[Ham-Linux] Anyone using . . .

[Nate Bargmann]

* Jacob W Tennant <k8jwt at adelphia.net> [2005 Aug 11 17:58 -0500]:
> Because so much of society today has become a "plug & play" mentality that 
> the old ways of technical experimentation has died.
> 
> I have seen the same thing around here (Morgantown,WV) in the ham world as 
> I use APRS which is so simple to setup and run but nobody seems interested 
> even though I offer to setup their systems for them, 24hour phone support, 
> training classes on how to run it.
> 
> "If it ain't plug & play, no way"

That is certainly some of it.  Probably a lot of it is that many hams
learned to tame Windows over the past few years and are reluctant to
believe the promises of us Linux advocates.  I've long thought that
what was needed to push Linux into the average ham's shack was one
"killer app".  However, that app has proven to be elusive.  New
technologies like WSJT continue to appear on Windows first and then an
alpha imitation is written for Linux/BSD when some interested party
gets around to it (I'm not knocking those efforts--I just lack the
required skillset to assist).

I am currently in the middle of an A+ certification class my employer
is putting me through.  As a part of this I am enrolled in a community
college and have now been signed up on Microsoft's MSDNAA site for some
of the course materials (at least the instructor is talking up Linux
and two of us in the class are regular users).  I downloaded and
installed Microsoft's Map Point 2004 and I must admit that it is very
nicely done.  I plan to use it with my GPS on the 900+ mile trip home
this weekend.  Unfortunately, such software doesn't exist in the Free
Software world and this is where we are at a distinct disadvantage for
the average GPS using ham.  (Yes, there is GPS Drive, but it lacks the
built-in street level mapping a complete mapping program includes and
users require.  Tedious downloading sessions to get maps of various
zoom levels over even a local area doesn't impress many either.)

Imagine a comparable Open Source mapping program that could have a wiki
style method of updating routes, attractions, and other features of a
modern mapping program.  The software needs to be self-contained so as
to be useful on the road for street level mapping, however updates of 
sites and trip routes could be obtained whenever the user gets an 
Internet connection.  Perhaps there is something like this started 
already listed at:

http://opensourcegis.org/

Such a project might work by aggregating users' GPS tracks and
averaging them together for various routes and sites.  Perhaps if the
project became popular enough companies like hotel chains, restaurants,
etc. could be recruited to list their sites for nominal support of the
project.  At some point the maps would probably be some of the most
accurate available as the information would continually be refined. 
Programs like GPSDrive (or was it gpsd?) can save tracking information 
into an SQL database that would be an easy interface for uploading
route and site data.

Anyone have an idea of how to build this concept into reality?

73, de Nate >>

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