[Openicc] X-Rite to aquire GreytagMacbeth

[Graeme Gill]

Hal V. Engel wrote:

> For a time Avantes had a "Linux SDK" for the AvaMouse/SpectroCam.  But this is 
> no longer available and the version I have is x86 only.   So it is of little 
> use in the real world.  The license included in the tarball is GPL but the 
> actual driver source code was not included.   On their web site now is 
> something called the avaspec linux driver.  This is source code only but the 
> licensing information in the tarball is very poorly done as parts of it 
> appear to be open source with a GPL license and other parts the license is 
> not stated and there is no licensing information in the high level 
> directories of the tarball.   I am also not sure if this will work for the 
> AvaMouse/SpectroCam.  In addition, I have not been able to get it to build on 
> my system since it uses and odd ball build system that I can't get to work 
> and appears to have been designed for building Java systems.

Interesting. I actually have access to a SpectroCam (Serial, not USB),
but haven't felt it possible/worthwhile to support it in my software.
If the drivers really were available as GPL (even if there was some work
to get it going), and anyone was interested in actually using it
(ie. that it wouldn't be an academic exercise), then it might be
worth supporting.

> A few months ago I started talks with GMB and for a while they seemed 
> interested then about mid December they stopped communicating with me.  I now 
> suspect that this is because of the merger.   In the mean time I found out 
> that GMB does have Linux drivers for the i1 (it supports both the i1 Pro and 
> Display).   My last communication with them was to request a copy of this.  I 
> was told by my contact that he would look into it and at that point they 
> stopped communicating.

In Argyll I have a kind of abstract instrument layer, and the drivers
are implemented underneath that. Every instrument usually causes some
expansion of the abstract layer, but it's generally not too hard
to add support, if the information is available.
I'd love to have support for the i1 and i0, but I'm certainly
not going to fork out the A$6K (or whatever it is) for an
i0 and i1, without firm knowledge that the technical information,
or compatibly licences driver code, is available.

> I am in talks right now with X-Rite.  At this point I have no indications of 
> how receptive they are but they have not told me to go away and the form that 
> I filled out for them did list Unix as a platform and I checked other and 
> then wrote in POSIX as my platform.   So I don't know if it will go anywhere 
> but this is in the very early stages.

Xrite were pretty good in the past, with their serial port based instruments,
but I'm not so sure that things like the "Pulse" or "MonarcoOPTIX"
will have accessible interfaces. Presumably the DTP45 might be a variation
on the DTP41, and the DTP70 might have a high level interface, but
it hasn't been worth pursuing, since I don't know anyone who's
got one, and would let me work with it.

In the case of GMB and Xrite, they both have their own software,
and this provides incentive to close or frustrate access to many devices.

> I have in the last few days approached ColorVision as well but I don't know if 
> or how they will respond.  I also agree with Graeme that these devices are of 
> lower quality than are the X-Rite and GMB devices.  But if they are willing 
> to work with OSS projects then I will work with them as this may be all that 
> we will have available.

If you put yourself in their shoes, you can understand that they will
do the cost/benefit equation (as they see it). Who pays for the
development instruments becomes an issue. Without the instrument
company seeing enough benefit to provide some loaner/free
instruments, or a moneyed supporter of OSS willing to buy them,
things aren't going to go anywhere.

> At this point I am not particularly optimistic.  The Avantes device is a 
> reflection only device for those of us in the US because of patents held by 
> GMB. 

Hmm. The SpectroCam I've played with did emission as well.

 > The AvaMouse/SpectroCam is of limited usefullness even if drivers
> existed because of this.  In addition Avantes is a tiny company with less 
> than 30 employees.   GMB as a separate entity will not exist in a few months 
> and X-Rite will have an effective monoply.   I think we should all keep our 
> fingers crossed that X-Rite is open to working with the OSS community.  

Graeme Gill.