MSExtra & BGsoflex & MSefi Questions

[dontz125]

Another suggestion for the future might be that when you get to "MS4", you don't call it Megasquirt any more, but you rebrand it. So long as you carry the name "Megasquirt", you'll carry the past with you and that that entails.

The problem there is that it's still B&G's product to name. If they want to call it KFC instead of Kentucky Fried Computer, that's their choice. If they want to keep the MegaSquirt name, with all the porno movie jokes that goes with it, that is also their choice.

[chips60bug]

One of the forums I frequent has a Megasquirt subforum. We don't have any of the "big" names in the MS community there at all, although we have some very learned members. It blows me away how many folks go there with tech issues, totally unaware of this place. I try to send them here whenever possible. Luckily there are a few of us keeping up with the new and current on our old cars. I started with MS2EXTRA, then upgraded to MS3/3x, and now have changed to MS3-Pro with an IO/X from Jean. I try to help others to see the MS3 light whenever possible. Still shocks me to see how many ms1 combos are being built. Must still a decent system i guess. I like the control of the ms3. It does everything i want, and more than i need i'm sure. But i like it!

[JAM]

One of the forums I frequent has a Megasquirt subforum. We don't have any of the "big" names in the MS community there at all, although we have some very learned members. It blows me away how many folks go there with tech issues, totally unaware of this place.

out of curiosity, which forum is it?

[chips60bug]

Shoptalkforums.com
All about aircooled VWs

[Bruce Bowling]

All - I want to post on this subject here because it appears that people may be reading more into the responses and stats than they should be....

As everyone knows, we (B&G) started MegaSquirt back in 2001. The plan from the onset was to let MS be a sharing platform and allow those interested in helping out get a piece of the pie. And we are true to our word 13 years later, as evidenced here with the success of MSExtra and MS3.

There have been three main versions of hardware platform (MS1/MS2, and MS3 - no secret, everyone knows this). With MS1 and MD2 B&G had major software involvement, but with the efforts of Ken/James/Phil(R+T) and others it made sense to let MS3 firmware be handled by the Extra developers - without any hindrance from B&G. You chisel out a piece of the pie and let people do their thing without oversight or constraint, and see what happens. Everyone can see what happened here

One thing that is not seen or discussed on these forums is the background support going on that allows all of this to continue - this is where B&G comes in. Yes, we pay for the forums, web space, etc. and provide the financial backing to keep all of this alive. We also make sure that there is hardware available all of the time to the distributors, so that product is there when people want it. This is a much bigger job than one would imagine, MegaSquirt has a lot of demand and is extremely popular. The worst thing would be to not have product available when someone wants it - we make sure this is not the case and have items ready as best as we can. Its not a glamorous role, but it is important and vital.

When discussions come of having one web/forum site with everything on it, consider the statement above - we let people have a piece of the pie and run with it. Ken and James does not need me sticking my nose into how they are implementing something or managing the forums - they have proven again and again they can handle it. Same with Phil and TunerStudio, he is doing fine without B&G dictating. Same for GPIO and MicroTCU docs/forums. And any other new idea for a product - B&G will provide the support to let others flourish (or fail). Merging everything together would be a big management task, with little benefit to the user. I do not have the bandwidth to be the overlord to something like this, it is best to let the players do things the way they want to do them.

When I see the metric that 93% of the forum posts are on Extra, this tells me that people ARE finding the forums, otherwise this number would be much much less. And to us (B&G) we are very pleased - its not a competition for metrics, rather it shows that people are going to the right place and getting the answers needed. We want people to use what they want to use, if it is B&G base or Extra we are happy either way. Remember - this is a product with many pieces and players, the goal is to get engines running!

- Bruce

[Bruce Bowling]

Two more items I forgot to mention:

1) B&G WILL NOT stop writing firmware! Just because you have not seen anything from B&G for MS1 or MS2 or other variants does not mean that we are doing nothing in terms of firmware - on the contrary we have been working harder than ever on code, have been for the last 3 years. Its just not published [yet].

2) Follow-on projects to MegaSquirt will have the naming of MegaSquirt.

- Bruce

[Blown88GT]

All - I want to post on this subject here because it appears that people may be reading more into the responses and stats than they should be...
- Bruce

Thanks for stopping by to expand upon my original question (below).
I joined the Corral in 1999, because it was the best (& maybe the only) place for Mustang related info & help.
Their Megasquirt sub-forum is pretty active, DIYAutoTune posts there as much as here.
The aftermaket ECU thing started to take off about the same time as B&G got started, 2001.
The hardware (devices & chips) we have today, didn't really begin to appear with an affordable price until the 2000's.
I should have seen it coming, since I was designing SBC's in the early to mid-90's, but not for cars.

1. What is the relationship and/or association between msextra.com & bgsoflex.com & msefi.com
2. msefi.com. looks like the same as bgsoflex.com. One has "frames", the other doesn't.
3. Does bgsoflex & msefi concentrate on hardware & msextra concentrates on firmware?
4. If the association is really that close between them, then why 2 forums?

http://www.msextra.com/forums/index.php
http://www.bgsoflex.com/megasquirt.html
http://www.msefi.com/index.php

Maybe some historical information would be interesting to others & myself.

[jrods2]

I've already posted on my club site and nows there's 3 of us that owns a megasquirt. Keep up the good work. Good things come to those that work for it.