Travis Fickett wrote in
:

No matter what you do you're going to need C/C++ experience and a lot
of
patience to deal with the marine industry roadblocks. It would be
nice
to have a viable linux navigation package. And, have a look at my
project (pynavigate.googlecode.com), its a working cross-platform GPS
display written in python.



Maybe you guys should be introduced to the Maemo (Linux on Nokia
Internet Tablets) Mapper crew:

https://garage.maemo.org/projects/maemo-mapper/

I think what you're looking for is already open sourced and only needs
marine navigation modules and chartography added to what has already
been accomplished. It's all GNU and open sourced. The source code is
there for your hacking pleasure.

It's written in C, as you say. There are no roadblocks, whatsoever, as
this is a large group effort for the Maemo OS for tablets with full
support of Nokia, the largest cellphone company on the planet. The
website is their donation to the open source Maemo community.

A little information that may help you understand a little better if you
have no tablet experience. OS2006 was for the Nokia N770 first attempt
at the tablet. OS2007 was for the much-upgraded N800 tablet. OS2008 is
a rewrite of OS2007 incorporating most of the suggestions of the Maemo
community and adding more support for Bluetooth devices, the N810
tablet's slide-out keyboard, etc. N800 tablets upgrade to OS2008 for
free with a Windows bootloader that simply reflashes the whole tablet's
EPROMS through its USB port. If you destroy the OS, you simply reload
and start over....not send it back forever to some company.

N800 isn't a cellphone (or sellphone). It uses Bluetooth DUN to tether
to cellphones for internet...or connects to any wifi it can find with
the most sensitive 802.11b/g receiver I have ever seen. N800 uses an
external Bluetooth 20-channel WAAS GPS receiver that runs off a
cellphone Li-Ion rechargeable. I'm using Nokia's model LD-3W:
http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-LD-3W-Wi.../dp/B000QGF8V4
but they have a new LD-4W model out, now. The LD3W is so close your
vehicle lane changes on any highway with the unit laying on the dash is
plainly visable and very accurately depicted by Maemo Mapper.

Go to youtube.com and put Maemo Mapper into its search box to see
the videos the various instructional bloggers have added.

I'd sure LOVE to have a "Marine Navigation Mode" you could switch to
with Maemo Mapper. What a cool device this GPS-sized tablet would be.
It already uses Virtual Earth, Google Earth and other data servers to
download maps, terrain charts, satellite photos, overlays of maps on top
of satellite photos, and tracks very well....about the width of a dock
accuracy.

When you got to that exotic island, you'd stick the little GPS in your
pocket, boot the tablet to pre-downloaded satphoto mosaics of the exotic
island and walked down the dock, using it on land as well to find Points
of Interest, plan land routes, etc....it already does very well.

Contact the team and talk to them about a Marine Mode for this open
source system we all love. Thanks!

http://www.amazon.com/Nokia-LD-3W-Wi.../dp/B000QGF8V4
http://www.nseries.com/products/n800/#l=products,n810
http://www.nseries.com/products/n800/#l=products,n800
http://www.internettablettalk.com/

No reason Maemo Mapper couldn't be ported to another Linux box...but
why??...(c;