I asked a few months ago, and was given the two points:
1. Jeff doesn't want forking the active
captain database to be possible.
2. He doesn't think the scheme used by s63 or bsb4 plugins is secure enough to ensure this, and the only solution he would consider is a closed source
plugin library.
I explained that his web interface as well as any fully closed program can be accessed via scripts and/or overriding the underlying libraries with custom ones that intercept data. This would allow grabbing all the relevant database information and allow forking the database. He does not really seem concerned with this.
If the plugin is closed, the
license is no longer GPL compatible and cannot link with
opencpn. People might argue it's "allowed" for a dynamic library, but technically it isn't, not according to the FSF.
I don't think we should consider doing this. How can users improve it? How can they compile it for experimental platforms? (consider wxQt under android, or 64 bit windows with mingw, netbsd, or all the various arm platforms)
Instead I think the time is better spent developing squiddio.