Jump to content
🇩🇪 Neu: Leica SL3 Reporter ×
🇺🇸🇬🇧 New: Leica SL3 Reporter ×

M8 firmware "a la carte" ?!

Michael M.

By Michael M.
in Digital Forum

Recommended Posts

johnastovall

johnastovall

Posted
Posted
Hello

How is your thinking about that?

Would you like to get a firmware for your M8 with special features supporting (which never will find way into normal firmware releases)?

 

astronomical capture features for example ... or ... or ... :rolleyes:

 

Michael

 

Why don't they just 'Open source' it and you can hack to your heart's content.

 

The costs for just maintain consistant code would make "a la cart' firmware a losing deal. It's hard enough to keep a single set of code conistant.

 

Besides it appears Leica farms out their firmware work to Jenaoptic.

Link to post
Share on other sites
marknorton

marknorton

Posted
Posted

Hmmmm.... "firmwear". Is this some sort of company uniform they all wear while building the Leica M8 I wonder?

 

They are having enough trouble making just a single one-size-fits-all version work without making things any more difficult for themselves.

Link to post
Share on other sites
luigi bertolotti

luigi bertolotti

Posted
Posted
Hello

How is your thinking about that?

Would you like to get a firmware for your M8 with special features supporting (which never will find way into normal firmware releases)?

 

astronomical capture features for example ... or ... or ... :rolleyes:

 

Michael

 

If you have the right tools and know how, it is not impossible to edit/modify/recompile the source code of the firmware of a given gear (friends of mine did it for cell phones, for other handheld devices, even for scanners...) : can be an intersting task: of course it maybe well protected, but Software wiz can decrypt anything... interesting, I say, and funny, and NO MORE : results... who knows?

knowing well the Software biz, it would be TERRIBLE for Leica/Jenoptik to sell/warranty/maintain different version of firmware: try to go to Jenoptik with an M8 repolished by the native firmware and propse them to develop something "you like to have"... besides contractual duties with Leica, they anyway would ask you MILLIONS...

Link to post
Share on other sites
johnastovall

johnastovall

Posted
Posted
Hmmmm.... "firmwear". Is this some sort of company uniform they all wear while building the Leica M8 I wonder?

 

They are having enough trouble making just a single one-size-fits-all version work without making things any more difficult for themselves.

 

If I could type, I would have real job. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites
Michael M.

Michael M.

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Hi friends

Thanks for your real open minded answers.

Of course it make no sense to multiply standard SW version by supporting different features.

Maintaining different versions will collaps a SW development.

 

This wasn't my target when starting my "question".

 

On the other hand it will not make sense to open the source code to allow people playing with. Nobody outside will understand the generic code (if written in Assembler and still if it is done in C / C++ and applied with comments it's not possible to add own code without damage some low and unknown routines).

 

If it would be done by using "platform" feature, then it might be a little different. But still it needs skills on SW design. And that's not specific homeland of average M8 user ;)

 

Using a general open code SW Platform - like the guys playing with cellular phones, for example Symbian platform for Nokia GSM's - it might come closer. But still fare out for most of us.

 

My idea was based on fact that a special "a la cart" SW will get no further Support by Leica when it's development is tested and approved by customer. And it's based on the actual available basic version of FW at that time. No automatic update when new Firmware will come up.

 

You have to live with it like it is. In my thoughts it will not be a desaster to accept that. More benefit in it by supporting my special features ...

 

Michael

Link to post
Share on other sites
george +

george +

Posted
Posted

Advertisement (gone after registration)

It makes quite a bit of sense to me.

 

If you can tune the firmware in your BMW, then why should we not - at our own risk, of course - be able to tune our firmware in our digital cameras. It could be fun. Some people may market standard mods, or some really courageous souls may wish to play with their own.

 

In the long run, no harm done; you can always reload Leica's officially blessed versions. And Leica would only be responsible for their own.

 

I see much less exposure in this than mechanically taking the camera apart - as some people have done.

 

So???

Link to post
Share on other sites
Michael M.

Michael M.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
It makes quite a bit of sense to me. ...

 

In the long run, no harm done; you can always reload Leica's officially blessed versions. And Leica would only be responsible for their own.

 

So???

 

That's the way I like it!

I'm personally not able to code SW at all. But If there is open platform on Leica's firmware I'm sure that lot of guys arround will play with, if there is also some kind of "development suite" available for. Think that they are also keen to share results with community. Might be that by this I can benefit also and will get "astro" features for M8 ...

 

Please start doing ...:)

 

Michael

Link to post
Share on other sites
Jamie Roberts

Jamie Roberts

Posted
Posted

Heh heh ---you guys have dealt with open source a lot?

 

I dunno, the idea of loading a "non-Leica" firmware into the M8 and rendering it inoperable, and requiring a trip to Solms, seems a little risky. Remeber, there is no "OS" to troubleshoot from here. And unlike hardware (on a car, say) you can't just replace manually.

Link to post
Share on other sites
Michael M.

Michael M.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Heh heh ---you guys have dealt with open source a lot?

 

Not that much!

But if there is a "Development suite" as a professional platform - supported and licensed by Leica of course, there is less risk to damage cameras "BIOS" sequence.

 

Normally you will use a "SW-Loader" installed in the not accessible area of camera's memory - normally no harm to be applied to it - and it will load up any SW compiled externaly. If it's not working at all - modify and recompile and load again or use original SW to load. Loader area is protected and can't be destroed by external SW upload. Kamera will not swap to black out.

 

Lot of companies use this procedere to generate helpful code arround the basic product.

 

Michael

Link to post
Share on other sites
luigi bertolotti

luigi bertolotti

Posted
Posted
Hi friends

Thanks for your real open minded answers.

Of course it make no sense to multiply standard SW version by supporting different features.

Maintaining different versions will collaps a SW development.

 

This wasn't my target when starting my "question".

 

On the other hand it will not make sense to open the source code to allow people playing with. Nobody outside will understand the generic code (if written in Assembler and still if it is done in C / C++ and applied with comments it's not possible to add own code without damage some low and unknown routines).

 

If it would be done by using "platform" feature, then it might be a little different. But still it needs skills on SW design. And that's not specific homeland of average M8 user ;)

 

Using a general open code SW Platform - like the guys playing with cellular phones, for example Symbian platform for Nokia GSM's - it might come closer. But still fare out for most of us.

 

My idea was based on fact that a special "a la cart" SW will get no further Support by Leica when it's development is tested and approved by customer. And it's based on the actual available basic version of FW at that time. No automatic update when new Firmware will come up.

 

You have to live with it like it is. In my thoughts it will not be a desaster to accept that. More benefit in it by supporting my special features ...

 

Michael

 

Well, can have sense... BUY (how much?) an "open source" code, play with it, if something goes wrong and M8 dies..send it to Solms, PAY, and it will be reloaded with original firmware... mmmhhh..how many even smart guys would play such a game? But could be interesting... a different approach from other vendors... a way to distinguish from the crowd...make Leica desirable a lot by techies... new community of users shall grow...

Link to post
Share on other sites
Michael M.

Michael M.

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Well, can have sense... BUY (how much?) an "open source" code, play with it, if something goes wrong and M8 dies..send it to Solms, PAY, and it will be reloaded with original firmware... mmmhhh..how many even smart guys would play such a game? But could be interesting... a different approach from other vendors... a way to distinguish from the crowd...make Leica desirable a lot by techies... new community of users shall grow...

 

Will not happen ( ... M8 dies ...) because of safe SW loader feature (well known and used in general in Industry our days) and reload possibilities for older standard SW version ...

 

Not necessarily "to distinguish from the crowd". It's to allow only needed features for my specific use to come in. And by the way, I want to have my "SW a la carte" in general and strictly as close as possible to the mainstream SW - for safety reasons (low risk!).

 

This is not a joke! This is still reality in other areas of our SW-driven world ...:rolleyes:

 

Michael

Link to post
Share on other sites
george +

george +

Posted
Posted
Well, can have sense... BUY (how much?) an "open source" code, play with it, if something goes wrong and M8 dies..send it to Solms, PAY, and it will be reloaded with original firmware... mmmhhh..how many even smart guys would play such a game? But could be interesting... a different approach from other vendors... a way to distinguish from the crowd...make Leica desirable a lot by techies... new community of users shall grow...

 

Why send it to Solms? Just reload the original Leica firmware out of the Leica site. You know, dowload the desired version of firmware - copy to an SD card - put the SD card into the M8 - turn M8 on - wait -accept acknowledgement. Period. That is how soft/firm-ware works.

Link to post
Share on other sites
luigi bertolotti

luigi bertolotti

Posted
Posted
Why send it to Solms? Just reload the original Leica firmware out of the Leica site. You know, dowload the desired version of firmware - copy to an SD card - put the SD card into the M8 - turn M8 on - wait -accept acknowledgement. Period. That is how soft/firm-ware works.

 

I meant "send it to Solms" in the sense that I imagine that Leica Co., to establish such a policy, probably would REQUIRE that people that have put something of their own in the firmware send their body to Solms if they want to have again a "normally supported" camera.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...