Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] Why Isn't GNU Radio Used More?

[Stefan Gofferje]

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On 05/09/2011 08:59 PM, Marcus D. Leech wrote:
> I think you (tangentially) touched on an interesting point.  Many users
> come to Gnu Radio expecting it to be
>   "A turnkey application to solve my radio problems".  They don't really
> get that it's a *development* platform
>   for *developing* SDR-based radio applications.

Well, at least I look at it kinda like an IDE. And of course I don't
expect my final software solution to bit shipped with the IDE. But I
kinda expect the IDE to start up and let me work with it :).

> Python was a choice that was made a long time ago.  I personally might
> not have gone that way, but that was the choice.
>   In fact, I learned Python *precisely because* Gnu Radio used it for
> "glue code".

Yeah, probably because you are one of those crazy
used-to-suffering-Linux-types :). Like me and others :). See my point? :)

> These days, much of the infrastructure that the Python code glues
> together is fully accessible to C++ programs as well, so
>   you don't have to learn Python.

As I said, I'm no engineer, so somebody should maybe look at the
question if engineers learn C++ or rather some other stuff.
I remember vaguely that in school's occupational orientation week some
25 years ago I touched some weird languages for some hardware stuff -
don't remember details though.

About the rest...
Marcus, I'm rather happy with GNURadio now. I AM one of this
used-to-suffering-Linux-Types and now, as I found the beginning, I'm
gonna continue using it - not to a small part thanks to you and your
off-list help.

The original question was "why isn't GNURadio used more?"
I was trying to give some input to this topic.

I think, the way the community addresses the issues that new users have,
will in the end decide if GNURadio gets more popular or not.
Do you say "We do it so because we always did it so", "Well, it is as it
is, live with it" or "changes are too much work" or do you try to make
it happen?

I think, GNURadio doesn't only have potential in academic fields. I find
GRC so easy and intuitive that I could very well imagine it to be some
educational tool. Combine it with a low-cost limited hardware and you
can have kids learn engineering and RF basics in a very convenient way.
It also has the potential to become a leader in the HAM-radio world. I
have seen some commercial HAM-radio SDRs and their software is usually
very nice and colorful but lacks a big deal of GNURadio's flexibility.

You just have to make it a bit easier and a bit more convenient for all
those not used-to-suffering-Linux-types :).

Btw - as soon as I got reasonably deep into stuff, I'd be willing to
write a few docs or howtos as my time permits.

- -- 
 (o_   Stefan Gofferje            | SCLT, MCP, CCSA
 //\   Reg'd Linux User #247167   | VCP #2263
 V_/_  Heckler & Koch - the original point and click interface
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