All started here OpenHDSR

Well, the software side discussion is very interesting.
I should vote, speaking from the usability side, that I would prefer a
two folded model, Client - Server. Both to run on the same PC, as Piece
of Computer, or not, as the X-11. Yes sometimes they comeback.

It is a long message and I am not writing in my native language, thanks
in advance for yours patience.

What I mean thinking since now to a fully digital integrated model
containing the GUI down to the SDR HW, is that we need some strong
pivot points to be able to make the grow of ours child much more a model
build up than a blob up of him.

A premise. For some time to come we would need a strong interfacing
between ours currents variegated data application, even for the CW and
for phone. But after that first time, some "years" to come, we would
have such as N1MM application and all the things around that models well
integrated inside a single GUI. An not only it, let me envision the
whole plethora of applications that would have big advantages using the
SDR worlds to come: digital modes from RTTY, PSK, up to packet modes
framing to others. Embedded data/voice modes could have then their
times. The intrinsics of SDR could be a big advantage for all those
things, well resident inside ours small "audio" channels or even with
smallest bandwidth. BTW, also some bigger bandwidth modes now to come
could have some advantage by ours work, as it was before.

The future, right into and between this future and ours now-today we
should have an interim periods well extended or not. Today needs are
quite well depicted inside POWERSDR(TM). A strong user GUI, able to
spawn several homework, and not only, projects. A great CAT setup, able
to match ours current programs, logger and so on. But a monolithic
design, like POWERSDR(TM) is, isn't the beast approach to grow up to the
time and to more sophisticate hardware as we could have. The
expensivenes of this HW is another story.

A set of simple and high repetitive operationa could be run on
specialized hardware, this is part the radio in SDR. Perseus and other
commercial or now HW clearly demonstrated this. It could be done with a
FPGA, but it also could need some more power ... a 2004 QEX article
featuring a digital radio board with some integrated "mini"CPU could be
useful. Here will be the data manipulation and it will receive commands
and controls for this lowest level functions, not too much complex
commands and controls I think

A set of not so repetitive functions, all equals to the each one before
and after, more math intensive and user commands prone could reside in
a so called Server. This would have a specialized high speed low
arbitration headache/overhead "bus" with the SDR HW module. It also have
to drive, somewhat flawlessly, another "bus" to single or multiple GUI.
For X-11 this was the Client and here you have had the control for the
mouse. A well known set of casual movements and repetitive functions
mixed together. The order of the function wasn't casual but ordered as
by "sets of functions" instated by places, movements and so on geometry
recognition. Even at some meaningless looping states of theClient the
mouse was still responsive and working as to give the right "command and
control" sensation to the user.
The GUI or Server must have interfaces to the Server, a seam;es
communication interface for data, commands and controls. Multiple GUI
Server application both residing on the same user machine could
interact, limited by hardware capacity with the Client. The master data
processing, RF to numeric - SDR HW, would be still unaffected by this as
it resides on the "radio" and is working to the, let me say, 100 fold
the GUI ability to use this data. It's a matter of fact, nobody could
drive at the right speed. push it up and use it as it is needed.

The whole picture ... let me try to make a picture in words ... not so
easy but feasible with yours patience.

- Ours waves - the RF environment -

> HW BOX - damned good for RF, Sherwood and other teach here, and fast
for data I/O translation or transliteration - HBOX - What inside? A big
enough FPGA < <> fast lane, just 2 users, minimal control - on off start
stop check OK or NG - timing well knows - small set of commands and
controls, almost machine generated, on separated lanes (or much faster) >

> Client BOX - CBOX - damned good to communicate and pre/post process
data forth and back - CBOX dedicated computing platform - some sort of
general purpose CPU helped by more specialized data mangling machine
(integrated on the same die why not), user command tags translation in
atomic commands to himself and to the HW SDR < <> seamless standard lane, multiuser, slow data flow, delay
and congestion treatments, big commands and controls almost user
generated - timing well known >

Server BOX - SBOX general purpose computing box/platform - display, user
commands tags (just another set of outer world translation table, serial
interfaced to outer worlds (loggers, CAT, Pkt Clu., PA?, unatomized
commands and controls ) {great effort to translate those to CBOX "and to
HBOX", strict control over it, internal translation routine} interfaces
to plugin digital modules, any current or viable/future digital modes {a
different set of more atomized command tags, each module must be SBOX
aware, SBOX libraries - well know} - responsiveness timing well known

Well I don't clearly stated, by the language, by expressions or by
space, all my view, but that's all for now, I made enought noise. Since
we have to think a picture like this, call it Jeff or Jim, it would be
better to make it step by step from the start. Even making all
monolithically, but having well in mind that there will be a place or
two to folds and cuts. Just to be ready for the "next generation"
software we need and that even this will not be the last. There is a lot
more to write or state but I think this should be enough, i.e. not to
speak only of perils and frills about compilers. I don't hate compilers
but any of it don't gain enough point to make a match, it seems.

Sorry for the waste of bandwidth , but my hope is to be somewhat useful
and not only to clarify it by myself, HI. If I am wrong somebody would
correct me, as for example with X-11, I am working from memory. If it
mean nothing to you forget about.


73 de iw1ayd Salvo