Hi all,
While I agree that TT probably should not release source code for the Orion
firmware to
the F/OSS community, how about releasing a hardware spec that the F/OSS
community could
code to? Granted the schematics for the Orion have been released and it *may*
be possible to
garner enough info to figure out how to program the thing, why not just release
the
specs needed so that we could write the software ourselves? Considering the
sheer amount
of resources in the F/OSS community the Orion could have a very long life
indeed! While
the software would no longer be TT software or even TT derived software,
if/when TT
decides to stop updating the Orion (as it apparently has with the RX-350 and
Jupiter)
that new firmware upgrades could continue to be produced via the F/OSS
community.
73
Harry Reed, AB7YF
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tommy" <aldermant@alltel.net>
To: "Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment" <tentec@contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 22:31
Subject: Re: [TenTec] Orion vs SDR-1000
>/ Of course the Orion firmware is not and probably never will be open/
>/ source./
Thats good.
But it sure doesn't cost Orion users very much!
>
>/ Tommy - W4BQF/
>
>
>/ At Tuesday 06:12 PM 8/30/2005, you wrote:/
>/ >/
>/ > > SDR-1000 is a big plus with few negatives. You get faster/
>/ > > development (more man-hours of development and test), faster/
>/ > > bugfixes, and lots of creative exchange among users &/
>/ > > programmers all for minimum cost to the manufacturer. TT and/
>/ > > other vendors, take note!/
>/ >/
>/ >By definition, the "value" of an SDR is going to be in the software, and/
not
>/ >in the diminishing number of hardware bits that front-end it. Software,/
as
>/ >protected Intellectual Property (IP), is where the value is. I agree/
that
>/ >there's value in open source. It's a place for experimentation and/
>/ >innovation. Ultimately, it's value-less if it's free, and that puts SDR/
>/ >vendors out of business unless the open source eventually becomes closed/
and
>/ >proprietary, and therefore has value as IP./
>/ >/
>/ >Flex is using open source (read that as free volunteer written software)/
to
>/ >add value to their hardware modules. You get half a radio at something/
more
>/ >than half the price, and for now the entire back-end part of the radio is/
a
>/ >PC, soundcard, and free software. As Flex's "half" shrinks where are/
they
>/ >going to make a dime? The user community isn't suddenly going to be/
happy
>/ >about having to shell out several $000 for the FlexPRO software release,/
but
>/ >if that doesn't happen, the Flex will forever be a tinkerer's radio, even/
if
>/ >an interesting and fun one ..../
>/ >/
>/ >Grant/NQ5T/
>/ >/
>/ >/
>/ >/
>/ >/
>/ >/
>/ >_______________________________________________/
>/ >TenTec mailing list/
>/ >TenTec@contesting.com/
>/ >http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec/
>
>/ _______________________________________________/
>/ TenTec mailing list/
>/ TenTec@contesting.com/
>/ http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/tentec/
>
--
Harry W. Reed | Never ascribe to malice that which can
doon@infoscientific.com | adequately be explained by stupidity.
+--------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
"Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims
may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons
than under omnipotent moral busybodies, The robber baron's cruelty may
sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who
torment us for own good will torment us without end, for they do so with
the approval of their own conscience." - C.S. Lewis, _God in the Dock_
+--------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
"Truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than the arguments
of its opponents." -- Sir William Penn
+--------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
If the assumptions are wrong, the conclusions aren't likely to be very good.
+--------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
When people start to comment on the form of the message, it is a sign that they
have problems accepting the truth of the message -- ???
+--------------------+--------------------+----------------------------------+
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