AB2CD wrote:
You could be scaring away would be Flex purchasers with all this talk about needing a specialized or custom designed computer to run a Flex. I feel Flex would do well to get with Dell and spec out a machine that has been tested by Flex and works. I am sure Neal can put together an outstanding optimized machine, but Neal Computer is not exactly a household name. Whereas Dell is and provides local customer support. If the Flex needs a custom designed computer in order to run properly, Flex needs to tell people upfront.
Again, the idea (whether it's true or false) that one needs a custom computer
to run a Flex is enough for some to come to the conclusion that the Flex is an
experimental radio for people who like to build their own computers.
Also, it may be worth Flex to consider building localized networks of Flex operators who are able to assist those who need help in initially setting up the radio. For some (and that includes me), it was not exactly plug-n-play.
I love my Flex, but had I not had help setting it up it would have been returned and a refund sought. That would have been a double tragedy because I would have missed out on the best radio on the market and Flex would have lost a sale.
For what it's worth.
My 3-or-4-yr-old home-brew computer worked fine with the Flex 5K for a
long time but seems to have suffered a major hardware failure, so I plan
to build another one. But I know what components are in the old one
(some of which I can reuse), and I will know what is in the new one.
OTOH, if I were to go to BestBuy looking for a Gateway or Compaq or Dell
(does BB sell Dell?), there is no guarantee that anybody could tell me
what particular components are in it -- other than the CPU itself. The
chances of finding a machine with built-in FireWire are rather slim, and
there may not be many empty slots to add components -- apart from which,
you might void the warranty by doing so. (BTW, the Adaptec --
prestigious brand -- of FireWire card with which I started did not work
well, and the no-name from the local independent computer store has
worked fine. People were complaining on the Internet that the Adaptec
didn't work well for video editing either.)
OK, so I do find a Dell or Compaq that works after I've added the
FireWire card, and I tell everyone about it -- and two months later
people are buying that same model but can't get it to work well. After
much head-scratching, somebody dares to open up the case and finds that
some component is different from the one in mine (the manufacturer found
a similar chip that was 5 cents cheaper, and most people will never know
the difference). It happens all the time: some manufacturers of network
cards have retained the same model number for years while changing the
chip on the card, and a different driver is now needed. I have four
Seagate drives, all with the same model number on the box, but all have
internally encoded model numbers (that show up as the machine boots)
that are different from the number on the box ("marketing model no." vs.
"engineering model no."?) and the latest one has an internal number
different from that of the first three. Three months later that Dell or
Compaq model is nowhere to be found.
Someone like Neal has discovered a combination of components that work
well with a Flex radio. He even posted a link to a list of the specific
components and their prices from a reputable low-price vendor. He is not
demanding that people buy a machine from him.
73
Alan NV8A
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