Linux "alternative" to "Ham Radio Deluxe"?

[KA5LQJ]

Hi Guys!

Yeah, I've been absent from here for awhile. Seems my computer's power supply and whatever got together, two weeks before Christmas and tanked everything... Motherboard, HD's, CD player and even the 3½" floppy drive... all burnt up. Luckily, I was at the desk when it flashed and smoke billowed.

Now, I have to share my wife's Sony Viao computer with her and the 14 year-old granson. So, I don't get much computer time, LOL!

I'm hoping to find an old P-4 1.2 gig laptop that I can install a Linux based program, exactly like Ham Radio DeLuxe. IS there such a program? Or, am I doomed to have to run XP and HRD.

I also need to find a Linux desktop computer that I can run either Kbuntu or Fedora Core 6. I have the Fedora Core 6 CD's already.

You can post your 'answers' here or e-mail me via my address on QRZ,

Thank in advance,
73

Don/KA5-LQJ

[K1MDC]

Have you tried to run it under Wine? I've found that a lot of applications are able to run in that environment under Linux. If you can't beat'em, join'em... sort of.

http://www.winehq.org/

[kf6rdn]

If HRD is your main app, and it runs under windows, why not just run windows and be done?

Personally I dont know of anything as comprehensive as HRD for linux.

[dj1yfk]

I'm hoping to find an old P-4 1.2 gig laptop that I can install a Linux based program, exactly like Ham Radio DeLuxe. IS there such a program?
No.

Or, am I doomed to have to run XP and HRD.
No.

There are some fine programs that do everything that is needed for logging, rig control etc. under Linux, they are just not quite as "bloated" as HRD. It's another philosophy ("Small is beautiful"; "Make each program do one thing well")--Linux isn't a "better Windows", it's just very different and that's a big hurdle for new users.

http://radio.linux.org.au/ is a comprehensive database of available Linux ham radio software.

73,

[KB1PVV]

Hi,
if you wish to dump windoz, switch to MAC, I run MacLoggerDX for the mac, clean, elegant,great logging, DX cluster support, rig control and it works. And the best thing of all you do not need to run windoze. Buy a good used Mac Powerbook, still better then a new Intel box, install OS 10.4 and you will never look back.

Ron

[w4gov]

Don,

I currently and running Fedora Core 9 (Red Hat) on a Dell Studio laptop that I use for almost all of my travel. Having worked very heavily in the Digital Software realm, you can be rest assured that most of the software that is cool for Ham Radio, esp. software like Ham Radio Deluxe, will only be written for Windows. However, there is some very good, simple news.

I personally am running Ham Radio Delux and other windows based programs from within my Fedora Core 9 Linux build 2 ways. The first way is to install WINE in Linux. This will allow you to run many windows based programs within linux and it is very easy to use.

For those very stubborn windows programs that just want to run on windows and not a windows emulator environment like WINE, then the easy way to get around this is to install the VMWARE player. Create a Windows XP/Vista Virtual appliance (many places to read about this on the internet) and run Windows XP/Vista from within linux without ever having to dual boot or anything. It is great and will allow you to install and run anything for windows as it truly is the windows OS within a virtual emulator. The cool thing about linux and VMWARE is that you can have both the Windows XP/Vista on one screen and be able to have another screen with other software running on it. This is achieved by using the multiple desktop features within Linux.

For many, like me, doing a 100% transition from Windows at this point is almost impossible, until more software is able to support linux. However, as noted above, being able to run and manage both in a very simple and effective way can easily be done with very little effort and 100% complete free tools...

Good luck
Adam
W4GOV

[ka7o]

dj1yfk said it.

IF you want to run Windows programs - run Windows (VMware on a *Nix box counts for this)

Linux is NOT a windows replacement, it's an alternative. There are very different design and implementation paradigms behind each. One of the reasons why *nix systems have a different security/compromise heritage.

The *nix way is to make many small programs that each do a specific job - and make them very well. More complex tasks are broken down into simpler steps and the available tools are applied as needed. One of the reasons why Linux has so many editors!

The Windows way is to make very large, all inclusive monolithic programs that do a whole lot - often duplicating the same functions of other large programs. One of the reasons cheap disk space is a bonus!

I don't make any claim for either being better than the other - that's for another debate - point is, they're different.

You're not ever going to find an HRD analogue on Linux.

But, I'd expect you can do the same functions that are built into HRD on Linux - you just do it all differently. Take a look at xlog, fldigi, hamlib and more for the various functions. (I don't use Windows or HRD so I can't speak direct the functions in HRD)

[kf6rdn]

Hi,
if you wish to dump windoz, switch to MAC, I run MacLoggerDX for the mac, clean, elegant,great logging, DX cluster support, rig control and it works. And the best thing of all you do not need to run windoze. Buy a good used Mac Powerbook, still better then a new Intel box, install OS 10.4 and you will never look back.

Ron

Gee I dont recall seeing a mac even be in the question.
Why do all you mac fan boys always ASSume everyone will be so happy in whatever mac fantasyland you assume that will be?

[kf6rdn]

dj1yfk said it.

IF you want to run Windows programs - run Windows (VMware on a *Nix box counts for this)

Linux is NOT a windows replacement, it's an alternative. There are very different design and implementation paradigms behind each. One of the reasons why *nix systems have a different security/compromise heritage.

The *nix way is to make many small programs that each do a specific job - and make them very well. More complex tasks are broken down into simpler steps and the available tools are applied as needed. One of the reasons why Linux has so many editors!

The Windows way is to make very large, all inclusive monolithic programs that do a whole lot - often duplicating the same functions of other large programs. One of the reasons cheap disk space is a bonus!

I don't make any claim for either being better than the other - that's for another debate - point is, they're different.

You're not ever going to find an HRD analogue on Linux.

But, I'd expect you can do the same functions that are built into HRD on Linux - you just do it all differently. Take a look at xlog, fldigi, hamlib and more for the various functions. (I don't use Windows or HRD so I can't speak direct the functions in HRD)


Err.. Actually *I* said it.
:cool:
kf6rdn If HRD is your main app, and it runs under windows, why not just run windows and be done?

Personally I dont know of anything as comprehensive as HRD for linux.

[ka7o]

Err.. Actually *I* said it.
:cool:

DOH!!

You did - sorry. Too many pickled herrings I guess :o

[NF9L]

Buy a good used Mac Powerbook, still better then a new Intel box, install OS 10.4 and you will never look back.

That's strange . . . Apple must like Intel. Saw this on the Apple website:

Now every new Mac ships with an Intel processor. Experience delightful responsiveness from the smallest Mac mini to the most beefed-up Mac Pro. Use one of more than 7,000 universal applications that take full advantage of the Intel chip. Run programs from your PowerPC-based Mac in translation. Powered by Intel chips, your new Mac will do all those things that only Macs can do — and do so at an astonishing level of performance.

[k4avl]

Hamlib is a back end with support for a lot of rigs under Linux, but is not a user interface in itself. On this page, part of the hamlib sourceforge project, it shows some end-user apps that will interface with it.
I have more Linux boxes than Windows, but I use XP over by the rig, and haven't tried any of this. If anyone has some good reviews and/or drawbacks they have encountered, I'd like to read more about experiences with these apps.

http://hamlib.sourceforge.net/app.html