April 30, 2010 23:59
I have been thinking about this post and I agree with some of what is said, and disagree with some. I think the points should be discussed, fairly and openly, and for that I thank you.
I think we can all agree that the big names in navigation (Coastal Navigator, MaxSea, Garmin, etc) are not Mac-friendly companies. They have shown little if any interest in the Mac, even when, as I believe in the case of MaxSea, they started out on the Mac and then went to Windows. I don't blame them - they are free to go where the money is, even when the money then moves elsewhere and they don't. But to say that the people who are working on nav software for the Mac & iPhone are somehow second-rate ("low-end" is the quote, I believe) is wrong. I think that if you add up all the people working on Mac navigation software, we wouldn't match even one of the Windows groups, but we are a dedicated bunch who work very hard at making our platform of choice a great one for navigation. But we aren't corporations with millions of dollars and dozens of programmers.
I've tried PolarNavy on the Mac, and Navimatics on the the iPhone, and I find both to be toys. They just aren't serious products. PolarNavy's display is simplistic, the color choices are, well I almost want to say childish, the interface is confusing, and the features I have come to expect just aren't there. Perhaps in time they will be, I don't know. Navimatics' approach of separate apps for separate regions is expensive and the options they give to users is limited. My opinion is that neither app is adequate for their intended use.
I do like iNavX because of its features, its integration with MacENC, and the breath and depth of the available charts. Does that mean that I think it's perfect? Of course not. Some of Rich's choices as to how to do things I find baffling (as I'm sure some people find some of my design choices with AyeTides and Mr. Tides just as confusing), but it's still head and shoulders above the others and its price is justified.
Having used the Mac since 1986 (ah the good old Fat Mac, 128K of memory and a 400K floppy drive - with OS and apps on it!) and programmed Mr. Tides since 1999, I find the iPhone to be frustrating due to its small screen and people's high expectations. They expect a full-size computer's power with the screen the size of your thumbnail. I think we've done a good job with what we've been given (accolades to Apple for a tremendous SDK) and we should be applauded for our efforts. Not to say that our flaws should be ignored, but neither should they be emphasized over all else.
This discussion should continue, it's important for the future of navigation on the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iWhateverElseJobsComesUpWith (and I for one really wish they'd move away from iNaming everything with i's) and I encourage everyone to jump in with their opinions.
August
I think we can all agree that the big names in navigation (Coastal Navigator, MaxSea, Garmin, etc) are not Mac-friendly companies. They have shown little if any interest in the Mac, even when, as I believe in the case of MaxSea, they started out on the Mac and then went to Windows. I don't blame them - they are free to go where the money is, even when the money then moves elsewhere and they don't. But to say that the people who are working on nav software for the Mac & iPhone are somehow second-rate ("low-end" is the quote, I believe) is wrong. I think that if you add up all the people working on Mac navigation software, we wouldn't match even one of the Windows groups, but we are a dedicated bunch who work very hard at making our platform of choice a great one for navigation. But we aren't corporations with millions of dollars and dozens of programmers.
I've tried PolarNavy on the Mac, and Navimatics on the the iPhone, and I find both to be toys. They just aren't serious products. PolarNavy's display is simplistic, the color choices are, well I almost want to say childish, the interface is confusing, and the features I have come to expect just aren't there. Perhaps in time they will be, I don't know. Navimatics' approach of separate apps for separate regions is expensive and the options they give to users is limited. My opinion is that neither app is adequate for their intended use.
I do like iNavX because of its features, its integration with MacENC, and the breath and depth of the available charts. Does that mean that I think it's perfect? Of course not. Some of Rich's choices as to how to do things I find baffling (as I'm sure some people find some of my design choices with AyeTides and Mr. Tides just as confusing), but it's still head and shoulders above the others and its price is justified.
Having used the Mac since 1986 (ah the good old Fat Mac, 128K of memory and a 400K floppy drive - with OS and apps on it!) and programmed Mr. Tides since 1999, I find the iPhone to be frustrating due to its small screen and people's high expectations. They expect a full-size computer's power with the screen the size of your thumbnail. I think we've done a good job with what we've been given (accolades to Apple for a tremendous SDK) and we should be applauded for our efforts. Not to say that our flaws should be ignored, but neither should they be emphasized over all else.
This discussion should continue, it's important for the future of navigation on the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iWhateverElseJobsComesUpWith (and I for one really wish they'd move away from iNaming everything with i's) and I encourage everyone to jump in with their opinions.
August