Great Lakes - Need your Garmin files - writing software here

Hey everyone. I am currently working on some cycling software and am looking for GPX (Garmin 305, 705) and FIT (Garmin 500) files. Currently I am developing the software on Linux but plan on making it cross platform in the future. I had a chance to play with some of the software out there, including what comes with Garmin, and I can't stand it. The main reason for doing this is because I don't use Mac or Microsoft crap and would like good cycling software for Linux/UNIX. It will be open source software when I am done.

If you could, attach a few GPX files, in comments, or feel free to email them to me at nixternal@gmail.com. Would like to have packages for my software in Debian and Ubuntu within the next few months and still have some mass tweaking and developing to do. Thanks!

I should add, I just need ones from those of you who have power as well. i am finding a ton of GPX files from garmin connect, though i wouldn't mind a file direct from the unit itself. I can't find any with power stats (yet).

Have you looked into golden cheetah? http://goldencheetah.org/

Maybe you can contribute your ideas to that OSS project instead of starting from scratch.

Scummer's got it right. Check out GC. All my computers run Ubuntu, and I've been using the GC for about 6 months. It's open source, and they're about to release another version.

Join the GC group and throw your thoughts out there. Those guys are pretty incredible. It's not as polished as some of the other software out there, but they seem to be ahead of the curve when it comes to actual features...

Well damn, GC was a damn near a dead project last year. I will have to see about contributing there then, as I am a Qt/C++ hacker. MJH2, great that you are running Ubuntu, now it is time to contribute :) I am the team lead for the Ubuntu Chicago LoCo Team. I have been a core developer of Ubuntu since 2005. Awesome that I have another Ubuntu cyclist around here :)

So, just checked out GC, and the one thing I noticed is, well it looks like crap to be honest. See, the reason I was looking at doing my own thing is because every application that is out there for cyclist is absolutely horrid graphically and usability wise. Seems GC is about the same, Windows VB developer mentality went into the design, plus it doesn't read .FIT or .GPX files, nor does the code communicate with the standard that Garmin put out. I don't know if contributing would be worth it. I have a git checkout and will look into it further.

So, just checked out GC, and the one thing I noticed is, well it looks like crap to be honest. See, the reason I was looking at doing my own thing is because every application that is out there for cyclist is absolutely horrid graphically and usability wise. Seems GC is about the same, Windows VB developer mentality went into the design, plus it doesn't read .FIT or .GPX files, nor does the code communicate with the standard that Garmin put out. I don't know if contributing would be worth it. I have a git checkout and will look into it further.

Before you try to reinvent the wheel but in a prettier package try joining the Google group and take a look. The newest version (1.4) may be out next week and will have the following new features:

- pretty logos
- fit file format
- stacked view
- aerolab
- map view
- metrics
- metadata
- view and color config

I agree that the layout/look could use an overhaul, but it's not too huge of a concern for me. 1.4 will be the second new release this year and those guys have been adding a ton of new features (like, for instance, streaming data to your computer via ANT+ and computrainer controls were added in 1.3... just as the WKO+ crowd was thinking quadrant analysis was "new"). I tend to be more concerned with function over form, though...

I wish I knew a thing about programming, because I'd love to help the GC and Ubuntu folks. I bought a dell mini with Ubuntu last year and like it so much I've now got it on all the computers except a single desktop at the office. Hoping to change that soon, too...

Rock on with your bad self. Yeah, I have already talked to a few of them on IRC this evening, so I might contribute some UI work here in the future.

Being an avid Linux user (debian) if you still want files let me know. I'll shoot you all that I have (running and cycling)

Hi,

Do you think your UI will be on a par with 'Ascent' for the Mac? I think Ascent is the current winner
for usability and speed of display :)

The recent changes over at Garmin Connect have made it a pretty good competitor...

In any case I hope you put together a Fedora friendly package.

Jerry ( a Fedora and Mac Fan).

Hi,

Do you think your UI will be on a par with 'Ascent' for the Mac? I think Ascent is the current winner
for usability and speed of display :)

The recent changes over at Garmin Connect have made it a pretty good competitor...

In any case I hope you put together a Fedora friendly package.

Jerry ( a Fedora and Mac Fan).

I will have to look at ascent. Trying to see if the GC guys want to do anything to their horrible UI. Hard to get a straight answer, but that is the open source world for you. I have been an open source hacker since the early 90s, so I know how to fork off! :)

All of my software that I have written gets packaged for everybody, I make sure of that. I do the openSUSE, Fedora, Debian (which I am a developer of as well), Ubuntu, Arch, BSD, Slackware...you name it :)

Whatever I do, I would make it cross-platform though.

Being an avid Linux user (debian) if you still want files let me know. I'll shoot you all that I have (running and cycling)

Feel free to sling um to me in an email. I have quite a few, but the more the merrier. Not everyone's is the same, so that always helps out. Luckily Garmin has posted their DTD's so it is nothing more than processing XML now properly.