oeSENC chart issues

[Dockhead]

I've changed boat computers after my previous on died, and have had a lot of trouble getting my by now large collection of oeSENC charts changed over. There are a couple of things you guys might want to think about:


1. It is not good that any operation of any kind with the charts requires them to be downloaded all over again. I have a large SD card with all my cartography which I carried from one computer to the new one, and I couldn't just register the new computer as the second licensed machine -- I had to download them all over again, a real faff if you are cruising and have only mobile data. Why can't you just use the same downloaded charts and install a new license?



2. When you download charts, burning up precious mobile data, if there is any interruption of the process, you don't get to reconnect and pick up where you left off -- you start from 0. This is really not good once you've made the decision to burn 1 gigabyte of mobile data (Sweden chart set is that big), get 900mb downloaded, then the connection fades for 10 minutes, and when you reconnect, you have to start all over again from zero.



3. You can't un-license a dead machine, so if you have two broken machines, you lose your license. Why should it be that way? Why not provide a way to un-license a machine?





All this is really not very satisfactory, so I guess I will be forced to use the dongle in the future, but that has the huge disadvantage that you have to obtain the physical device when you need a new chart, which also can be a pain when you are out cruising.

[bcn]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I've changed boat computers after my previous on died, and have had a lot of trouble getting my by now large collection of oeSENC charts changed over. There are a couple of things you guys might want to think about:


1. It is not good that any operation of any kind with the charts requires them to be downloaded all over again. I have a large SD card with all my cartography which I carried from one computer to the new one, and I couldn't just register the new computer as the second licensed machine -- I had to download them all over again, a real faff if you are cruising and have only mobile data. Why can't you just use the same downloaded charts and install a new license?

The reason is that the oeSENC charts are prepared for an individual system and that's why they can't be "transplanted" onto a second one.
In the case of the new oeRNC this is different - we learned something from oeSENC.
Some day in the future oeSENC shall change accordingly.

2. When you download charts, burning up precious mobile data, if there is any interruption of the process, you don't get to reconnect and pick up where you left off -- you start from 0. This is really not good once you've made the decision to burn 1 gigabyte of mobile data (Sweden chart set is that big), get 900mb downloaded, then the connection fades for 10 minutes, and when you reconnect, you have to start all over again from zero.

Known issue and also a nuisance for us as traffic costs money. We have not found a common way to re-start an interrupted download.
Another point on our "to-do-list"
To make downloads more comfortable in oeRNC we implemented incremental updates: only the differential between base and update will be uploaded. Reducing traffic considerably once the base set installed.
Will come to oeSENC one day as well.

3. You can't un-license a dead machine, so if you have two broken machines, you lose your license. Why should it be that way? Why not provide a way to un-license a machine?

Our licensors impose quite severe limitations on copies allowed. "One back-up" they say and have questioned even that a back-up might be a "live back-up" coexisting with the original. We have some indications that we shall get a bit of relieve on this side in the future. Driven by Android and Cie.

About "uninstalling" or moving a license to another machine: if somebody indicates us a technical solution how to guarantee that a system has really disappeared, we would be happy to implement it. Constrictions: without Internet connection. Without a "virus" on the system "calling home". Today, once a chart set is installed on a system, it is out of our reach, we can't invalidate or retrieve it.
We would have to believe when somebody tells us that the laptop did fell overboard. Or that he did need the fifth SD card with a new system for the RasPi.

Playing police for the licensors is for sure the least satisfying part of o-charts. We know that some licensors are putting considerable efforts in place to monitor and to enforce their ruling.

DRM and open and free software does not make a happy couple. This is one reason for o-charts existing as separate entity from OpenCPN.

All this is really not very satisfactory, so I guess I will be forced to use the dongle in the future, but that has the huge disadvantage that you have to obtain the physical device when you need a new chart, which also can be a pain when you are out cruising.

In case you use a dongle you will need it to keep it with you while sailing. It has to be present to work with the charts.

Resuming: we have taken note about the mentioned critical points and are conscious about them. And will address most of them in future releases of oeSENC. Various points are already realized in oeRNC, issued yesterday.

About moving licenses from one system to another we don't know about a watertight implementation respecting the framework lined out.

Hubert