IR 6.x Extender Instructions Where?

[sfischer1]

Hi,

I have been looking for the Instructions for IR as to using extenders.

I have found words that say "look at the the Extender Package for instructions".

The extender package for the RCA RCU810 contains old RDF files and a different extender program perhaps than the one referenced in what information I have found for IR.

Are there up to date instructions for IR that replace the instructions in the now old RCU810 extender package?

Stephen H. Fischer

[Nils_Ekberg]

The documentation that is with the extenders will be the most current. The only thing the extender instructions don't cover is how you can now use extinstall from within IR instead of batch mode and that is pretty straight forward.

The RDF's in the extender packages are pretty old so use the latest one from the current RDF ZIP file.

[sfischer1]

The documentation that is with the extenders will be the most current. The only thing the extender instructions don't cover is how you can now use extinstall from within IR instead of batch mode and that is pretty straight forward.

The RDF's in the extender packages are pretty old so use the latest one from the current RDF ZIP file.

Hi,

Sorry if I offend, but I have the same problem as with most help files.

The help file writers mostly have the understanding that when I click help that I am asking the question "HOW" and provide something like "To select Option 1, Click on Option 1, to select option 2, click on Option 2".

As most people have learned as children all that they need to know about "Button Pushing 101", these instructions are not useful.

When I click on help, I am asking the question "WHY"!

That is, when offered two options, why would I want to select a particular option.
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There are scattered in various files and offered program features sufficient information as to "HOW" to use an extender.

What is lacking is a pulling together of this information into one document and an explanation as what the steps, requirements and options are available during the process. And of course the answer to the question "WHY" during the whole process.

There is the problem that extender writers have done their work and have disappeared. Reference the request(s) for a fix that is needed to be done requested by one of the prime expert movers of JP1 that is not being answered perhaps.

As more people leave taking their knowledge with them, those who arrive with the needed skills may do little because some needed tools, knowledge already gained, documents and so on are not readily available.

In starting to try and understand the extender process I looked at the various RDF's for the RCU810, did a comparison of the various versions to quickly spot the differences and did the same for the assembly source code.

I also looked at the RDF definition, a very detailed document that assumed a great deal of knowledge due to lots of assumptions that a new person would not have.

The RDFs and the assembly source code were difficult to understand because I did not have a glossary of terms used and variable definitions.

For someone to add LKP, TOADTOGGLE and so on to the RCU810 extender I suspect that a copy of the disassembled code from the RCU810 ROM would be necessary and other features might require extracting the entire ROM contents.

The code to read the entire ROM and the commented disassembly of the Remotes are the "Crown Jewels" of the JP1 project and are protected as such I suspect.

Additionally there are many important understandings and information about remotes that have been learned that may not be written down except perhaps in private e-mail's written during the initial discovery of JP1 and are now being discovered with the new JP1 implementations being looked at. Is there a closed group where information like this is currently being discussed and archived?

If I were to try and write what I was looking for and did not find and assume does not exist with the reply I received, would questions I have be answered or ignored?

Stephen H. Fischer

[Nils_Ekberg]

I am offended. You are attacking a lot of good people that have put in a lot of effort to create the software and help others when they can. Since it is difficult enough to take the time to write the software you can imagine how difficult it would be to stop and write the quality documentation you are demanding. The documentation in the extenders has been pretty effective for an awful lot of people. Most people just dig in and try to figure it out and when they hit a road block they ask a question. They don't just say this is too hard give me better docs.

If you take the time and look you will notice that IR does most of what you are asking for and pretty intuitively. The reason we have not taken the time to update the documentation is because what is outlined to be done manually in the docs is now done via a GUI in IR.

By the way, the RDF documentation is not for people to USE the RDF's it is for people that WRITE RDF's. The average user never needs to know what goes into the RDF. Also, LKP, TOADTOG, Macro's, etc. is under special protocols in IR and does not require any knowledge of the assembler or internal remote code to use.

I guess since each of us that write extenders and all the critical software like IR, KM and RM have other lives and do this as a "hobby" the question is should we stop writing the software and write better documentation for less functionality.

And since I am one of those people that has not had a chance to answer all questions in a timely fashion I will apologize to one and all.