XGATE Bit Bang Use

Official FreeEMS vanilla firmware development, the heart and soul of the system!
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Fred
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XGATE Bit Bang Use

Post by Fred »

People are asking about this quite often now. I have to keep repeating the answer. So I'm writing a thread to avoid having to do that.

Firstly, FreeEMS is open source - you can do whatever you like.

I won't try to stop you, other than to ask you nicely to focus on testing the core firmware, and not offer you any help.

Specifically:
  • I don't want to see people investing time in testing XG BB before 0.3.0 is released because it means they're not testing essential firmware features and software packages that are desperately in need of testing. If you spend time on testing XG BB now, you're holding back all other related software and firmware testing/quality.
  • I don't want to see developers distracted, more than they already are, from essential tasks in other packages by XG BB work. Yes I mean you/loader, Sean :-) Patch upgrades are going to be a huge part of high speed deployment and testing. Just burn new code, don't touch the config, drive. etc.
  • I can not afford to spend my time supporting patched-in, non-generic, unfinished versions of XG BB when I could be spending it on core development and mentoring work instead. To do so is to detract from the entire project's progress and offer all users a worse experience in the short and medium terms, and cause the long term to be further away.
What does this mean?

In summary, you can use Sean's XG BB stuff on your car, if you want, but don't expect my approval or support. I won't help you in any aspect of your install if you're using XG BB stuff. If you want to do this, you're 100% on your own with just Sean to help you. Given that the rest of the firmware (the other 90%) is also new and unfinished/unpolished, you'd better be REALLY good with it to handle it in its entirety with no support from me. If you are, and don't mind vaguely annoying me in the process, by ignoring more pressing testing, go right ahead! :-)

No offense to Sean!

I want to make it clear that this isn't intended to downplay the importance of the XG BB stuff. It's going to be a big and key piece of our future, for sure. It's just that the time isn't now because the costs are too high right now. Once 0.3.0 goes out the door I'll be working exclusively with Sean to bring his XG BB stuff up to the highest possible standards and integrate it tightly into the mainline code and get it released as 0.4.0. Until then, though, I won't be touching it at all.

For a more detailed look at the order of development and reasons for it, check out this thread: viewtopic.php?f=41&t=1699

To join part of the future XGATE test team, take a look at this thread: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1663

Fred.
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