OT: Garmin Software

[Jonathan Hutchins]

Quoting Duane Attaway <dattaway at dattaway.org>: 
 
> This is a GPS unit?  As far as I know, they use a serial port for 
> communication and stream the information in simple ascii.  At least that's 
> what the documentation in my tiny Garmin's users manual says.  Linux apps 
> that use GPS to draw maps (kismet) seem to have no problems parsing this 
> information. 
 
Yeah, and as such it would work ok.  Are you aware of any map database for 
Linux, preferably including the U.K.?  I'd love to try it, but Garmin's 
software won't even run under Wine.  (So far, it won't run under Windows 
either...) 
  
> I'm surprised anyone would still use Windows for anything, not to mention  
> attempting a software install with it. 
 
It's hardly any use if you DON'T install outside software...  I am recurringly 
amazed at the CRAP that Windows98 is, and that people put up with this stuff.  
Garmin's software won't work with Mac or anything else, and they obviously 
haven't even put it through a solid debugging.  I asked what to do in order to 
switch which drive the source CD was in, and they said I had to uninstall and 
reinstall from the new drive! (This was on a previous product.) 
 
I'm sure glad I don't have any of their avionics products - "This is your 
captain speaking.  Our Garmin software has caused our Flight Management Systme 
to display the Blue Screen of Death.  Garmin claims that this is due to a 
third-party program for which they are not responsible.  We hope to be able to 
obtain a solution prior to running out of fuel over the North-Atlantic.  Thank 
you for flying Microsoft Airways today." 
 
 
 
 - Live from Andover - Tarcanfel East 

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