docs: rewrite README with marketing positioning and cross-platform emphasis

[tylerkron]

Summary

• Rewrites the README as a top-of-funnel marketing surface aligned with daqifi.com's brand voice, while keeping every claim defensible against the current code and the website.
• Adds trust badges (NuGet, downloads, build, license, .NET versions, supported platforms), an ecosystem map showing where Daqifi.Core fits, and a Common Applications section sourced from daqifi.com (moon regolith testing, prosthetic socket pressure testing, etc.).
• Emphasizes cross-platform support in five places — subtitle, dedicated platforms badge, the Connection Options code sample (Windows + macOS + Linux), the capability table, and the Requirements section — because ".NET" alone still reads as Windows-only to a large slice of the DAQ-buying audience.
• Reframes features as developer outcomes ("Find any DAQiFi on WiFi or USB in seconds — no IP hunting, no config files") instead of dry capability bullets.
• Honesty fixes carried over from review:
  • Removed misleading retry claim — verified at TcpStreamTransport.cs:129 that the default is ConnectionRetryOptions.NoRetry. Retries are now correctly described as opt-in via DeviceConnectionOptions.
  • Dropped competitor-shaming language ("clunky", "trap your data behind ugly UIs") that inadvertently also disparaged DAQiFi Desktop. Desktop is now positioned as a complementary GUI option.
  • Restored "start/stop SD logging" in the SD card row and the bitmask hint (0b11 = 3) in the streaming snippet — both were dropped in the first rewrite pass.
  • Tightened use-case bullets to only claims I can back from daqifi.com.

Test plan

• Render the README on GitHub and verify all six badges resolve (NuGet, downloads, build, license, .NET, platforms)
• Click through every link: daqifi.com, daqifi-desktop repo, Issues page, NuGet package, CI workflow, LICENSE
• Confirm the capability claims match current code — especially the retry behavior described in the One-line connect row
• Marketing review: tagline matches daqifi.com voice; application examples (moon regolith, prosthetic socket testing) are accurate to the website
• Consider follow-ups outside this PR: set repo Topics (data-acquisition, daq, dotnet, etc.) and move the "For maintainers" release section out to RELEASING.md

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[qodo-code-review]

Review Summary by Qodo

Rewrite README with marketing positioning and cross-platform emphasis

📝 Documentation

Walkthroughs

Description

• Rewrites README as marketing-focused top-of-funnel surface aligned with daqifi.com brand voice
• Adds trust badges (NuGet, downloads, build, license, .NET versions, platforms)
• Emphasizes cross-platform support across subtitle, badge, code samples, and requirements
• Fixes misleading retry claim — retries are opt-in via DeviceConnectionOptions, not default
• Drops competitor-shaming language; positions DAQiFi Desktop as complementary GUI option
• Restructures content with ecosystem map, common applications, and capability table
• Restores dropped feature mentions (SD logging start/stop, bitmask hint in streaming snippet)

Diagram

flowchart LR
  A["Old README<br/>Technical focus"] -->|"Reposition as<br/>marketing surface"| B["New README<br/>Brand-aligned"]
  B -->|"Add badges &<br/>ecosystem map"| C["Trust signals<br/>& context"]
  B -->|"Emphasize<br/>cross-platform"| D["5 placement<br/>locations"]
  B -->|"Reframe features<br/>as outcomes"| E["Developer-centric<br/>benefits"]
  B -->|"Fix honesty<br/>issues"| F["Accurate retry<br/>& positioning"]

Loading

File Changes

1. README.md 📝 Documentation +129/-140

Marketing-focused README with cross-platform emphasis and honesty fixes

• Replaces generic title and description with marketing tagline emphasizing "convenient, portable
 device connectivity" and cross-platform .NET SDK positioning
• Adds six trust badges (NuGet, downloads, build, license, .NET versions, supported platforms) with
 direct links
• Restructures content from feature-centric to outcome-centric with new sections: "What is
 Daqifi.Core?", "See it in 30 seconds", "Common applications", "Where Daqifi.Core fits", and "What
 you can do"
• Corrects misleading retry behavior claim — now accurately states retries are opt-in via
 DeviceConnectionOptions rather than default
• Removes disparaging language about competitors; repositions DAQiFi Desktop as complementary GUI
 built on the SDK
• Restores previously dropped details: SD logging start/stop capability and bitmask hint (`0b11 =
 3`) in streaming code sample
• Reorganizes code examples into "Quick recipes" section with subsections for connection options,
 device discovery, network configuration, and firmware updates
• Adds ecosystem layer diagram showing Hardware → SDK → App → User code progression
• Includes capability table highlighting key features with developer-focused descriptions
• Adds "Supported devices" table with Nyquist 1 and Nyquist 3 specifications
• Simplifies requirements section to emphasize cross-platform (.NET 9.0/10.0 on Windows/macOS/Linux)
• Moves release/publishing details to "For maintainers" section at end
• Adds footer with DAQiFi branding and MIT license link

README.md

---

[qodo-code-review]

Code Review by Qodo

🐞 Bugs (0) 📘 Rule violations (0) 📎 Requirement gaps (0)

1. Wrong null semantics ✓ Resolved 🐞 Bug ≡ Correctness

Description

README says leaving any NetworkConfiguration field null preserves the current device value, but
UpdateNetworkConfigurationAsync always applies Mode/SSID/Security/Password and only treats
StaticIP/SubnetMask/Gateway as nullable. Following the README guidance can inadvertently overwrite
WiFi settings (e.g., empty SSID/password).

Code

README.md[153]

+Devices implementing `INetworkConfigurable` accept programmatic WiFi and LAN configuration. Leave any field `null` to keep its current value — DHCP-only callers see no behavior change.

Evidence

The README claims null preserves any field, but the implementation unconditionally sends WiFi
mode/SSID/security/password, and the model types show only the static IP fields are nullable and
documented as “leave unchanged.”

README.md[151-154]
src/Daqifi.Core/Device/DaqifiStreamingDevice.cs[188-236]
src/Daqifi.Core/Device/DaqifiStreamingDevice.cs[238-252]
src/Daqifi.Core/Device/Network/NetworkConfiguration.cs[13-43]

Agent prompt

The issue below was found during a code review. Follow the provided context and guidance below and implement a solution

### Issue description
The README states that *any* `NetworkConfiguration` field can be left `null` to keep its current value, but the implementation only supports “null means unchanged” for `StaticIP` / `SubnetMask` / `Gateway`.

### Issue Context
`NetworkConfiguration.Ssid`/`Password` are non-nullable strings with default empty values, and `UpdateNetworkConfigurationAsync` always sends SCPI commands for SSID/password/security/mode.

### Fix Focus Areas
- README.md[151-154]

### Suggested fix
Update the sentence to explicitly scope the null semantics (e.g., “Leave `StaticIP`/`SubnetMask`/`Gateway` as `null` to keep current values; SSID/password/mode are always applied”), or adjust the example text to avoid implying SSID/password can be omitted without changes.

ⓘ Copy this prompt and use it to remediate the issue with your preferred AI generation tools

---

2. Non-compilable options snippet ✓ Resolved 🐞 Bug ⚙ Maintainability

Description

The "Connection options" code fence redeclares using var device multiple times in the same scope
(TCP, 3 serial examples, and discovery connect), so the snippet will not compile if copied as
written. This makes the README quick recipe unreliable as a copy/paste starting point.

Code

README.md[R90-104]

```csharp
+// TCP with resilient retry preset (5 retries, longer timeouts)
using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectTcpAsync(
-    "192.168.1.100",
-    9760,
-    DeviceConnectionOptions.Resilient); // 5 retries, longer timeouts
-```
+    "192.168.1.100", 9760, DeviceConnectionOptions.Resilient);

-**Serial/USB connection:**
-```csharp
-using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectSerialAsync("COM3");             // Windows
-using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectSerialAsync("/dev/cu.usbmodem1"); // macOS
-```
+// Serial / USB
+using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectSerialAsync("COM3");                // Windows
+using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectSerialAsync("/dev/cu.usbmodem1");   // macOS
+using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectSerialAsync("/dev/ttyACM0");        // Linux

-**Connect from a discovery result:**
-```csharp
-using var wifiFinder = new WiFiDeviceFinder();
-var devices = await wifiFinder.DiscoverAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5));
+// From a discovered device
+using var finder = new WiFiDeviceFinder();
+var devices = await finder.DiscoverAsync(TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5));
using var device = await DaqifiDeviceFactory.ConnectFromDeviceInfoAsync(devices.First());

</details>

Evidence

The README’s connection options block includes four using var device = ... declarations within one
fenced code block, which is invalid in a single C# scope.

README.md[88-104]

Agent prompt

The issue below was found during a code review. Follow the provided context and guidance below and implement a solution

### Issue description
The README’s single `csharp` code fence under “Connection options” contains multiple mutually exclusive examples, but they are written as one block that redeclares `device` repeatedly.

### Issue Context
The snippet currently includes multiple `using var device = ...` lines for different transports/platforms and for discovery-based connection.

### Fix Focus Areas
- README.md[88-104]

### Suggested fix
Make the recipe copy/paste-safe by doing one of:
- Split into separate code fences per example (TCP / Serial / Discovery), or
- Rename variables (`tcpDevice`, `serialDevice`, `discoveredDevice`) and/or comment out alternatives with a clear “choose one” instruction.

ⓘ Copy this prompt and use it to remediate the issue with your preferred AI generation tools

---

[tylerkron]

Qodo review responses

Both findings addressed in 3396fc5.

1. Wrong null semantics (Bug, Correctness) — Agreed and fixed. Verified the underlying code: Mode, Ssid, and Password are always applied on every UpdateNetworkConfigurationAsync call (DaqifiStreamingDevice.cs:209-236). Only StaticIP/SubnetMask/Gateway honor null = "leave unchanged" (DaqifiStreamingDevice.cs:241-252, matching the XML doc on NetworkConfiguration). The prior README wording could have caused a DHCP-only caller to inadvertently blank their SSID. The corrected text now reads: "Mode, Ssid, and Password are always applied on every call; only StaticIP, SubnetMask, and Gateway honor null as 'leave unchanged'..."

2. Non-compilable options snippet (Bug, Maintainability) — Agreed and fixed. The single fence with four using var device = ... declarations is not valid C# in a single scope. Split into three per-transport fences so each snippet is independently copy-paste-safe (TCP / Serial / Discovery). The cross-platform serial paths are preserved as a single declaration with all three OS paths shown in a comment, which keeps the cross-platform signal visible while making the snippet compilable.