NM9P's idea: dockable, programmable buttons for functions

In his post about the ARRL DX/SSB contest, NM9P suggested:

"A dockable panel of programmable buttons that I can define for my most-used functions so that they are only a single-click away. (RX ant, TX ant, Swap Slice, Toggle active slice, FAV bands, filter selection, etc.)"

I think this is actually a pretty radical idea -- one of those unforeseen new modalities possible with an SDR like the Flex.  It means, in effect, that the 6000s would have a very simple-to-construct, user-definable / software-defined interface. Other radios (e.g., Elecrafts) have a pair of programmable function buttons, which are very useful. But Ken's idea goes much farther - program *all* of one's frequent functionality into an interface panel (or panels?) of one's own design. If the panel included other modalities besides buttons, (sliders, "radio buttons", who knows) it could be amazing. Make the rig look and feel like you want it to, to an extent. The beautiful 6000 hardware is just a back-end server on a shelf somewhere at the end of a cable. SSDR is 'just' a toolkit, a UI/functionality server to the panel(s).  One would be operating 95% of the time from one's own panel, from an interface optimized to one's own needs and functional patterns.

(In a sense the 6000s already do have "a user-definable / software-defined user interface" if one wants to program an app to the ethernet/API spec as K6TU has done and others are doing. But Ken's idea is a lightweight user-centric approach.)

If SmartSDR is as modular as we all hope it is, this "shouldn't be all that hard to do" (programmers' lament  .

- Les, W9XC