computer. If the FCC's definition of software-defined radio encompasses software running on the host computer, then it seems that they have encumbered the development of open-source software for a broad category of devices, including most of the 802.11 radios on the market. I feel certain that this was not their intention, but I do not think one can tell by reading the law alone, and that is worrisome. What do you think? Such 'regulations' could very well be in conjunction with being very 'sympathetic' to certain business interests which could have a benefit of forcing any one in the competative set, to use a 'commercial' product at some level for their radio. Chip manufacturers have often stated they 'can't' publish internal specs which would allow developers to access the chip features to produce custom applications, which are within regulation, because of such rules by the FCC. And of course that ruling is publicly stated as to prevent someone, somewhere, somehow misusing the equipment... as if that was not impossible by the closure of the information at this level. Obviously this would get more so, when the 'chip' is replaced by a software defined radio implementation. John Clark. ___ Discuss-gnuradio mailing list Discuss-gnuradio@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss-gnuradio
Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] FCC creates obstacles for Open Source software radio
On Friday 06 July 2007, Philip Balister wrote: Found on /. I wonder how much Cisco paid for the words http://news.com.com/Feds+snub+open+source+for+smart+radios/2100-1041_3-6195 102.html?tag=nefd.lede Well, quite honestly, Cisco's only costs would have been the lawyer time and the filing of the petition. This action to me seems rather reasonable. The only software that the FCC is worried about is that which sets the radio's operating mode, emission mask, and transmit power. Given the FCC's well-known reticence to radio anarchy this is as much of a concession as could be expected at this time. Yes, I said concession. This is actually a relaxation of the interpretation of the rule; the FCC recognized the usefulness of open source in this, and intentionally narrowed the scope. The specific mention of amateur equipment (if you think of the USRP as a radio, it is amateur equipment; it is, however, marketed as test equipment (and the part 15 rules apply)) is a very good thing. Petitions can be filed to this M RO too, if the new rule isn't to anyone's liking. But is open source less secure, when the item being secured is 'how do I manipulate the operating frequency, power, and mode of this radio?' Discussion, anyone? -- Lamar Owen Chief Information Officer Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute 1 PARI Drive Rosman, NC 28772 (828)862-5554 www.pari.edu ___ Discuss-gnuradio mailing list Discuss-gnuradio@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss-gnuradio
Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] FCC creates obstacles for Open Source software radio
On Sat, Jul 07, 2007 at 09:29:37AM -0400, Lamar Owen wrote: On Friday 06 July 2007, Philip Balister wrote: Found on /. I wonder how much Cisco paid for the words http://news.com.com/Feds+snub+open+source+for+smart+radios/2100-1041_3-6195 102.html?tag=nefd.lede Well, quite honestly, Cisco's only costs would have been the lawyer time and the filing of the petition. This action to me seems rather reasonable. The only software that the FCC is worried about is that which sets the radio's operating mode, emission mask, and transmit power. Given the FCC's well-known reticence to radio anarchy this is as much of a concession as could be expected at this time. Do you think that the software that concerns the FCC is concerned with must reside in the radio? Sometimes the transmission parameters such as modulation, mask, and power are under control of the host computer. If the FCC's definition of software-defined radio encompasses software running on the host computer, then it seems that they have encumbered the development of open-source software for a broad category of devices, including most of the 802.11 radios on the market. I feel certain that this was not their intention, but I do not think one can tell by reading the law alone, and that is worrisome. What do you think? But is open source less secure, when the item being secured is 'how do I manipulate the operating frequency, power, and mode of this radio?' Discussion, anyone? I do not think open source is less secure. Commercial software is developed under enormous time pressure for very narrow purposes by teams of developers that are oftentimes insulated from outside ideas and criticism by corporate secrecy, IP paranoia, and the not invented here syndrome. The narrow purposes of commercial development do include best performance for the price on the market; they do not include show how our security measures can be defeated and our equipment exploited to interfere with television broadcast. There is less time, and there are fewer persons for finding defects in a commercial development than in open-source development. Developing out in the open exposes your security measures to the diverse purposes of a wider segment of companies, of hobbyists, of academic researchers, and---let us admit---of bad guys. In this way, I believe an open-source community will detect more security problems in a product before a firm sends it to market than if the product had survived the scrutiny of one firm's developers alone. Dave -- David Young OJC Technologies [EMAIL PROTECTED] Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933 ext 24 ___ Discuss-gnuradio mailing list Discuss-gnuradio@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss-gnuradio
[Discuss-gnuradio] FCC creates obstacles for Open Source software radio
Found on /. I wonder how much Cisco paid for the words http://news.com.com/Feds+snub+open+source+for+smart+radios/2100-1041_3-6195102.html?tag=nefd.lede Philip ___ Discuss-gnuradio mailing list Discuss-gnuradio@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss-gnuradio
