There has been recent speculation on my forum about which networks SB3 will operate on. In order to avoid the usual controversy that this topic seems to generate, I'll set the record straight here.
When I started work on SquawkBox 3, my intention was to have it operate on all online ATC networks. I contacted individuals from both VATSIM and IVAO. At the beginning of that process I was frustrated with the lack of response I received from IVAO. Shortly after that I found out that they were already undertaking development of another pilot client. This further reduced my desire to work with IVAO to get SquawkBox 3 running on their network.
Several months ago, I was approached by several individuals involved in software development at IVAO about getting SquawkBox 3 on their network. They were very helpful in outlining the technical requirements and in beginning the discussion. While this was encouraging to see, I felt it was too late in the process to start on that work. The pressures to get SquawkBox 3 out in some form have been immense. As such anything that could possibly push the release date back is simply not in the cards.
I replied to the individuals from IVAO and have expressed appreciation for their cooperation. I have told them that my first priority is to get SquawkBox 3.0 released. After that time I will make an evaluation of the situation and decide whether to integrate with IVAO for a future release.
The bottom line: SquawkBox 3 will officially support VATSIM only. If you use SquawkBox 3 to connect to IVAO it will probably work but there will be no voice support whatsoever. Other features may also not work or will work incorrectly. Future versions of SquawkBox may officially support IVAO, but that is not decided at this time.
This decision has been mine alone.
Posted by Joel at February 07, 2005 04:14 PM