[Xastir] map problem on MEPIS

[Ian Bennett]

Rob,
	I disagree.....to a point. Doing what you describe would add to immense 
overhead to the program for little gain.
	Problems and endless questions reflect on the quality of the documentation. A 
gazillion configuration options is a good thing but they all must be 
documented; not by a "technical writer" but someone who knows what these 
options do.
	What form that documentation takes is another "discussion" however I do like 
the concept of a Wiki as it is quick and easy to add information without 
getting wrap around the axles about format.
	I too am taking my first steps with Xastir however I compiled from source 
(Kubuntu 8.10). Where I am struggling at the moment is converting maps 
between different datums. It would be nice if Xastir could use AGD66 maps.
	My initial problems stemmed from a misunderstanding in the concepts, mostly 
relating to external interfaces, digipeating and what should data should be 
put in those fields. I'm still chasing info on routing and filtering, when 
using more than one radio interface.
	Where I am going with this you need to persist. Once I get my AGD66 maps 
working properly, I'll be over the moon.

Ian
VK1IAN


On Fri, 5 Feb 2010 03:55:31 James Ewen wrote:
> On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 8:48 AM, Rob Neece <kk4r at cox.net> wrote:
> > After reading the recent Linux Journal article, I decided it was time to
> > check out APRS.  Xastir was available in the MEPIS repositories, so
> > Synaptic was used to install it.  Getting it up and running was pretty
> > easy, but the default map it displays is crude at best.
>
> In my humble opinion, the biggest detractor about Xastir is the fact
> that it requires so much tweaking to get it running. Xastir is an
> excellent APRS program, and as is touted many times, it handles the
> most map formats of any APRS program. The ability to stack maps is
> another huge thing that can't be done with any other APRS program.
>
> It is an amazing program, but you really need to be dedicated to get
> it up and running the way you want. Once it is all configured and
> running the way you like, it's pretty much dead simple, and very
> impressive. The tweaks, pokes, and prodding needed to get it there can
> be a killer though.
>
> There are a handful of very dedicated people on this reflector that
> have invested thousands of hours walking people through the minefield
> of configuration options. Without them, the Xastir user base would be
> no where near what it is.
>
> For Xastir to become the #1 mainstream APRS program of choice, it
> needs to be made more user friendly. That would probably mean moving
> away from the Linux concept of doing as little as possible in the way
> of adding in features to the program, and relying on external
> libraries to do all the heavy lifting. Most APRS users don't want to
> have to worry about whether they need Lestif or Motif, or what widget
> set is installed... They want to start up the program, will endure
> having to set their callsign and other personal information, but after
> that, they should have a nice pretty display pop up in front of them.
> Instant gratification please!
>
> Yeah, it's not the *nix way, but then most of the world is not the *nix
> way...
>
> Just my observations.
>
> James
> VE6SRV
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