SmartSDR v1.4

KM6CQ - Dan

It would be great to have SmartSDR v1.4 by December 25th.

Dan 

Lee

ONLY! if it's really ready.....and fully tested/debugged

Lee, KC9CDT 6500

James Whiteway

While I agree in principal with your statement Lee, software in general is never fully tested/debugged. There are too many variables that can create problems where there were none during testing and debugging. At some point, you have to release the software to your users and be prepared for problems and issues as they arise.
I have had some experience in that area in the past and from that, I know that no matter how much testing and debugging you do, someone, somewhere will have issues that the developers never imagined or the testers never encountered. That's just the nature of the beast.
It then becomes a matter of timely fixes and updates. No software with a wide spread group of users
and a large variety of computers and configurations can possibly anticipate all potential problems.
Sometimes it's the end user's computer and setup that is the problem and others it's the software itself.
   So, I said all that to say, that I'm looking forward to v1.4 as much as everyone else. And hoping that it shows up soon. BUT, if it doesn't, that is not a huge problem. I can work around the limitations of the current version fairly well. Where I cannot, I use my Yaesu FT-1000MP MKV.
james
WD5GWY

Walt - KZ1F

In my humble opinion I think FRS should take all the time they need to deliver as solid of a 1.4 release as humanly possible. What I don't want to see is another 1.3.8. Personally I didn't see any show stopper problem with 1.3 that needed an emergency point release. Apparently others did. I had a long conversation with Steve on this very subject and appreciate some of the reasons they do what they do. I don' t necessarily agree but (being I've been doing software development and architecture for 43 years) I understand what the dynamics are. Going back to 1.3.8, there were several that vocalized having to regress back to 1.3 as 1.3.8 was "sufficiently broken". There are more that silently regressed to 1.3. I came very close myself. I would actually applaud FRS rethinking it's road map. Again, in my humble opinion, it is way superior to under promise and over deliver.

Walt - kz1f

Jay -- N0FB

No matter who the developer is, no matter how much something is tested, it is likely that some bugs will remain.  This doesn't reflect on testing methods or testing personnel.  It is just the reality of complex software development.

Andrew VK5CV

I want good enough as soon as possible. Perfection takes way too long.

Andrew

Steve-N5AC

There was a lot of work done to incorporate remote audio into v1.4 -- work that we would generally call "surgery" due to the amount and locations of the code.  Almost all of the work done to add features to v1.4 was completed probably a month ago and we are currently embroiled in testing and fixing issues related to adding all the new code.  While we'd like to get v1.4 out by the end of the year, but we'll only release it if we see that it's stable and relatively free of defects that could affect operational capabilities of the radio.

KM6CQ - Dan

Thank you for the update Steve.

Happy Holidays,   Dan 

Jay -- N0FB

Thanks for helping to set expectations. 

Walt - KZ1F

Thanks Steve! Good to hear. Happy Holidays to you, your family, the staff at FRS and their families.

James Whiteway

Someday soon, someday soonnnnnnn !! (just kidding, keep up the good work Steve!)

Tony Hateley

why,microsoft have been doing it for years

James Kirk

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth and world peace.

James Whiteway

Steve, will the new code changes effect Flexlib? Like maybe a new version?
Just curious.
james
WD5GWY

Tony Hateley

So the earlyist it's going to be is the end of year glad someone has said rather than all this speculation

steve smith ka1sdr

first October then end of November now maybe by the end of the year i sold my 5000 for this and 9 months latter is not half the radio my 5000 was i should have waited another year to buy the 6500 my bad

Jon_KF2E

Guess I can stop refreshing the community home for a while:(

Jon...kf2e

George KF2T

Thanks, Steve! Just like with the hardware development, waiting will no doubt be worth it! PS - My 6500 isn't half the rig my old one was. It's many times MORE.

steve smith ka1sdr

i hope so i really hope so

Walt - KZ1F

As some of you know, I've had my less than glowing moments on here. Having said that, I'd rather see anything ship be worth the wait than shipped out just to meet some arbitrary date. Writing software isn't like baking Brownies (or Thanksgiving Turkey) you don't put it in the oven, set the timer for 3 months and ship when the buzzer goes off. And, yes, in the absence of a formal declaration from FRS, I'd go with it will change the FlexLib source.

It's a very true statement about what is called the Golden Triangle in software development. You have resources (people), features, and time. Given resources are fixed and promised features are fixed, time HAS to float. What I've argued is let resources and time be fixed and let features float. Where some here are, um, bent on features then expect it when you see it. There is another truism I learned working summers in college, from a sign at the greasy spoon we had lunch at. "People don't remember when I've done something right and don't forget when I've done something wrong". Lets everybody take a breath and let FRS do something right.

Walt - kz1f

[Deleted User]

That is why I sold mine. October . . . November . . . December . . . January. When ??? Just wanted something that works. K3 will be here next week.

steve smith ka1sdr

i here ya, thinking about listing mine going to seriously consider it

Jon_KF2E

Good, cheap, fast. You can have any two but not all three. If you want it good and cheap, it won't be fast. If you want it good and fast, it won't be cheap. If you want it cheap and fast, it won't be good. It's a golden rule of most projects. Good, Cheap, Fast...pick your two.

G4YDO

12 months though is a  bit of a joke.......

DrTeeth

There has to be some better way of giving info on releases than one chap saying in about a month then another one says a month after that if all goes well. Maybe best to say nothing? It's a difficult call.

I think the atmosphere on this topic will change markedly, and not for the better, when people would have actually paid $199 for the next major release rather than having the current releases effectively for free.

Jon_KF2E

Not sure I understand? I've had my 6500 since February and have had 2 major updates. I'll likely have had a third before I've had it a year...all free. I'm not sure what you are looking for but we aren't going to get everything everybody wants in a single update...or ten.

Jon...kf2e

James Whiteway

I think 1.38 was only a couple of months ago. So, 1.4 coming at the end of the year, isn't too terrible. And given that it appears that it involves some major changes within the radio's software, if it does show up by the end of the year or earlier, then, things are not that bad. As for the paying $199.00 for it. That won't happen til 2.0 actually is available. So, unless you prepay, it's not an issue either.
   The reason I asked about Flexlib changing is because it will be interesting to me, what new features that will show up in the API's that I can try and mess up!! (well, hopefully not!)
Given my feeble coding skills, that should be fairly easy!
(glad no one is waiting for me to complete anything)
james
WD5GWY

[Deleted User]

How about something that just works 100% . . . Its not about new features.

James Whiteway

Jon, unless you were given your radio for nothing, the software wasn't free. It was in the price of the radio itself. Updates for the version you have up to V 2.0 are included in the price of your radio. Once they bring out the next FULL version (2.0)
instead of an incremental update, then, you will have to pay for it if you want it.
(but you knew that already) And as I understand it, even after v 2.0 arrives, if there are still bugs/issues with the previous version ( v 1.x) they will still provide free updates and fixes.
james
WD5GWY
 

Walt - KZ1F

First of all, I know I will regret hitting submit on this but..

Steven, nothing is free and nothing works 100%
I seem to recall software updates for the first year were to be free, after that there would be an annual charge. Not having gone to Dayton I do not know what the latest morph is on on-going support. Think of your car, your home, your anything, after an initial period support/maintenance is not free.

What differentiates FlexRadio from Yaesu, Kenwood, or whatever, is in the later category, you got what you bought, there was no illusion it would be different the next day. With Flex, most people bought a vision. Some people had a more realistic vision than others but it was still a work in progress. It still is.  

The radio does work. From the northeast I've nailed the South Pacific.

DrTeeth

I bet those that pay for v2 will expect those releases to be given some degree of priority over v1 fixes. I include myself in that too.

I realise the software is not free, but when something is effectively free (which is what was said above), it means that one does not pay extra for it and one does not get a discount for refusing it...a bit like wheels and tyres on a car.

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving.