Linux Subforum

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

Would it be possible to create a subforum for Linux users?

 

Support and geocaching apps are not as hot for Linux and I have to spend a good deal of time searching the forums or using Google doing a 'site:' filter to find possible posts for Linux support.

 

Would it be too much to have a subforum where Geocachers who use Linux could specifically post help and topics to do running Linux and interfacing with Geocaching.com.

 

I can think of sereveral uses for this off the top of my head:

• Geocaching apps
  
• Using PQs
  
• Updating GPSr
  
• Netbooks in the field
  
• Website and browser support
  
• Reduce load on forums searches for "linux" etc...
  

Any other geocachers here who uses Linux and would like to see this?

[robertlipe]

While the limits of this sites search are well known and the source of much frustration, the volume of Linux traffic here doesn't warrant it.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

While the limits of this sites search are well known and the source of much frustration, the volume of Linux traffic here doesn't warrant it.

 

Know of any sites that specifically do blend geocaching and linux?

 

I suppose I could wait till Android gets supported -- that IS linux.

[+Shilo]

While the limits of this sites search are well known and the source of much frustration, the volume of Linux traffic here doesn't warrant it.

 

And how do you know?

 

I just switched to Ubuntu and love it so far and would love this so I don't have to use the stupid search thing here. Would like to know whats out there.

 

How hard is it to set up a sub section and test it out for usage? I know that is not hard to do(setting up a section to this).

 

And to answer the OP, yes I'd support it

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

While the limits of this sites search are well known and the source of much frustration, the volume of Linux traffic here doesn't warrant it.

 

And how do you know?

 

I just switched to Ubuntu and love it so far and would love this so I don't have to use the stupid search thing here. Would like to know whats out there.

 

How hard is it to set up a sub section and test it out for usage? I know that is not hard to do(setting up a section to this).

 

And to answer the OP, yes I'd support it

 

Thanks!

 

I'm also a 'buntu user and have been since 2006. I found a thread on Ubuntu forums a while ago which piqued some interest.

 

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=342678

 

At the moment I'm trying to find an alternative to GSAK and although I can use the command line I want to find a decent GUI version.

[+sTeamTraen]

The iPhone, alluded to in the thread subtitle, has its own forum because Groundspeak made an app for it. At the Groundspeak level, I'm not aware of any of the standard site tools for geocaching not working with Linux (or Mac).

 

However, I notice that the "GPS and Technology" forum has quite a lot of traffic (it has more topics, although not more posts, than even "Geocaching Topics". Perhaps a Linux subforum could be a useful addition if that forum were to be split up.

[+Shilo]

I read GSAK doesn't work with Linux or MAC. I had a partition (20 GB of 250) set aside for Vista just so I can run GSAK and my other GPS/PALM needs. Really don't like the idea but its a nice back-up to Windows only apps.

[+DavidMac]

I read GSAK doesn't work with Linux or MAC. I had a partition (20 GB of 250) set aside for Vista just so I can run GSAK and my other GPS/PALM needs. Really don't like the idea but its a nice back-up to Windows only apps.

 

Not natively. But... I've run GSAK under Wine on Ubuntu, granted not without some issues and a bit of configuration. It runs perfectly well on my OSX machine through a VM running Windows XP, which is my current preferred method of running Windows-only caching tools. It uses about half the space that a dedicated partition does and requires no rebooting.

Edited November 21, 2009 by DavidMac

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

I read GSAK doesn't work with Linux or MAC. I had a partition (20 GB of 250) set aside for Vista just so I can run GSAK and my other GPS/PALM needs. Really don't like the idea but its a nice back-up to Windows only apps.

 

Not natively. But... I've run GSAK under Wine on Ubuntu, granted not without some issues and a bit of configuration. It runs perfectly well on my OSX machine through a VM running Windows XP, which is my current preferred method of running Windows-only caching tools. It uses about half the space that a dedicated partition does and requires no rebooting.

 

I've been running it under Wine but I'm thinking of just going to a bash script to sort the PQ and gpsbabel it.

 

On topic though, I guess the lack of large response here indicates that at present there is no call for a subforum - though maybe a lot of Linux users aren't checking out this one.

 

It would be nice to run a test as suggested above. There's a lot of activity on the web with geocachers who use linux and blog but there's just no central repository to pull it all together.

 

Maybe a moderator can move this thread to the technology subforum?

[modernman]

I'm using linux and would appreciate a subforum

[+Nils-Olov]

I think it would be a good idea. I have been using Linux for 10 years, different distributions but mainly SuSE.

 

The lack of Linux software made me to write a small application to make some statistics to put in the public profile. I use the 'My Finds' pocket query as input to the program. You may try it out and give me your opinion on what to add and what to change. The application is written in Java so anyone can use it. You will find it at http://fson.se/geostat.

[+ZeWrestler]

I've been using Linux for over 3 years now. A centralized place to get linux geocaching info would be great.

[robertlipe]

As a moderator of that forum, I'll have to say that "I want it, too" posts here don't change the reality that there is not enough traffic currently to warrant it.

 

In the last 30 days in that group, there have been two mentions of the word "Linux" and neither actually had anything to do with Linux.

 

I'm not opposed to splitting that forum (though I'm a little reluctant just because the existing categorization tools on this forum are so poor) and if I saw a huge amount of Linux-specific discussion going on, I'd understand the extra user and moderator overhead for it, but the justification isn't there.

 

And don't even start with the "you are a Linux hater" posts; I've been a UNIX and Open Source dude since the 80's and remember pulling my first Linux image over a 9600bps Telebit Trailblazer modem. GPSBabel was created on Linux and was primarliy developed there for years. I have no axe to grind, I just don't see the justification for a new forum here to support it.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

As a moderator of that forum, I'll have to say that "I want it, too" posts here don't change the reality that there is not enough traffic currently to warrant it.

 

In the last 30 days in that group, there have been two mentions of the word "Linux" and neither actually had anything to do with Linux.

 

I'm not opposed to splitting that forum (though I'm a little reluctant just because the existing categorization tools on this forum are so poor) and if I saw a huge amount of Linux-specific discussion going on, I'd understand the extra user and moderator overhead for it, but the justification isn't there.

 

And don't even start with the "you are a Linux hater" posts; I've been a UNIX and Open Source dude since the 80's and remember pulling my first Linux image over a 9600bps Telebit Trailblazer modem. GPSBabel was created on Linux and was primarliy developed there for years. I have no axe to grind, I just don't see the justification for a new forum here to support it.

 

I hear what you're saying. But could it be that there are more Linux users who have just accepted fate that most activities outside the scope of technology are not going to support Linux and that's why it's not discussed as much?

 

I'm thinking kind of "if you build it, they will come".

 

Plus I've seen at least one question thread by a Linux user closed after 3 posts. They asked a question, 1 person suggested an answer and it was instantly closed. I had a different answer and some more suggestions but I had to privately message that person instead. I thought that was quite rude considering some of the useless threads that do stay open - on that occasion it did seem as though the moderator in question wanted to prevent any further discussion. It may have been in the wrong subforum but it could have been moved to technology.

[robertlipe]

Show me enough meaningful traffic in the forum that it's justified and I'll get behind it.

 

I don't know the thread you're speaking of, but about the only time I close a thread is if it's violation of the guidelines or if the OP requested it. There may be a few other oddball reasons, but generally threads stay open.

 

There's no OS bias in my world. We see more Mac discussion than Linux and even that's not enough to justify splitting it off. If I closed threads because I didn't like the OS, there'd be a lot less Windows traffic. :-)

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

Show me enough meaningful traffic in the forum that it's justified and I'll get behind it.

 

I don't know the thread you're speaking of, but about the only time I close a thread is if it's violation of the guidelines or if the OP requested it. There may be a few other oddball reasons, but generally threads stay open.

 

There's no OS bias in my world. We see more Mac discussion than Linux and even that's not enough to justify splitting it off. If I closed threads because I didn't like the OS, there'd be a lot less Windows traffic. :-)

 

That's funny, because, I don't have access to those stats obviously.

 

However, out of curiosity I did a google comparison the search terms "geocaching +<OS>" and here's what I found:

 

Geocaching +Linux - 0.79m results

Geocaching +Windows - 1.09m results

Geocaching +Mac - 0.99m results

Geocaching +iPhone - 0.79m results

 

So if geocaching.com visit statistics were taken as a representative proportion of these results, going by your logic, what justified Groundspeak creating an iPhone app? Something more geared to Mac users would serve more people.

 

On the other hand, I have to concede that iPhone is not a PC, so here's some other comparissons:

 

Geocaching +iPhone - 0.79m results

Geocaching +Palm - 0.59m results

Geocaching +Symbian OR +Nokia - 0.5m results

Geocaching +Android - 0.38m results

 

So, when are Groundspeak going to be finished on developing their Android app? Why aren't they developing for Palm or a subforum for Symbian? I guess it's not really a numbers game after all.

Edited November 23, 2009 by _TeamFitz_

[+Shilo]

Show me enough meaningful traffic in the forum that it's justified and I'll get behind it.

 

Can't be any worse than the Benchmark hunting sub forum

 

2 new posts today and 1 reply from yesterday....hmmmmmmmm

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

I think there would be a lot more Linux users posting if there was some dedicated area for them to ask questions or post relevant topics.

 

The problem is a lot of us freetards are used to finding our own solutions and using DIY solutions along with Wine, but I what happens to those who are quite new to Linux, but find that their favourite sports or hobbies are slightly exclusionary - not by principle but by design?

 

I have an Ubuntu netbook I use out in the field, I don't want to have duel boot Windows on it, I use GSAK with Wine but I'm not entirely happy about that either.

 

If we had this kind of forum then ideas could be shared about the best way to get things like "send to GPS" to work with a website that doesn't account for Linux.

[robertlipe]

Your point, as I understand it, is that there is 72% (*.79/1.09) as many Linux posters as there are Windows posters, but the reason that there is essentially no Linux traffic on this forum is because there's not a dedicated section for Linux? Surely not; that's just argumentative. There isn't a dedicated section for Windows questions, either, yet nobody seems intimidated to post. I've sit on on those forums and read most (not all) of the posts since '01 and the amount of Linux traffic on them just doesn't move the meter.

 

As moderator, if I saw there was a healthy amount of activity that would be better serviced outside of the existing infrastructure, I'd support building more infrastructure.

 

Nobody has once said that the existing forum isn't a place where "ideas could be shared". If you have a question over there, ask it. If you have an answer, answer it. If it happens to be about Linux, that's just groovy.

 

(And a form of "send to GPS" has worked on Linux since '01 - long before the newfangled plugins roamed the earth. http://www.gpsbabel.org/tips/browser.html - I used to load my Map 330 from a serial line on Linux that way before Pocket Queries, even.)

[+drsolly]

pulling my first Linux image over a 9600bps Telebit Trailblazer modem.

 

9600 bps? Luxury. I was using a 300 baud Anderson Jacobsen Acoustic coupler, and every time the baby screamed, I got massive line noise.

 

I use Fedora, and what I really really want, is a Fedora version of Memory Map. Linux GSAK would also be good; I dont fancy tickling Wine until it runs GSAK.

 

But I know I'm wishing for the moon.

[+MartyBartfast]

I too am a long time Linux user (Mandriva, then Ubuntu, currently Fedora), and while I'd be interested in a dedicated Linux forum I suspect that robertlipe is right and there wouldn't be enough interest to keep it 'lively'.

 

BTW, I still run GSAK on the kids PC, but I now use geoqo+gpsbabel on Fedora for my cache management.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

I too am a long time Linux user (Mandriva, then Ubuntu, currently Fedora), and while I'd be interested in a dedicated Linux forum I suspect that robertlipe is right and there wouldn't be enough interest to keep it 'lively'.

 

BTW, I still run GSAK on the kids PC, but I now use geoqo+gpsbabel on Fedora for my cache management.

 

I've tried Geoqo, it seems like an acceptible replacement for GSAK, the only thing is I found it tended to crash on my Kubuntu setup. Maybe I just need to do a fresh 'buntu install.

 

But I tried gpsbabel the other day from command line and have to say I may just dump GSAK and go with that. After all, all I was doing was loading PQs into GSAK and exporting them, I haven't been using it for management as such.

[+teamhillside]

I think there would be a lot more Linux users posting if there was some dedicated area for them to ask questions or post relevant topics.

 

The problem is a lot of us freetards are used to finding our own solutions and using DIY solutions along with Wine, but I what happens to those who are quite new to Linux, but find that their favourite sports or hobbies are slightly exclusionary - not by principle but by design?

 

I have an Ubuntu netbook I use out in the field, I don't want to have duel boot Windows on it, I use GSAK with Wine but I'm not entirely happy about that either.

 

If we had this kind of forum then ideas could be shared about the best way to get things like "send to GPS" to work with a website that doesn't account for Linux.

 

Just a post in support of a separate Linux sub-forum, even recognising that it would be quiet. Just as an example, I bought a netbook with linux installed (saving the cost of a MS licence) at around the same time that I got the bug for geocaching. Other than searching via google "linux geocaching" I struggled to get started on finding an appropriate linux solution. I did eventually come across sites which were of some help, but I think it would be fair to say that not all of the posts have the word "linux" in them which to the uninitiated makes searching quite difficult.

 

Grouping posts which are related to linux together would be valuable, and would save traffic from the main forum. I don't know how much time and effort is required to monitor / moderate a forum, but if that is the reason why not to set up a forum then surely that's self defeating logic - easy to monitor / moderate forums would have very little traffic, and therefore would be of less value, whereas busy forums would have a great deal of traffic, carry a high maintenance overhead and therefore should be refused!!

 

Having said all of that, between the forums here and at GSAK I have had most of my questions answered (including by robertlipe, thanks!), but I consider myself to be a reasonably self-sufficient researcher - not every one is!

 

Matt

[+DarkBeer]

Sorry for another "me too" post, but I would also be interested in any Linux related discussions on geocaching. If it is believed that it won't be a high volume area, I don't see where it would be a big infrastructure investment. Also, with one exception, all of the posts in this thread have been from premium members. Where is the interest in taking care of paying customer requests?

Taking this a step further, why not move the technology forum into its own section and break down into subforums from there? You could have Windows, Linux, Mac, then also break down the various platforms such as Blackberry, Iphone (already has one), Android, and also subforums on traditional GPSr, DeLorme, Garmin, Magellan, etc.

As already pointed out, the GPS & Technology section has more topics than any other section in the forums. That would seem to make it a prime candidate for further organization.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

FYI for all the freetards like me who have posted so far, I have set up a "Linux and Geocaching" public (Google) Wave.

 

No-one's responded to it yet, but I suspect that's because of the limited cross-section of Linux users and Geocachers who actually have a Wave account.

 

I have 23 wave invites left, I can share a few of these for people who want one - to access the wave of course!

 

For those who have a Wave account, just search for "with:public geocaching and linux" Sorry I don't know how to provide a direct link to a wave yet.

 

Anyway- I think this is the nearest we can get to a forum without hosting a new website.

[+thedeadpirate]

I use Ubunutu on my netbook when on the road. I can access the website directly for looking up caches. However, I'd be interested in seeing how others manage to load pq's to their gps, sort, etc in Linux.

 

I haven't been in this section for a while, but this thread caught my attention immediately.

[+Nils-Olov]

I use Ubunutu on my netbook when on the road. I can access the website directly for looking up caches. However, I'd be interested in seeing how others manage to load pq's to their gps, sort, etc in Linux.

 

I haven't been in this section for a while, but this thread caught my attention immediately.

Quite easy for me at least.

After I received the e-mail with the PQ i unpack the gpx file in the zip file with ark, next I connect my Garmin Oregon with an USB cable and after a while I get a message that the Oregon is connected. Next step is to copy the extracted gpx file to the GARMIN/gpx directory in the Oregon. You might need to delete some old gpx files in the oregon you have copied there before. The Oregon can only handle 2000 caches so you can actually load the gpx files from at least 4 PQs at a time.

Hope this will help.

[+thedeadpirate]

I use Ubunutu on my netbook when on the road. I can access the website directly for looking up caches. However, I'd be interested in seeing how others manage to load pq's to their gps, sort, etc in Linux.

 

I haven't been in this section for a while, but this thread caught my attention immediately.

Quite easy for me at least.

After I received the e-mail with the PQ i unpack the gpx file in the zip file with ark, next I connect my Garmin Oregon with an USB cable and after a while I get a message that the Oregon is connected. Next step is to copy the extracted gpx file to the GARMIN/gpx directory in the Oregon. You might need to delete some old gpx files in the oregon you have copied there before. The Oregon can only handle 2000 caches so you can actually load the gpx files from at least 4 PQs at a time.

Hope this will help.

 

I have the gpx files sent uncompressed to my phone directly. I open them in Cachemate and then export out the file for my explorist. Copy via memory card and I'm done. I've been doing this for a while since I always have my phone, but not my computer.

 

I was speaking in more general terms though. I just like to see how other people are using linux for geocaching. I tend to learn new things just by watching conversations. A lot of times I will pick up on something I hadn't even thought to ask.

[+CanUK_TeamFitz]

I use Ubunutu on my netbook when on the road. I can access the website directly for looking up caches. However, I'd be interested in seeing how others manage to load pq's to their gps, sort, etc in Linux.

 

I haven't been in this section for a while, but this thread caught my attention immediately.

 

Just installed the latest UNR on my netbook and pretty happy with it so far. I've heard that there's a package that you can install which can utilise your GPSr when it's connected via USB, with software to log/find your location.

 

I haven't tried this myself, but I tend to rely on Cacheberry for paperless (I download the PQ from my email on the Blackberry) and just lately I've been using gpsbabel from the CLI. I wrote a bash script to unzip the PQ and then send to device.

[+nelson crew]

Yet another "me too" post, with the argument that even if there isn't a ton of traffic, it would make the information provided so much easier to find. I'm sure everyone by now is familiar with the limitations of the forum search "feature."

 

My Linux experience is 80% limited to servers w/ no GUI. If tools I regularly use (such as my beloved geocaching info-circus) and helpful information were more readily available I would likely boot into the Ubuntu partition on my netbook on a regular basis.

 

Granted, I haven't really taken the time as-is, and my position is rather leech-like. Still, the idea has merit.

 

Just my $0.01 (not even worth 2 cents).

Edited December 17, 2009 by nelson crew

[markandlynn]

Perhaps as a short term measure a pinned topic titled Linux users read this.

Within the post you could link to threads posted on linux specific questions.

The search engine would direct people to the correct forum and the pinned thread becomes a repository of linked knowledge.

This thread could be the first on that list ?