Quote:
Originally Posted by travellerw
Why use Timezero which costs $400 when OpenCPN is free?
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by captsam54
Because MaxSea is a Much Better program and has many seamless options that openCPN does not..??? In this case I am thinking I am getting what I am paying for???
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by travellerw
I didn't spend a lot of time playing with it (timezero) , so I don't know about the features. OpenCPN does all that I want. Not sure how Timezero is much better program. I certainly didn't see that. Based on the lack of responses, I'm guessing that is true for other users.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by AliaVita
I use MaxSea Time Zero and have open CPN as my back up. You do indeed get what you pay for.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by travellerw
Can you guys describe some features that it provides beyond OpenCPN. I'm not adverse to paying, if it's worth it.
|
Hesitated a bit before deciding to comment on this part of the thread...
FWIW, in our case, I chose MaxSea Time Zero specifically because it's the same
engine and presentation as on our Furuno NN3D plotter. Data exchange is relatively easy, etc.
But another critical reason -- for me -- is that I'm tired of wrestling with software. I started that some 40 years ago, and I've come to consider it just a pain in the a$$... so I wanted an easy install with somebody else doing whatever
maintenance and troubleshooting might ever be necessary, etc.
IOW, I didn't want to install a computer problem; I wanted to install an aid to
navigation... and then immediately use it to go
boating, with no pharting around trying to fix a software application.
With Time Zero, I think I've had approximately one instance where it didn't
work as expected. Maybe two. MaxSea tech support in
France talked me through that, easy. Ditto approx. two instances where something on the NN3D unit acted weird. Furuno talked me through it, easy. This over the course of about 6 years.
I compare that to the number of problem threads here in the OpenCPN forum...
Anyway, for me, the cost of TimeZero has been a non-issue. The cost includes tech support; any problems, they fix it, I don't have to phart around with it.
And amortized over the life of the product(s), it's not really expensive (for me) anyway.
-Chris