Free Apps.

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doug748

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Has anyone any suggestions for genuinely free Apps that are actually useful?

There is a lot of stuff that gives you an attractive front window but in the final analysis does not actually do anything unless you purchase the "pro" version or buy charts or add ons, or whatever.

Anything boaty related really - tides - plotting - planning what you will. Thanks
 
Boatie on IOS & Android

Not free but near enough 99p is excellent with tide ,weather ,col regs etc but I am not sure that it is being developed
 
I'm looking at anchor apps at the moment. Used several in the past but would be interested to hear of one that will text another phone with the alarm details and do it reliably. Anyone got any recommendations?
 
Long time lurker... Not commented before!

However I had to use the RYA SafeTrax at the weekend for a stranded sail yacht that had become stuck on Aberdovey Bar and was not responding to radio calls (then my radio died :rolleyes:). It worked really well and the crew knew exactly where I was when I called in on 999.

Has a couple of other bits in it, and you can set expected arrivals etc. Number of crew, and it tracks routes etc. It works really well and provides some pretty pictures of where you've been!
 
elton said:
Why do you suppose anyone would spend a great many hours designing and writing a useful app, just to give it away for free?
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It's called altruism. I guess you have never heard of the likes of (how I hate that silly phrase) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SourceForge.

Perhaps it is a subtle form of self-aggrandisement. That might be why I offered freebie software years ago.

Mike.
 
elton said:
Why do you suppose anyone would spend a great many hours designing and writing a useful app, just to give it away for free?
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Linux. Nuff said really. People spend YEARS making things for free, because it's something they like doing rather than profit.

I'd suggest taking a look around: https://marinux.tuxfamily.org/

https://opencpn.org/ and then of course > https://squidd.io/squiddio_pi (also does tides https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=opencpn:supplementary_software:tides)

You might find this article useful: https://agile4life.blog/2018/07/16/sailing-with-linux-nmea-gpsd-iridium/

Grab a Raspberry and go sailing :).
 
Luminescent said:
Linux. Nuff said really. People spend YEARS making things for free, because it's something they like doing rather than profit.

I'd suggest taking a look around: https://marinux.tuxfamily.org/

https://opencpn.org/ and then of course > https://squidd.io/squiddio_pi (also does tides https://opencpn.org/wiki/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=opencpn:supplementary_software:tides)

You might find this article useful: https://agile4life.blog/2018/07/16/sailing-with-linux-nmea-gpsd-iridium/

Grab a Raspberry and go sailing :).
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I use Linux almost exclusively on my desktop pc, and I have a Pi. But my question remains unanswered. All I can guess is that some people want to build up a portfolio or a decent CV so they can then find a proper job.
 
That's probably true in some cases, but I've done my own small contributions for the open source community (VegaStrike if it's still going, MineTest, Terasology and ManaPlus). I did it because I enjoyed it, being able to contribute to a project you enjoy is a reward in itself. Monetary reward simply didn't factor into it and my working life has generally led me away from those kinds of things, so collecting it for portfolio reasons would have been a foolish endeavor.

Terasology (Voxel-based crafting/survival game) recruits most of their volunteers from people who just enjoy coding as a hobby (in this case, people who are obsessed with voxels), but it's has bouts of input from educational coding groups, having won funding grants from the likes of Google to pay for additional server space and mentoring.

Though, I will guess you'll simply say that your question remains unanswered, but that's okay, not everyone 'gets' why we do what we do. We don't always get it either!
 
I have tried many free apps over the years, many recommended from here and the usual outcome is that they just whet your appetite for the paid for version with enough functionality to demonstrate what it CAN do but the real life usefullness is limited.

I now only have Memory Map (free app but charts or OS maps cost all of £30 - £45 for the entire UK and of course the Antares Charts at £8) and the Imray Tides Planer which is again free and useful in its own right but I have added on the Tidal Stream Atlases for the West Coast and Clyde which were about £5 each and is just great, saving the mental calculations of tidal conversions from Dover times.

The age old saying of you get what you pay for usually (but not always) holds true.
 
Predict wind and the offshore version seem useful for weather planning. Limited functionality in the free versions, but enough to be helpful.
 
SimonFa said:
Tides Planner - For all that info and a year's look ahead I class £3.99 as being free.
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I have installed Tides Planner on my iPad, and paid for the licence, now a bit more, but seems like a really useful App. However I thought I could have it on my iPhone also, but it seems I would have to pay again for the licence, is this correct? Should it not recognise that I have already paid?
 
Leighb said:
I have installed Tides Planner on my iPad, and paid for the licence, now a bit more, but seems like a really useful App. However I thought I could have it on my iPhone also, but it seems I would have to pay again for the licence, is this correct? Should it not recognise that I have already paid?
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I have found the answer after downloading the manual. You have to go through the purchase process, but it recognises that you have already done so, and the second licences are free. A bit clunky but it works.
 
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