FoxtrotGPS: we can dance if we want to...

Frequently Asked Questions (with answers!)

Where's the mailing-list?

FoxtrotGPS users and developers are invited to collaborate via the foss-gps list provided by OSGeo.

Is there an IRC channel?

Yes, there is! It's #FoxtrotGPS on the freenode network.

Where's the Wiki? Where's the...? Wasn't FoxtrotGPS founded because you wanted all sorts of things like that? Why are you hosting the Bazaar archive yourself instead of using Launchpad and getting all of the extra features it provides?

We will be incorporating additional infrastructure elements as our needs grow.

The FoxtrotGPS project is still in a relatively early stage of community-building, which means establishing a sense of focus where previously there may not have been any. Many contributors are still just now learning the tools and conventions used on the project, and all of the contributors are still learning each others' personalities. The key elements of communication and collaboration for a FOSS project at this stage of development are:

• An e-mail list with public archives for communication and coordination.
• An IRC channel for communication/coordination of issues requiring more `semantic bandwidth' than e-mail can provide.
• A publicly-readable version-control repository, so that the community can track the evolution of the project and have a basis for building things that may be contributed back to the project.
• A website documenting the goals of the project and providing references to the above resources.

In time, all of the tools mentioned in the above question may become useful; in the interim, we're trying to avoid an overabundance of communications-channels and `extra features' that would actually likely increase distraction and interfere with focus. Hence our initial `minimalism'.

Where should I submit patches?

Patches--and discussions about patches--are welcome on the foss-gps e-mail list.

Where should I post bugs?

Please file bugs in the FoxtrotGPS bug-tracker. The foss-gps e-mail list is also a good place to discuss them.

What about translations?

Yes! We are accepting translation patches as well. With in-development source code being publicly available between releases, it's possible to have FoxtrotGPS be fully translated at each release. Please help us with this!

For the time being, please bring your translation patches to the foss-gps e-mail list.

What GPS device should I use?

Hardware support is provided by GPSd so FoxtrotGPS will work with any of the hardware supported by GPSd.

If you have a question not covered in this FAQ, feel free to enquire on the foss-gps e-mail list.