DXLab Does Not Support SmartSDR v 3

Dave AA6YQ

mlstutler

Mike,

I am certainly not cheerleading for any one.  I rely on DXLab.   There is no incentive for me to upgrade  other than curiosity / support for Flex.   Now there is a reason not to upgrade since I wont be able to use DXLab with 3.0.  If the situation changes I will probably upgrade.   

K3SF

Steve K9ZW

Don Agro

Thanks Paul, but since the Flex SmartSDR V3 API (MultiFlex) is not upward compatible with the V2 API - Third party applications like MacLoggerDX and dogparkSDR will not operate with SmartSDR V3 (MultiFlex) until they are re-written to support both the V2 and the V3 APIs at runtime or split into multiple versions for each API Version.

73 de VE3VRW Don Agro

Dave AA6YQ

It is to the advantage of a corporation seeking to be profitable to provide an API that that enables 3rd parties to develop complementary products. Such complementary products expand the total available market for the corporation's products, increase the perceived value provided by the corporation's products, and enhance the corporation's brand -- all at modest cost to the corporation (develop/test/document/maintain the API, communicate with the 3rd parties).

The above is true independently of whether the complementary products are free or paid-for. 

Pat N6PAT

Dave AA6YQ

Pat, that's exactly why I posted the "DXLab does not support SmartSDR V3" message on the DXLab Discussion Group.

I'd guess fewer than 10% of DXLab users are members of that group; hopefully those Flex users who aren't members of that group will see this thread.

Al_NN4ZZ

Software deprecation is a strategy that is often used in situations like this. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation It provides a path and time (often years) to upgrade to the new function calls. Maybe there were reasons not to take that approach either. Al / NN4ZZ

N8FNR

Me too. I was going to buy V3 when it comes out. Now I am going to wait until this all shakes out. I am not going to use my 6400 without DXLabs.

Mike VE3CKO

K3SF

Don and Dave

I wish you all the best on working with Flex to make it all happen.

I do understand the difficulty encountered when API's do not remain compatible over revisions. But with problems come opportunities to excel. (That is what my mom would always tell me)

I think this may make a perfect 'opportunity' to provide an abstraction layer to minimize similar impact in the future. OR i am totally off the wall.

in either case...
good luck in making it all happen for us your faithful users.

Paul K3SF

Dave AA6YQ

Developing an abstraction layer to bridge the V2 and V3 APIs would cause all 3rd party developers to stop working until the abstraction layer was developed, tested, and documented. At this point, the same effort could likely re-work the V3 API to be upward compatible with V2.

Of course any 3rd party developer who's already done the work to move to the V3 API would be unhappy to have to rip up track, and Flex may be unable to tolerate additional delays in V3 at this point.

Jon_KF2E

K3SF

Dave AA6YQ

Thanks Jon, but I don't accept donations.

Pat N6PAT

But why was this not disclosed in this forum sooner? FRS must have been working on V3 for a long time. How did this come as such a surprise to everyone? Why now on the eve of the new release?

I would think that such a change that renders widely used software packages useless in the new release would have been communicated to the user community long ago.

Burch - K4QXX

Wow, I am glad I read this thread.  If V3 does not work with Dogpark, I will definitely not be purchasing V3 until it works with DogparkSDR.

Kevin

Dave AA6YQ

Pat N6PAT

I just think that someone , probably FRS, should have been more proactive in communicating this to the user community so customers could make a more informed decision regarding V3. 

The first I heard of this was from your post. There would have been quite an uproar had this not been known until after upgrades were purchased.

Thank you for the heads up and thank you for a fine software package.

N8FNR

DXLab, CWSkimmer and fldigi will be show stoppers for me. I use these all the time.

Ross - K9COX

Houston (Austin) , we have a problem

VK7WH Winston

Is it possible that the reason we haven’t heard anything from FlexRadio is because their Software Engineers in Austin are “heads down, bottoms up” trying to circumvent this issue, so that they can demonstrate Version 3 running with, say, DXLABS at Dayton? It certainly would be a master **** if they could pull it off. Sometimes it pays to dream. Fingers crossed Winston VK7WH

ZENKI

Having a strategy for attracting, retaining, and nurturing 3rd party developers is not something you do when you have time. Companies that depend on the 3rd party community are focused on the relationship all the time. So, it is irrelevant how busy the FRS developers are.

Steve-N5AC

N9VC

I, for one, appreciate everything Flex has accomplished.

73, Jim N9VC

Lionel

Thanks Steve. Great explanation.

Pat N6PAT

That's a nice explanation but the question remains (unless it was answered in all that) will DX Labs , Slice Master and CW Skimmer work with V3 when it is released or not?

Mike_N1MD

I have the same question. The answer is the crux of the issue.