[UK-CONTEST] Contest software development

[Clive Whelan]

This may bore the bottom off some readers, and is quite
long. If you have a low boredom threshold, hit the delete
key now! The chronology of development may hopefully
interest others.

It took me until 1998 or so to adopt software logging,
because I just hated CT, believing that my own  Borland
Paradox database based prog., was better. Of course I would
say that wouldn't I? I then used SD as was in that era, and
a very competent prog. it was.

Very quickly afterwards I discovered TRlog, and read that
Fred/K3ZO thought it was the dog's nether regions(!) That
was enough recco. for me, and I bought a copy, rapidly
finding that it did things exactly as  I wanted them to be
done; none of this stabbing F keys, and hunting for Ins, and
+ keys, as CT required. TRlog used the <enter> key to do
most everything required. In technical terms, I believe this
is called modal operation, but whatever, it worked for me,
and as a  c*** keyboarder, it really helped me keep the rate
up. So impressed was I , that I bought a life subscription
to TRlog, which sadly is now worthless. So yes, I will admit
to being a dyed in the wool TRlog user, but not WL- read on.

Of course, as Dylan Thomas once wrote " time passes, listen
time passes", and in the world of computing it passes
considerably more rapidly than an OF like me can assimilate.
Tree/N6TR, although a super operator and a skilled Pascal
programmer, apparently has no expertise in the field of
Windows programming. With the advent of Win XP in 2001, and
its inability to run pure DOS progs., Tree made several
attempts to enlist the support of third parties to port
TRlog to the windows platform. So keen was I to see this
happen that I acted as facilitator on behalf of a U.K.
programmer who would be well known to most readers. Sadly,
none of these initiatives came to fruition, for reasons
which I fear I know not.

In about 2003, I urgently needed to update my computer which
would then run XP. There was no way that I was prepared to
retain the ghastly Win98 platform just to run a DOS logger,
and did more research. It seemed that Writelog was a pretty
competent Windows interface, and would even operate modally
( colloquially ESM) in run mode but not S&P. Since run mode
is more demanding in terms of slickness, I made the switch.
Sadly, although many promises were made to develop ESM in
S&P mode, these were all comprehensively broken. WL is
predicated on the basis of RTTY operation, a mode which I
have used, but just find too impersonal and lacking in the
application of personal skill. It was very clear that the
vendors would not support the development that I sought, so
once again the search was on.

I had used N1MM logger in its early days, and whilst
promising, it didn't quite cut the mustard for me. However
on revisiting the prog. in 2005, I was amazed at the steps
that had been made. I confess I had shut my mind, because I
firmly believed that there were no free lunches in this
world. I should have known better since Logger 32 was better
than any ( highly) priced software that I had used. In the
meanwhile, progs like SD, CT, and now I believe TRlog had
gone the freeware route, largely I believe as a result of
the competition from the free N1MM logger. Thus in the field
of Amateur Radio software at least, I think we have to
adjust to a new paradigm: there are quite a few free
lunches! Thus I found that N1MMlogger already had ESM in
both run and S&P modes, and a whole host of features that I
just loved. Thus I am currently a dyed in the wool N1MM
logger. Will I always be so; not necessarily, because I am
always searching for better things.

I hasten to append that this is not a "my logger is better
than yours" argument, although you can clearly see what I
think. Those who started their "careers" using CT will like
the look and feel of Wintest, because it is predicated on
that basis. Personally I don't like it for that very reason.
Those who came via the TRlog route ( many fewer) will favour
the N1MM approach, but the ESM approach will leave others
cold. Another group will favour SD because of its unrivalled
support for UK based contests. So, diversity is good and
healthy, but the original point is crucial, viz that we, as
UK contesters are insufficiently vociferous in promoting
what we want/need from our software.


73



Clive
GW3NJW



-----Original Message-----
From: uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:uk-contest-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Ian
Pritchard
Sent: 28 June 2007 00:10
To: uk-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] Contest software development


Can this be the same GW3NJW who was once a dyed in the
wool WRITELOG  supporter??  Shum mishtake shurely!
...73 Ian G3WVG


--- Clive Whelan <clive.whelan at btinternet.com> wrote:

> As a dyed in the wool user of the N1MM programme, I
> was
> pleased to see some promotion of the IOTA contest on
> the
> reflector. Personally I have little to no interest
> in that
> event, but I do think it deserves more support.
>
> Sadly, as with all U.S. based software, almost
> anything is
> possible for e.g. state QSO parties and the like,
> whereas
> European based contests get scant attention. This is
> in part
> at least doe to the parochialism of our American
> cousins,
> but really we have only ourselves to blame for not
> "demanding" a bigger slice of the cake. I recently
> petitioned for a {LASTEXCH} macro for ROPOCO, and it
> has
> been added to the features request list, albeit with
> low
> priority. This is hardly surprising since the
> request
> received zero support from U.K. users. In the
> meanwhile I
> have to revert to the (imo) inferior Writelog prog.
> for this
> event, which is indeed a PITB
>
> For users of Eu based software such as WT and SD the
> situation is much better of course, but from my
> personal
> p.o.v. the N1MM interface is light years ahead of
> the game.
> The DOS grand-daddy TRlog sadly seems to have sunk
> without
> trace, although of course N1MM is its natural
> successor. I
> k-n-o-w there is a significant band of U.K. users
> but they
> are much too backward in coming forward i.m.o.
> British
> reserve has its appeal, but in the area of
> discussion it is
> not a useful quality.
>
> So c'mon people, tell 'em what you want and do it
> now!
>
>
> 73
>
>
> Clive
> GW3NJW
>
> _______________________________________________
> UK-Contest mailing list
> UK-Contest at contesting.com
>
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/uk-contest
>

_______________________________________________
UK-Contest mailing list
UK-Contest at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/uk-contest