[nos-bbs] JNOS closer to Winlink than many realize + hf.ampr.org anyone ?

[maiko at pcs.mb.ca]

Glenn wrote :

> Given the political clout behind winLink2K, JNOS will at least have
> to be fully interoperable with winLink2K to survive.

Sorry, but I don't agree with that statement.

It really comes down to choice. I'm not in this hobby to score political
points, I'm in this hobby to experiment with alternative communications
methods, and to provide alternatives to what is out there already.

JNOS does not need and never did need WL2K to work. It will survive
as long as those that enjoy using it want to continue using it. JNOS
was around long before the modern day WL2K came about.

That's not a shot at WL2K at all. WL2K is very cool, and I like some
of the concepts behind it's design.

I just choose to use JNOS because I have full control of it, I can
change the software at my own whim. One of my goals in the last year
has been to try and integrate more with WL2K systems, but lack of
equipment, not so much time, and lack of users using JNOS with
HF pactor has contributed to things going slow. BUT, that's the
nature of the hobby, and I've just accepted that to be the way
it is. There's nothing bad about that at all.

> The main disadvantage of JNOS is that it does not include a sound
> card based interface.

The linux soundmodem stuff is a workable solution. If SCAMP ever
get's going, I fully plan on implementing an interface in JNOS for
it, provided the SCAMP stuff goes GPL (or whatever they call it).

> It also doesn't seem to have the marketing  muscle that winlink2k does.

If I could support JNOS and make a living out of it, of course things
would change. But that will never happen, since the spirit of JNOS is
that it's free, open, and (oh yes) ... a hobby :-)

Maiko