[GRLUG] Jenison Electrician

[Michael Mol]

On 1/27/2010 11:34 AM, Bob Kline wrote:
>
>
> On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 10:59 AM, <mikemol at gmail.com
> <mailto:mikemol at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>     On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 10:45 AM, Bob Kline <bob.kline at gmail.com
>     <mailto:bob.kline at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>
>
>         On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 10:36 AM, <mikemol at gmail.com
>         <mailto:mikemol at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
>
>             On Wed, Jan 27, 2010 at 9:30 AM, Casey DuBois
>             <casey at grlug.org <mailto:casey at grlug.org>> wrote:
>
>
>                 For something like that you need a real electrician,
>                 however I'm not
>                 sure how many if any have the thermal imager like we've
>                 seen on TV.
>
>
>             Most of my day job involves writing software that talks to
>             them, but the
>             hardware we talked to is danged expensive. That said, we've
>             written software
>             specifically for folks who do property analysis using
>             thermal cameras.
>             (Windows-only, sorry; Driver support issue.) If anyone's
>             interested in
>             starting such a business in the area...
>
>             -
>
>
>         For people who want to sell you
>         information about how to better
>         insulate your abode?  Maybe
>         starting with triple pane windows?
>         Is that a hot (...) business in cash
>         strapped MI?
>             -- Bob
>
>
>     To a point, yeah, it's about replacing poor windows and adding
>     insulation. The nice thing a thermal camera can do for you is help
>     you figure out which windows, doors, walls and areas of the roof you
>     ought to shore up, and which you shouldn't bother with.
>
>     (Now, if I may deflect the subject into a personal rant)
>
>     What irritates me greatly is that the SDKs for talking to the main
>     types of cameras we work with is only practically available for
>     Windows.  In one case, the manufacturer only provides an OCX file.
>     In the other case, the manufacturer opted for a 3rd-party API called
>     GigEVision, but the number of implementations of that API is
>     exceedingly small, and the group of companies controlling the spec
>     manage it more tightly than the MPEG group; I'm not sure how one
>     could legally build a FL/OSS implementation.  There's one
>     non-Windows implementation, but you pay through the nose for it, and
>     say Hello to system library version requirements.
>
>   It's still the case that many - most? -
> companies will only talk to M$ about
> their hardware.  Canon is notorious
> that way.  All an aid to keeping M$'s
> de facto monopoly intact.

Erm...Believe me, it's not in the their interest to keep a Microsoft "de 
facto" monopoly intact. Most implementations for talking to GigEVision 
devices are pure-hardware, now, without a trip through userland 
software. I'd have to look into it again, but I believe most of the 
companies in the group behind the API are also in the industry of 
selling pure-hardware solutions.

Tell me where that helps Microsoft.