Ralph (KD4GW) wrote:
>The real reason for this bitch is......Hey DOS is nearly dead how
>about a windows program. I know this is sensitive to old computer
>users BUT in a short time DOS will NOT work. What is to be done
>then. I still love you Tree, but it is time to get this program
>into the 21st century.
As one who has written a number of fairly large and involved DOS
programs, including several, like TR, which depend upon system TIMING
in order to accurately send CW, I must state that making the switch
from DOS to a Windows-based operating system is NOT all that it's
cracked up to be. And in many instances, what you're asking for in
NOT merely a simple "well, let's just 'port' the program from DOS
to Windows and be done with it" proposition. Making the switch from
DOS to Windows can often require a COMPLETE top-to-bottom of the
software, e.g. you start with a completely clean slate and go from
there.
If you have a cadre of programmers at your beck and call, to do all
the grunt work of software conversion, it's usually a LOT easier to
accomplish this task, because YOU can maintain your focus on keeping
the troops happy with adding new features to the EXISTING program
while the new version is being developed. However, if you are the
SOLE author of the software, you now have to divide your attention
between two programs (maybe three or more, if you also have to hold
down a job as well, as Tree does) and STILL keep the troops happy
while you do both maintenance AND development. This doesn't even
address the ppossible need to have to LEARN a new programming
language, or at least to learn a new programming paradigm, such as
having to go from whatever programming method you originally used
to Opject Oriented Programming (OOP), which seems to be the most
currently popular method. This can be a MAJOR shift in the thinking
method of the programmer, and can take a MAJOR amount of time to
get your head turned around about 720 degrees before you can even
think about doing really productive work.
And, so far, I've not even addressed the TIMING constraints which
are presented by Windows programming, which are not presented by
DOS. Sometimes, without a LOT of 3rd party coding support these
constraints can require a significant amount of time to address and
overcome.
Yes, there are times I'd acknowledge that it'd be nice to have a
'moderm' logging program which ran in Windows, but I'm not sure
that it'd be significantly better than TRLog as it stands now.
If we could financially support Tree in the manner to which he
has become accustomed (as a result of the paycheck he receives from
his employer), maybe he could quit his paying job and devote all
of his time to writing nothing but TRLog code. However, I doubt
that this will happen.
I'm thrilled to have TRLog and I'd be happy to boot from DOS
each and every time in order to use it. If, in the future, Tree
can see fit to convert the progrmming over to Windows, then good
for him... AND for us. Otherwise, I'll just keep my DOS boot disk
handy, so I can still use it when the need presents itself.
As I've always said:
Nothing's too difficult for the person who doesn't have to do it!
73 to all,
Tom Hammond N0SS
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