[Ham-Computers] Linux in the ham shack

[jeff]

On Mon, 2005-07-04 at 09:51, Ken Sprouse / WA3FKG wrote:
> Is  anyone out there using Fedora Core in the ham shack?  

Nope - I use Knoppix/Debian.
And the faulty OS to control my scanners.


> So far I don't have any "ham specific" software on the Linux systems.  I
> was using a logging program designed for Windows that had no Linux
> counterpart 

ham software tends to lag a bit in the linux dept.  But this isn't all
that surprising, considering that I see Win 3.1 and 98 at hamfests.

There's an actual distribution for hams but I forget where... I believe
it's built on Knoppix.  If nothing else, it'll be rock-solid.  Google
will turn it up.  Hamsoft is one key word to search on.


> so I exported the log to an spread sheet and now keep track
> of contacts with Open Office.

May I suggest Gnumeric?  I find Open Office to be a decent, but clunky
product.  I also like AbiWord better as a word processor.  I wasn't
built with the patience to wait for Open Office to come up.


>   If I reach the stage where I have a good
> control program for my scanners under Linux I will be Windows free.

Exactly :)
I've just done a fairly wide search for scanner control software. 
Suffice it to say that I didn't find much, except for a display utility
for the BC780XLT that's run from the command line and a few other small
programs.

I'd think linux would be the perfect OS for hams, as we tend to like to
do it ourselves.  Ultimately, the reason there's no good software is
that we haven't written it.  Of course I mean `we' in the sense of hams
with programming skills.



I'm stuck with the faulty OS at work, but I'm actually pretty thankful
for it - it keeps me employed :)


Good luck and let us know what you find.