On Monday, November 19, 2012 9:15:06 PM UTC+1, Don Johnstone wrote:
Do you really need to solve the root cause? Would not getting round it have
the same effect. What is the problem you want to solve?

The problem is that glider pilots all around the world are building a dependency on proprietary technology, a monopoly that is protected by alleged patents. Depending on a commercial patent-protected monopoly is dangerous. In my opinion, basic technology should be free, even more so when it's all about aviation safety and when we discuss making it mandatory.

(This is my opinion, yours may be different, but mind that flaming and insulting me for expressing my opinion like this anonymous coward from Australia who calls himself "GC" did is just stupid.)

That was the problem with FLARM in general. In this thread, it's about using FLARM for another aviation safety thing that FLARM was not initially designed for. Good thing, clever idea, but the new problem here is that FLARM demands to keep full control over this feature. They are trying to enforce that nobody else but them can decode the files, and without FLARM's cooperation in every single case, nobody will be able to use the feature. My point about this is that this policy contradicts the goal of utmost safety.


Oh, and yes, I would like to solve the root cause. At least give it a try, and give FLARM a chance to prove me wrong. Therefore, I asked the FLARM guy in this thread to open the specification and share his code. FLARM could easily demonstrate their honest dedication to aviation safety by making all necessary information publically available. Let go of full control, and acknowledge that somewhere out there, somebody may exist who can improve their formulas further and help save more lifes. What I see instead is elitist FUD, sadly.