Tablet Navigation?

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by rabbi

I think you are looking this from a developer perspective.

Nah.

Consider me an average Joe. I prefer a native app that I can start with one finger.

Well, beyond believing the assertion you like starting an app with one finger, I don't consider anyone else to be an "average joe".

I don't want a VNC viewer to connect to a chrooted desktop manager to run OpenCPN.

You're approaching this as someome who knows what's going on. Most people won't and don't care as long as they're able to mount linux either automatically on boot (an option in Linux Deploy) or by simply tapping on the "start" icon in Linux Deploy.

I don't want to root my device and I don't want to get a new ROM. I'm not the least interested in boot loaders. After reading a disclaimer on most rooting guides I certainly don't want to root my device.

So, don't root your device. But assuming others suffer from root-phobia is another exercise in the belief you know all. Others are just like you - or less.

I prefer a one click installation over 7 pages of instructions. I don't want to consider any dependencies. I don't want to make and compile apps or drivers. I don't want to know about ssh and ports. All I want is to run openCPN.

Hmmm. 7 pages? Have never printed my instructions so have no idea how many pages are involved. But, what I do know is you are prone to exaggeration. So, if you can't handle the simple copy & paste steps involved in downloading the source and compiling OpenCPN use one of the files I've generated to install OpenCPN. And, as mentioned before you know ssh is part of the security process included when mounting the linux system. Purely opaque to others. Sorry, but when using OpenCPN you're going to have to deal with ports... Just the way it is. In my view there are no "average joes" that can't setup the vnc, a one time requirement.

I don't want to digg into these details because I am not here to have fun with bits and bytes. This is not about computers but about getting a cheap and reliable navigation aid to finally go sailing.
Many users (users! not developers or nerds) feel the same.

You definitely get an "A" in exaggeration and an "F" in how you view others.

My hardware is: a normal windows 8.1 machine (which happens to be a tablet) and a chinese USB-RS232 converter. Total cost new is $2 more than just a tablet.

My wiring is: power and 2 wires between the instruments and the USB-serial converter.

My installation instructions are: Download & run opencpn installer. If in trouble: look into the OpenCPN user manual.

Doesn't sound complex or expensive to me.

So?

[rabbi]

I hereby accept the superiority of Opencpn on a chrooted linux desktop running on android viewed through a peephole called bVNC viewer running on android.

Originally Posted by Wrong

Enuf.

Amen!

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by rabbi

I hereby accept the superiority of Opencpn on a chrooted linux desktop running on android viewed through a peephole called bVNC viewer running on android.



Amen!

Peace Bro.

[Reefmagnet]

I just went through the exercise of putting Linux and OpenCPN on an old Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000 that had been previously rooted and managed to get it, including integrated GPS to work. Now, don't get me wrong, Wrong, as I really do appreciate the effort you've put into maintaining and promoting the use of OpenCPN on android tablets but I have to say that your instructions either don't entirely relate to tablets beyond the Xoom or they need a review as there were errors and ommisions when applied to my particular installation which proved to be frustrating. Especially as I really can't see anything about the Galaxy Tab that would make it significantly different from a multitude of other tablets. I can only surmise that this does in fact pose a barrier to potential users as in my opinion at the moment you really need either to have technical savvy or otherwise need a degree of "hand holding" to undertake the process.

On the positive side, I can't believe that no one has mentioned the potential of an Android tablet rooted to run Linux to operate as a low cost and low powered networked MFD with "GoFree" style integration. The ability of SSH and VNC to communicate with a tablet beyond "localhost" would appear grossly underrated. As soon as I connected remotely with VNC from my desktop PC to a Linux session running on a 5 year old tablet - and with acceptable performance to boot - I just went "wow".

I can also see advantages to running OpenCPN on a tablet as opposed to a commercial offering. Simply put it's the ability to have world wide charts and to be able to add your own custom maps at low expense which is just what you need for a device that may be used for long distance cruising and relegated to a role of rarely, if ever, used backup. The other thing that - rightly or wrongly - concerns me about commercial applications is how portable they are. For example how easy is it to transfer to a new tablet? Do you need to buy the software again? What happens if the vendor no longer supports a new version of the Android OS, or discontinues support of an older version? Again, OpenCPN should be immune from these issues.

[Ex-Calif]

I am so over "computer" hobbying...

I found an old Netbook in a closet and thought, "Wow let's pop an OS on this thing and use it for a "visitor" machine."

By the tme I was done "configuring" it and installing useful software - 2 days had passed.

Yhe last Laptop I bought was about $330.

Oh, I dont work on my own cars any more either.

I can do both. I choose to do neither...


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[Biggusstickus]

I use an IPAD and use a download named isailor. It is used by many of the Pilots in Singapore and that is where I picked up the idea. Its a free download but have to buy the maps which are reasonable priced.

I left Singapore last week, up through Straights of Malacca and are now in the Middle of the Indian Ocean heading to Mumbai and the app is great. Easy to use and a great back up to the primary system.

Cheers

[four winds]

Me too Ex-Calif. Don't even own a car any more.

On the topic.... someone mentioned the AMOLED screens. Samsung's 8.4 tablet has one. In the store the screen was super bright compared to other models on display. Not sure but sure looked like it might be noticably better in sunlight than the others.

A bit pricey but it's on the wish list.

Still not using Opencpn on my Mac air. PolarView works very well there.

[ravinracin]

Wrong, Please address Reefmagnet's post concerning the Samsung Galaxy for Linux and OpenCPN. If I understand his post correctly, It is a real hassle and didn't work. I have been reading this thread and have a Galaxy I was going to try OpenCPN on. I use OpenCPN on my Laptop and really like it. I am one of those guys that needs to be shown how to do things on a computer. Reading instruction and running into walls leaves me very frustrated. Thanks

[four winds]

Sorry, forgot there was no download and play Opencpn for Android OS.

I use MxMariner on my cheap phone. PolarView on Mac air with a 32" display, which is also available for Ipad and a very good program for me.

Don't do any ais, radar, wind sensor, etc. Don't need it. So I guess I have nothing to offer here. I'll go way quietly.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by ravinracin

Wrong, Please address Reefmagnet's post concerning the Samsung Galaxy for Linux and OpenCPN. If I understand his post correctly, It is a real hassle and didn't work. I have been reading this thread and have a Galaxy I was going to try OpenCPN on. I use OpenCPN on my Laptop and really like it. I am one of those guys that needs to be shown how to do things on a computer. Reading instruction and running into walls leaves me very frustrated. Thanks

To clarify, I have got it working and while it takes more effort then downloading an Android specific app from the Store, I'd have to say that I felt the steps involved were actually a little bit less complicated than Wrong's guide might otherwise suggest. I agree you need to be a "dabbler" or have a particular interest in OpenCPN to do this stuff as doing it to save a couple of bucks is just not worthwhile but, it actually isn't that hard or time consuming to do if you're committed to giving it a go. In my case, I'd already rooted my tablet in order to upgrade the Android OS to allow it to run GoFree. I'm also kind of expecting a high mortality rate with it being RAM mounted semi-permanently at the helm so OpenCPN fits the needs perfectly as an underlying backup system that can be transferred to replacements without installation counts or other licensing hassles.

I have made some cliff notes on the installation specific for my device and also have guides I put together previously for both rooting the P1000 and for returning it to standard should it all go belly up. I'll emphasize that these are for my particular device which is a Galaxy Tab P1000 but if anyone's interested you can pm me and I'll make them available on a download link somewhere on the condition you try at your own risk.

[goingplaces]

Thanks Rabbi for all this info. I'm sure it's all very useful but it will take me a while to get my head around it. I will come back to it if you don't mind.

Cheers
Goingplaces

[StuM]

Originally Posted by four winds

Me too Ex-Calif. Don't even own a car any more.

On the topic.... someone mentioned the AMOLED screens. Samsung's 8.4 tablet has one. In the store the screen was super bright compared to other models on display. Not sure but sure looked like it might be noticably better in sunlight than the others.

I used Navionics on a new Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5" in the cockpit for the 6 hour run through the tricky waterways from Cleveland to Coomera last week. Bright sunny day but had no problems reading the screen even wearing polaroid sunglasses. A huge improvement on my old Xoom display.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

<snip>

I have made some cliff notes on the installation specific for my device and also have guides I put together previously for both rooting the P1000 and for returning it to standard should it all go belly up. I'll emphasize that these are for my particular device which is a Galaxy Tab P1000 but if anyone's interested you can pm me and I'll make them available on a download link somewhere on the condition you try at your own risk.

Thanks for keeping notes related to rooting and recovery for Galaxy Tab P1000 owners. If you can remember, let me know what kinds of problems you encountered following my instructions.

As much as I'd like to include this kind of information in my instructions: Building on Motorola Xoom | Official OpenCPN Homepage , it's difficult enough to include information necessary to complete a problem free installation without distracting users with asides specific to different android models. Most people tend to scan instructions in an attempt to develop a sense of complexity, time necessary to perform the steps involved and decide whether or not they want to proceed. So, I've tried to keep things as compact as possible. Not easy.

On the other hand, it would definitely be a plus If I received more feedback. Good and bad. Without feedback I can't know if an error in syntax, or wording in my instructions is a source of frustration for anyone following the instructions.

Can a section pertaining to model specific issues be created at opencpn.org? Don't know, but I'll poll the powers that be to find out.

The other alternative is to visit XDA Developers Android Forum for Mobile Phones, Tablets, Watches & Android App Development - XDA Forums to investigate known issues related to your android model. For example, a custom ROM for the Galaxy P1000 is here: [ROM][CM11][P1000] Official CM11 Galaxy Tab … | Samsung Galaxy Tab | XDA Forums

There is a good reason there's device specific development going on in the android community of developers. In some cases manufacturers introduce methods designed to reveal if "as built" specifications, software and hardware have ever been altered. Even if a factory reset is performed intermediate changes to an "as built" configuration can be retained for the purpose, I presume, of determining whether a warranty remains in force. There are methods to defeat these schemes and can be found at XDA and other development sites on the web. Boot processes, partioning schemes, permissions and more can vary between models. The latter is more likely to complicate a successful completion of my instructions than anything else, and should be the primary suspect if problems arise. Best practice is to immediately ask me for help. Don't frustrate yourself by trying to solve the problem alone.

Searching the internet using suitable key words will frequently lead you to one of my threads. Odds are you'll find the solution to a problem someone else encountered, there...

Finally, anyone concerned with how to recover from an unlikely android device failure must create a "nandroid backup" now, not later. In most cases the name of the backup folder will depend upon your "recovery", typically either CWM (Clockwork Mod) or TWRP for custom ROMS. They are full featured and hugely superior to OEM recoveries. Copy the entire folder to a different device/computer for safekeeping.

If you're going to root your android, seriously consider switching to a custom ROM. For android they are basically OEM ROMS very skilled developers customize for use on your particular model, adding very cool features OEM ROMS don't have. The other advantages include the ability to request a driver you need be included in the next update; ability to download a ROM update and perform the update manually. Doing this enables avoiding the risks associated with OTA updates. If you want, you can still update OTA, but I don't recommend it.

Concerning the installation of Linux with Linux Deploy and OpenCPN either from source or by using one of my binaries. The best safeguard against hardware or software failures is to install Linux and OpenCPN with Linux Deploy default settings which will install Linux as a "file" on the sdcard. Then, using a computer prepare an external micro sdcard by formatting the primary partition as FAT and a second partition in a linux "ext" format; ext2, ext3 or ext4. Then use Linux Deploy to install your preferred Linux distribution in a "partition" on the ext_sdcard, which will probably be /mnt/fuse/sdcard1_real. Install OpenCPN on the ext_card using whatever approach you prefer, from source or with a binary. You can use the external micro sdcard on any android device with the installed android apps you downloaded in the course of following my instructions.

[rabbi]

Just for the records:
Today I tried chroot OpenCPN on my Memopad FHD.

An Intel Atom based tablet is no problem. Linux Deploy works no problem using Debian. All other distros fail for different reasons at some point of the process. I had no intention to dig into the details.
With a full HD display on 10" all desktop items are very tiny by default.

I downloaded the stable i386 .deb file via opencpn.org and installed them on the command line. I connected OpenCPN via TCP to the OpenCPN running on the windows PC to get NMEA data including GPS.

Result: Works. So i386 is not an issue for chroot OpenCPN.


Not intending another fight I won't comment further.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by rabbi

Just for the records:
Today I tried chroot OpenCPN on my Memopad FHD.

An Intel Atom based tablet is no problem. Linux Deploy works no problem using Debian. All other distros fail for different reasons at some point of the process. I had no intention to dig into the details.
With a full HD display on 10" all desktop items are very tiny by default.

If you started the installation with Debian which was successful, then simply switched to another distribution without first removing the installed environment it won't work. Imagine trying to install Fedora when the sources.txt file still lists repositories for Debian...

I have forewarned people that installing on high resolution devices, 1920 x 1200 will display OpenCPN features as tiny. Best to save your money and buy two lightly used 1280X800 android tablets for as little as 35-40% of what a Nexus 10 or comperable tablet will cost.

I downloaded the stable i386 .deb file via opencpn.org and installed them on the command line.

My files?

I connected OpenCPN via TCP to the OpenCPN running on the windows PC to get NMEA data including GPS.

You did this because your Memopad has no GPS?

Result: Works. So i386 is not an issue for chroot OpenCPN.

?? Begs for further information. i386 for which platform? armhf? You're computer?

Not intending another fight I won't comment further.

Well, constructive critical comments won't get a rise from me. I've asked for them.