March 2005
Beginner to intermediate
342 pages
15h 55m
English
Content preview from Linux Desktop Hacks
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Map Your Meatspace #67
Chapter 8, Desktop Programs
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209
HACK
HACK
#67
Map Your Meatspace Hack #67
A bird’s-eye view of the world on your Linux desktop.
When Global Positioning System (GPS) technology was launched, it was
heralded as the next big thing. Although its usefulness has not been quite as
explosive in the consumer market as many people predicted it would be,
GPS has proved useful in areas, such as satellite navigation systems and
mapping tools. Although many people think only ramblers and walkers use
GPS, the technology actually is useful in numerous applications, many of
which you can perform from your Linux desktop. This hack shows you how
you can hook up a GPS unit to your Linux desktop and use some open
source tools to help map out your area.
Connect the GPS to Linux
A number of GPS units are compatible with Linux, and all of them come
with either serial or USB connections. Although two types of connections
are available, the USB connector simply uses a special chip called the FTDI
chip to convert a legacy serial connector to a USB connector. This chip
requires a special driver to convert from a USB to a serial port. A Linux
driver has been developed for this and it is available at http://ftdi-usb-sio.
sourceforge.net/.
Each connector is compatible with Linux, and most of the USB GPS units
include the FTDI driver in the kernel. If you are using one of these USB
devices, you need to ensure ...
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O’Reilly covers everything we've got, with content to help us build a world-class technology community, upgrade the capabilities and competencies of our teams, and improve overall team performance as well as their engagement.Julian F.
I wanted to learn C and C++, but it didn't click for me until I picked up an O'Reilly book. When I went on the O’Reilly platform, I was astonished to find all the books there, plus live events and sandboxes so you could play around with the technology.Addison B.
I’ve been on the O’Reilly platform for more than eight years. I use a couple of learning platforms, but I'm on O'Reilly more than anybody else. When you're there, you start learning. I'm never disappointed.Amir M.
I'm always learning. So when I got on to O'Reilly, I was like a kid in a candy store. There are playlists. There are answers. There's on-demand training. It's worth its weight in gold, in terms of what it allows me to do.