Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] On tunnel.py

[Martin Braun (CEL)]

Hi Alex,

you raise a lot of valid points, but I just have to add something for
the record (and yes, I realize that's not what you said): Students are
*not* to be blamed here.

First, I know a lot of students who are doing brilliant work on GNU
Radio (there's a lot of students at our lab working on great projects,
and lots of other universities do fantastic work as well).
Second, I've seen a lot of people complain that 'tunnel.py doesn't
work', and they weren't all students.

Most importantly, and that's why I'm writing this: I don't want to
discourage students and universities from using GNU Radio. Please, go
ahead and try it, make mistakes, play around with the examples (just
don't expect them to be an end-all solution). You'll find it highly
educational as well as extremely versatile.

MB

On Fri, Mar 29, 2013 at 12:25:10PM -0500, Alex Zhang wrote:
> Totally agree to stop using the tunnel.py!
> 
> 
> Just want to add some my thoughts.
> 
> 
> There is a fact that the main users of USRP/GNURadio are the students from
> universities.
> 
> Firstly, these people lack the experience on the communications development,
> either in software designing or in wireless communications theory.
> 
> Secondly, the reasons why they select the USRP/GNURadio as the development
> platform for their research, as my understanding is that they (including I)
> expect the USRP/GNURadio can provide a very quick solution to build a
> experimental physical layer for the research over this platform. Actually, 
> most
> of the time, this pressure comes from their professors who are only focused on
> advanced research of a narrow area, but don't tolerate too much time of a
> student on the whole system development. This is the background in which why 
> so
> many people always try to find the out-of-the-box solution in GNURadio/USRP. 
> 
> 
> I don't want to put negative points to this kind of expectation, but it seems
> to be just reality. It may give us a hint how the GNURadio/USRP is evolving
> from the customers' expect.
> 
> USRP/GNURadio are great work in establishing a flexible framework of software
> defined radio. But as Tom said, the communications itself is very very hard.
> How to help the customer to build a robust and strong radio communication
> system in their specific research needs is really a big challenge. I think the
> community needs more technical discussion the communications and signal
> processing theory in practical ways, besides the software development only. 
> 
> Also, the  GNURadio itself need more evolution on the demonstrative solutions
> of the communications, like the OFDM in improving.
> 
> 
> And of course, this is a open source community. The GNURadio needs
> everyone's contribution, including both issues reports and new developments,
> new applications.


-- 
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
Communications Engineering Lab (CEL)

Dipl.-Ing. Martin Braun
Research Associate

Kaiserstraße 12
Building 05.01
76131 Karlsruhe

Phone: +49 721 608-43790
Fax: +49 721 608-46071
www.cel.kit.edu

KIT -- University of the State of Baden-Württemberg and
National Laboratory of the Helmholtz Association

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