[linrad] Re: Linux Strikes Again

[<leif@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Do not blame Linux for the problems you encounter.
I suggest you try to install your favourite Windows XP
application on a 100MHz PentiumI.

Linux fits to a much wider range of hardwares but those
who wrote installation software packages have not made
installation easy on every machine - that is a compromise
because that way it becomes possible to install on more
machines.

If you want to have Linux easy, you should go for something
like Fedora 3 with reasonably modern hardware. Then the
install of Linux itself is trivial and not a bit more
complicated than a fresh installation of Windows from a CD
to a computer with a new, unformatted hard disk. Fedora
would not install on a Pentium I.....

It is quite another thing that Linrad and svgalib are not
stable softwares. They are in the development state and
going to Windows would just eliminate svgalib problems.
(After svgalib-1.9.21 this advantage is minimal)

> We could debate the merits of Linux for a long time.
> My simple mind just can not grasp it.
I think this is absolutely true for everyone.

> In my view windows is a straight forward system.
Now, this is absolutely incorrect. Windows as an operating
system suffers from the same problems as Linux but you do
not see it because the application programs are so much better.
There are established ways how applications should behave
under Windows and what you see is application programs, not
the internal secrets of the Windows operating system.

Under modern Linux, e.g. Fedora 3, you can get into their
graphical environment but you do not find so many good
application programs that have the inthuitive behaviour
you like so much. If you want Linrad for example, you
have to fight the operating system manually for the simple
reason that I am an old man and my programming skils come
from card decks with FORTRAN code and the first generation
personal computers where I could have my own operating
system. Good old CPM2.2 was only 10 kilobytes including
BIOS and all if I remember correctly..........

Linrad as an application program looks the way it does
because that is how I want to have it based on my experiences
with what is efficient in operating under difficult
circumstances. You will find some things working as you expect
(from Windows) while other things behave differently.

With time you will find other packages with the same
type of interference suppression - and better - but
today Linrad with svgalib is the only alternative. I am
sorry about that and I do my best to make it portable
even though my own interest is in developing better
processing algorithms and a good transmitter. Things
I have put on hold because the multi-threaded version
takes all my time.

> Linux on the other hand is in no way an intuitive
> instrument. There just appears to be no logic to it.
I do not think there is much logic in any operating
system. I think you have fallen into the Microsoft
trap of making it very unclear where the border line
between operating system and application programs goes.

> BUT, this is neither here nor there, as I am forced to
> deal with Linux if I want to try to get rid of some of
> this noise.
In the year 2005, yes. But you can use an oscilloscope
to find out if you will be sucessful and what radio hardware
you will need..........


73

Leif / SM5BSZ



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