[Elecraft] K3 Band changing...Devils Advocate...

[David Woolley (E.L)]

Don Wilhelm wrote:
> 
> Do you really want band *stacking* memories?  A stacking memory is 
> first-in, last out, so you have to drill down through the stack to get 
> the one you want.  That seems likea much worse situation than the normal 
> band up/down switch which is a double ended stack.

I find it confusing to have people request a feature with a confusing 
name and not explain exactly what it means, but it seems to me that what 
people are asking for might be slightly better described as stacking 
band registers.

What they want is a stack, for each band as well as a button for each 
band.  The stack isn't a true stack, as it is of limited depth, popping 
it is non-destructive and underflowing wraps round.  (I'd need to use 
one of the rigs that actually implements this to get the fine details, 
so people requesting need to specify in more detail).

 From the discussion, I think what they really want is either most 
recently used behaviour (with some means to nominate which settings are 
significant) or one sub-register for each mode (in which case there 
might be some most recently used behaviour, but there won't really  be 
any stacking). (It's possible that some of the "band stacking register" 
rigs really are using some form of most recently used behaviour.)

> 
> If you are referring to something different, then please do not call it 
> a stack - the definition of a memory stack has been quite clear since 
> the first days of microprocessors.

The terminology predates microprocessors.  It's necessary to describe 
Algol 60, which was started in the late 1950s, and is probably even 
older than that.  "The Art of Computer Programming" was written in the 
mid-60s, and would certainly have fixed the usage of the term by then.

On the other hand, in my software development career, I've found it not 
that uncommon for management track people (i.e. strong marketing skills 
to promulgate the usage, but weak enough technically not to understand 
it is wrong) to introduce all sorts of misusages into project, or even 
company, jargon, specifically including stacks.
> 


-- 
David Woolley
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