[JohnDProctor]

With the announcement by CodeWeavers that their CrossOver product (which they claim will run 96% of Windows software under Linux) will be supported under MacOS X86 creates an interesting problem for existing Mac Charting software vendors.

For me it is not the charting software that is important but the maintained data source. Conceivably I will have the choice of running any number of Windows based software applications under MacOS X86 using the CrossOver library conversion/emulation software. This I will be able to do at native ISP (Instruction Set Processor) speeds thus eliminating the need for products like Virtual PC and I don't have to run a copy of Windows to do it! Lest we all think this is pie in the sky, CodeWeavers has by all accounts an excellent track record of delivering Windows applications support under Linux.

So now I can choose an application that supports a maintained data set which supports me.

It is a cruel world but just supporting the Mac is not good enough! I need data for the application to be useful and many software vendors have not graspped that nettle yet.

[RBJ]

John

Am I correct in assuming that you are referring to the quality of "chart" data which is displayed by GPS NavX and others?

So far I'm happy with the way data is displayed using GPS NavX but I'm a bit underwhelmed by Maptech's Admiralty Charts which are my source of Data.

Mine were out of date when I got bought them and Maptech's only comment was to buy a new set if I thought mine was dated. There is no structured updating procedure. They just scan the source charts and release new discs from time to time.

Surely it would be better if UKHO and other chart sources produced electronic versions of their products which could be updated as required online for a reasonable annual fee. Thus the data would be as accurate as possible and could be read using ones preferred software.

Perhaps the problem is not with the readers but with the data sources.

[JohnDProctor]

John

Am I correct in assuming that you are referring to the quality of "chart" data which is displayed by GPS NavX and others?

....snip...

Surely it would be better if UKHO and other chart sources produced electronic versions of their products which could be updated as required online for a reasonable annual fee. Thus the data would be as accurate as possible and could be read using ones preferred software.

Perhaps the problem is not with the readers but with the data sources.

Roger,

You are partially correct. The problem lies with both the data sources and the software vendors. By this I mean that the software vendors will by nature attack the easy markets of North America. After all free charting data is hard to beat. But that does not get a solution to the rest of us. Here in Australia the data is supplied only to licensed software vendors with a hardware dongle. God knows how much the license fees are but clearly the Hydrographic Office is setting its product pricing based upon commercial users. Without the software vendors putting the case for the recreational mariner I'm afraid that 'officially maintained' data will be outside the realm of the recreational mariner. S57 will not change this one bit.

The recreational mariner has an alternative source for 'unofficial maintained' data and that is through the likes of C-Map and Navonics. These products are targetted at the recreational mariner and provide additional information which is of interest to him. However, neither of these vendors has ventured into the Mac software marketplace yet and in my opinion are unlikely to do this in the future.

I will not invest in electronic technology which is no better than my existing paper charts (i.e. manual updates by me). For me to invest in an electronic solution I believe that I should expect updated data to be available either on an individual update or subscription basis. After all would you buy software knowing it will never be updated?

With the way the MacOS X86 is moving and some colateral technologies (CodeWeavers CrossOver product http://www.codeweavers.com/ ) I may just get what I want by running PC based software on OS X86. While this may seem contrary to what us Mac folks have done over the years as this seems to reward a company which has not made an investment in the Mac platform. However, they do have a solution where the Mac software vendors do not.

[GPSNavX]

I am in complete agreement that one would consider Windows alternatives if a good OS X solution cannot be found for a paticular region. The Mac OS X platform is great, but it's a tool and not the end all be all solution for everyone.

Chart data seems to be at the mercy of the politcal whims of a nations government. Taxes pay for much of the generation of the data, but the goverments continue to make exclusive deals with private parties to repackage and sell the data. I get a sick stomach when I read the word "dongle".

Even here in the United States the third parties who "re-sell" the chart data are not giving up the fight against the "free" NOAA data. They are lobbying hard to stop the practice of giving away the data the tax payer already paid for once. Already one legislative bill was written to try to stop public weather data being distributed without charge. Hopefully it will not pass.

Several Windows marine navigation applications require the use of their proprietary format S-57 data repackaged into a "SENC" format. With this type of brand lock-in you are now stuck paying and waiting for one company for chart updates. I have chosen to support more public formats "BSB" and "S-57" with GPSnavX and MacENC.

The reality is the Mac marine navigation software market is very small. I would be surprised if any major player got into it. I believe both GPSNavX and MacENC can go head to head against any comparably priced Windows alternative. At $59 and $99 respectively, both are an incredible deal. I would suspect, I also offer a level of support unmatched in the marine charting software industry, promptly answering emails seven days a week many times into the wee hours of the morning. I really do care if my programs work well for my customers.

So as someone famous said, "If you can find a better widget, buy it!!"