[TenTec] Open Sourcing Firmware...

[Darrell Bellerive]

This would be great to see. I suspect that the reality will be that the 
firmware contains some algorithms that are intellectual property of 
Ten-Tec or other companies.

Ten-Tec will not want to release some of their algorithms as they will 
consider them trade secrets; Especially if these algorithms are also 
used in their military products.

Any code they licence from third parties, will be subject to the licence 
agreement and most likely will have restrictions about releasing code.

There is a compromise solution. Much of the firmware code will be 
routines used to read controls, control the hardware, and write to the 
display, and this code would likely not be anything that would be a 
trade secret or licenced. DSP routines would more likely be considered 
trade secrets.

So two options exist:
1) Release only the firmware code that is not trade secrets or under 
licence, and let the open source community create what Ten-Tec cannot 
release.
2) Release the firmware code that is not trade secrets or under licence, 
and keep the rest as a binary blobs. This would require Ten-Tec to 
create an API into the binary blobs.

Ten-Tec has embraced open source firmware with the new Rebel, and I hope 
that they would also seriously consider open sourcing firmware for their 
other products as well. Even if it is only for discontinued products or 
only a partial release of firmware.

73, Darrell  VA7TO


Darrell Bellerive

On 06/29/2013 06:00 PM, Louis Ciotti wrote:
> I was reading through the tread on the EOL of the OII, and one comment was
> about firmware.  I wonder if TecTec has ever considered open sourcing the
> firmware for there out of production radios?  Certainly would extend their
> life, and allow for continued improvement.
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