There is an application available for free for navigation in boating. It is called Seaclear. Seaclear requires using a GPS puck available to interface via USB. It is available in Windows type systems. It would be great to be ab le to operate it in LINUX machines. The application also includes a calibration utility that allows the user to create its own navigational charts. I believe this calibration utility does not need the GPS puck to work.

Welcome to LinuxQuestions.

According to the seaclear website and WineHQ it works with wine but the information is a bit dated. In a nutshell wine is a compatibility layer that allows windows applications to run under linux without a windows operating system. Do you already have a compatible GPS receiver and have it working with windows?

http://www.sping.com/seaclear/

1 members found this post helpful.

If you want a good working Linux nav program, then consider OpenCPN.
You can use the free ECN charts from Noaa, so no reason to go with raster charts of your own.

there is a TON of linux based GPS programs
for just opensuse there is a whole software repo dedicated to JUST THAT

-- just a few
GDAL- a translator library for raster and vector geospatial data formats
QGis - is a Geographic Information System (GIS)
GRASS GIS - Geographic Resources Analysis Support System
imposm - OpenStreetMap importer for PostGIS
osmosis - OpenStreetMap data processing tool
qtVlm - Weather routing software for virtual and real sailing boats
viking - GPS data editor and analyzer

Thank you friends for responding to my question. However, I define an application as LINUX-ready as one that at most would require a C/C++ recompile. Not even a recompile of the kernel to adapt a device as part of installation would be acceptable in my definition of LINUX-ready application. There is a reason for this rigor. Many applications allege to be C++-portable only to find out that they depend on vendor-specific software hooks like dot NET or MFC. These crutches are vendor specific and proprietary features that have no place in a portable language like C/C++. I would accept an installation executable that re-compiles the kernel as part of the installation. However, once a an installation has been completed for one machine, the executable should be transferable to an identical hardware and OS configuration without the need for a re-install.

The capabilities indicated above is what we originally had with C/C++forcing. It has been eroded without reason and in what appears to be an effort to artificially increasing purchasing demand for vendor specific products and to destroy competition. LINUX and open source form the last surviving bastion of true competition and merit-based evolution and we should maintain alive this distinction.

If openCPN meets the criteria of LINUX-ready indicated above I will promote it as the replacement for Seaclear2 as I kn ow that it works in the Windows environment as well.

If someone has information that will correct or improve the accuracy of my perceptions as indicated in this post, please educate me.

Thank you

Rodolfo

if "seaclear" is a MUST!!! USE!!!!
then use Microsoft windows

it is like if Microsoft Office is a MUST USE then use windows


BUT

if only A "office" program is needed then there are linux "office" programs

the same gos for GPS nav programs and GIS programs

in the GIS area ( except for ArcGis ) linux is the most supported OS
ARC is the "Abobe photoshop" of gis

the biggest player

almost every linux based OS has most of the needed prerequisites in the OS's repos
no need to recompile anything

in the case of opencpn
fedora
install the software repo and type
"yum install opencpn"

for SUSE
add the GEO repo then type ( this IS the repo i mentioned in my above post )
"zypper in opencpn"

very simple to install
and NO need to build anything

-- maybe TOO EASY TO INSTALL

Star Office works in LINUX and Windows and it is an equivalent replacement for Microsoft Office. I have it in Windows and LINUX machines. We know there is better, don't we!