[Xastir] [notifications at github.com: [Xastir/Xastir] Allow user-defined packets to be sent to APRS-IS (#30)]

[Tom Russo]

The attached pull request came in to github this afternoon.  It appears to
be a change that makes sense, but I don't know for sure and would like some
review of it.

It is a single line change to db.c, removing a line that has been present in
Xastir since at least 2002.  This line prevents any data that falls under the
"OTHER_DATA" (APRS Spec chapter 19) category from being forwarded to the APRS-IS

Xastir treats this data as if it were a status report, but I don't know why
it was decided to skip forwarding it to APRS-IS.  There is a comment
on that line "don't put data on internet ????", so it may be that it was
just an arbitrary decision that should be changed.  The code is so old that
it predates the sourceforge CVS repository, and so even if there was an
explanation in CVS commit messages when it was written, those early commits
are not in git.

I don't know what other programs do with that data, or if they feed it to 
APRS-IS.  The spec says that any program that doesn't process this type of 
packet must ignore it, so it shouldn't be the case that passing it on to 
APRS-IS breaks programs that receive this data --- either they'll use it
or ignore it, but they shouldn't puke.  

Is there anyone who can look into this issue and comment on whether it is
the right thing to do?  At first blush it seems to make sense to me, but I've 
never seen any "OTHER_DATA" packets and don't know the impact this change 
might have.  I am unable to look into it anytime soon.

-- 
Tom Russo    KM5VY
Tijeras, NM  

 echo "prpv_a'rfg_cnf_har_cvcr" | sed -e 's/_/ /g' | tr [a-m][n-z] [n-z][a-m]
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From: Sven Steudte <notifications at github.com>
Subject: [Xastir/Xastir] Allow user-defined packets to be sent to APRS-IS (#30)
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2018 22:23:23 +0000 (UTC)
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