Well, most of this requires VERY little innovation and only DUPLICATION...

Many manufacturers make motherboards, hd's, cd's, video cards, audio cards,
tv cards, radio cards, network cards, port expansion cards, home security
cards, security cams, credit card readers, security readers (finger print,
eye retina, etc) etc, etc...

.... That many manufactures share one case with great ease--is made obvious
by the computer on your desktop--indeed--on excellent motherboards, they are
NOT picky about even the processor!!! Intel, Cyrix, AMD, IBM, VIA, etc
(even providing sockets with different pin configurations for different
processors!)... (Some no longer available--they come and they go)

Don't go name brand junk: HP, Dell, Toshiba, Sony, etc--but go generic IBM
case and the world of computer manufacturers is available to you... and
look at the laptop--you know why EVERYONE in the world doesn't have one?
BECAUSE THERE IS NO GENERIC CASE!!!! You are stuck with proprietary junk!!!

Both in rec.radio.amateur.antenna and here there are far more focused on why
something can't be done, than why it can--I think if one ignores this--it
can be done!... this is interesting... and is why I began a thread on
progress.... especially since so many thought there was no reason to even
mention it...

One more thing, just make a generic case for a laptop platform, make the
platform available to support other manufacturers components--guess what...

Warmest regards,
John
--
When Viagra fails to work--you are DOOMED!!!

"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message
...
|I don't think much of the discussion has looked very closely at what I
| think is envisioned here -- a mainframe which would accept various
| "cards" from numerous vendors. As I detailed in an earlier posting, it's
| tough enough (and costly) to make a robust interface when a single
| company has full control of the mainframe and plugins. But let's think a
| little about the problems of making a mainframe which could accommodate
| cards from various vendors -- cards which have different performance
| characteristics.
|
| The first question is, who will define the interface? Who will dictate
| modifications as they become necessary?
|
| Then let's consider a vendor who wants to make, say, an audio amplifier
| card. It has digital signal processing with a dozen different modes.
| Each mode has considerable adjustment range, for example the width of a
| bandpass filter. The interface would have to have pins dedicated to
| these functions, and the front panel would have to have switches and
| controls for them. How about an oscillator? One might be digitally
| tuned, another analog. There are bandspread and RIT to accommodate in
| addition. What do we do about T/R switching and timing if it's to be
| used in a transceiver? How about shielding specifications so it won't
| interfere with other cards?
|
| The only possible way I can see something like this being even possible
| is for a virtual "front panel" being done in software and appearing on a
| PC screen; only in that way could each card be sure that the necessary
| controls would be present. Some sort of serial bus with expandable
| protocol would be used for all controls.
|
| Then the question becomes, who will define, develop, and maintain the
| software? I can tell you from experience that it's no easy matter to
| keep any software working properly as new operating systems, protection
| software, and hardware appear. Add the necessary hardware interface to
| the equation and the job gets tougher yet. Oh, and what do you do when
| key components of the interface become obsolete and no longer available?
|
| It's common for people who've never had to design something which will
| be reproducible by the thousands and operate without error, to say how
| easy something will be. As one of those people who spent a career
| designing just such equipment, I'd bet serious money that the cost of
| development and maintenance of the interface would never pay itself back
| in sales. Unless, of course, it's done by volunteers. My question is:
| Why don't folks like "John Smith" get off their duffs and do it?
|
| Roy Lewallen, W7EL