UserIcons in older OpenCPN version

[jaapbood]

I use an old (25+ yrs), very robust Toshiba laptop onboard for navigation.
It's on windows 2000, and uses OpenCPN 2.5
Adding recent bouys via a chart layer works fine, but OpenCPN does not recognize the UserIcons I have stored (in Program Files/OpenCPN/UserIcons).
Probably 2.5 does not support UserIcons? Is there a way out? E.g. the support of both windows 2000 and UserIcons?

[rooiedirk]

Not sure if 2.5 does support usericons, but definitely not on the place where you stored them.
It should be in ProgramData/OpenCpn/UserIcons. ProgramData/OpenCpn should also be the place where the config(.ini) and log files are stored.

[cagney]

You should have a copy of the 2.5 documentation installed, which says, among other things:

A user can install his or her own icons to use with marks and "own ship".

1. Create a directory called "UserIcons" in the same place that holds your opencpn.ini(config) file.
In MSW this is the same folder that holds the log file. Easiest way to find this is to go to the - button in the ToolBar and look all the way down in the first tab (About).
In Linux create the directory: /home/$USER/.opencpn/UserIcons.

2. Add .xpm files to this directory. They can be any size. The name embedded within the xpm file becomes the name of the new waypoint icon. These new icons will appear on the Waypoint Properties dialog, and can be assigned to any waypoint. They can also be assigned in GPX Import files.

Note that the file format must be ".xpm".

Thomas

[jaapbood]

Thanks Thomas. I can't find this text in my version of the documentation, when I press "help" button. I'll look further. An other issue is the type of the icon files. In newer versions of OpenCpn (which work fine on my home pc), the icon files are all ".png". Are you saying that I can simply rename the files?
Jaap

[nohal]

Originally Posted by jaapbood

Thanks Thomas. I can't find this text in my version of the documentation, when I press "help" button. I'll look further. An other issue is the type of the icon files. In newer versions of OpenCpn (which work fine on my home pc), the icon files are all ".png". Are you saying that I can simply rename the files?
Jaap

No, you have to convert them to XPM format. If you don't have any program to do so installed on your machine, there are online tools like https://www.files-conversion.com/image/png to do so.
I would myself probably replace the OS on the laptop with some lightweight Linux distribution and updated OpenCPN to the current release instead...

Pavel

[P_Dub]

Concerning the ship in android, I tried to modified with my own without result.
Is that possible or not?
Best Regards

[did-g]

Originally Posted by nohal

I would myself probably replace the OS on the laptop with some lightweight Linux distribution and updated OpenCPN to the current release instead...

Pavel

25 years old, that's mean what? 64MB , 128MB, 512MB?

What is 4.8 minimum memory requirement vs 2.5?

[nohal]

Originally Posted by did-g

25 years old, that's mean what? 64MB , 128MB, 512MB?

What is 4.8 minimum memory requirement vs 2.5?

I would say there is not much difference, in case you don't turn on features like texture caching...

[jaapbood]

Ok. Got some good suggestions, so this is what I would like to do. The old laptop is a 64M Toshiba Tecra, with 8G ccd disk. It is still running Windows 2000. I will go however the Linux route, to be able to run the uptodate OpenCPN versions. I am about to get a DSL (damn small linux) cd; should fit in the 64M. Now, the next question is, which version of OpenCPN should I use. I believe DSL is a derivate of Demian. Does this mean downloading the Ubuntu flavor of OpenCPN?
Jaap

[did-g]

What charts are you using? 64MB is a tall order.
What is your screen resolution? Can you boot from USB if it has USB

No idea about Ubuntu version, you have to try.

Anyway if DSL boots on your computer and you're unwilling to compile your own version ask and I'll compile a version for small computer, (I still remember buying 1KB RAM at 30$ a pop, 70s dollars, and running Unix on computer with 512KB RAM so I should be able to do it).

Regards
Didier

[jaapbood]

Sounds good. I have just installed DSL on my old laptop (normal Hard Disk install, Demian like). Seems to work fine. Next is ofcourse installing OpenCPN and the maps.
The laptop screen is 1280x1024. 64Mb and 8G disk.
I normally use CMAP/CM93 maps, as well as a set from RWS (Holland only).
So, a downloadable version of OpenCPN for DSL would be great!

Jaap

[did-g]

Originally Posted by jaapbood

The laptop screen is 1280x1024. 64Mb and 8G disk.
I normally use CMAP/CM93 maps, as well as a set from RWS (Holland only).
So, a downloadable version of OpenCPN for DSL would be great!

Jaap

I had a closer look, latest DSL is really old (2008 or 2012 for a beta) and it's unlikely O could compile and run without downloading and compiling half of the Internet.
Marinux as an old O version running on tiny core, not the usual Debian but not too hard to figure out either:

https://marinux.tuxfamily.org/#OCPN-TINY
If this version run and is usable on a real hardware with 64MB RAM + 128MB swap we could update to lastest O version 4.8.8.

[jaapbood]

I am in the proces of getting a Tiny Core boot cd. Will continue from there. Thanks for all the good advice so far.
Busy with other stuff, so it will take a few weeks.
Jaap