Open CPN

[TonyS]

Does anyone know if Open CPN will run on a
Asus X102BA 4GB 500GB 10.1 inch Windows 8.1 Touchscreen Netbook £300
Or is there a better option with similar budget?

 

[BrianH]

Does anyone know if Open CPN will run on a
Asus X102BA 4GB 500GB 10.1 inch Windows 8.1 Touchscreen Netbook £300
Or is there a better option with similar budget?

No reason why not - I'm running OCPN V.3.2.2 on a puny atom-powered Asus Aspire One netbook (at much less cost than £300) on board below as backup for my Garmin plotter and it's fine. It gets fed with a USB GPS/AIS signal and the perfomance is perfectly adequate.

 

[alteredoutlook]

The machine will have enough resources. But I don't know how windows 8.1 will run it. I briefly tried it on windows 8.0 (when it was in pre release mode) and didn't like it at all (and was glad when I went back to windows 7).
If I remember rightly I thought it didn't work well when you flipped to another open window and then went back to open_cpn. This may have been a pre-release 'feature' that has been fixed by now...... or I could be barking up the wrong tree entirely......
I am running open cpn under windows xp and am currently more than happy. When Xp dies completely I'll probably go to Linux......

 

[ProDave]

When Xp dies completely I'll probably go to Linux......

Why will it die completely?

It will stop being supported and stop being updated, but I have never heard plans by Microsoft to turn it off.

If it works with the programs you have running, why won't it continue to do so?

Granted it may not run programs released in the future, but that's not the question.

 

[TonyS]

Thanks for the replies. I have a vista 13" Acer business laptop that is about 8 years old. It had never gone wrong but it is very slow and has little HDD memory left. The OS stops the use of an SSD.
I want something for holidays andwhen we are on the boat for 10 weeks. I also use the Acer in the shipping lanes on AIS using Open CPN and a Garmin handheld and for use on wifi. I am looking for a replacement that is fast but don't want to spend a fortune. Generally the sailnet forums are negative on Win 8 so I was looking for some experience on here. I would like 3 usb inputs so in a crisis I could run the autopilot as well on NMEA0183. Is it better to look for win 7?

 

[alteredoutlook]

Thanks for the replies. I have a vista 13" Acer business laptop that is about 8 years old. It had never gone wrong but it is very slow and has little HDD memory left. The OS stops the use of an SSD.]
Why don't you just clear out redundant programs/files/etc . My laptop is a Toughbook that's around a dozen years old - it still runs open cpn happily

 

[prv]

It will stop being supported and stop being updated, but I have never heard plans by Microsoft to turn it off.

If it works with the programs you have running, why won't it continue to do so?

It probably will continue, though some might consider it irresponsible to run an unpatched machine on a public network. If it's standalone (displaying charts on a boat) then that's not an issue.

Pete

 

[BrianH]

Thanks for the replies. I have a vista 13" Acer business laptop that is about 8 years old. It had never gone wrong but it is very slow and has little HDD memory left. The OS stops the use of an SSD.]

Why don't you just clear out redundant programs/files/etc . My laptop is a Toughbook that's around a dozen years old - it still runs open cpn happily

+1.
OCPN is far from resource-heavy and will run on most any old computer. My Acer netbook is really, really slow on any sort of bloatware or multi-tasking and I've replaced it for normal stuff with an Asus Zenbook - graphics and stuff. It's Win 8 and also runs OCPN no problem. But the little netbook, admittedly Win 7, sits on the chart table and is a dedicated navigational device using only an Amp or two, even without SSD. Completely fit-for-purpose.

 

[TonyS]

I have removed files about 6 times! I don't really want more computers but would prefer a new one for the next 5 years that is fast and has plenty of resources. Perhaps that is not a good idea. We will see.

 

[ProDave]

It probably will continue, though some might consider it irresponsible to run an unpatched machine on a public network. If it's standalone (displaying charts on a boat) then that's not an issue.

Pete

I turned automatic updates on my XP pc off about 2 years ago, I was fed up with the bloody thing keep updating every few days. the time it took, the download bandwidth it used etc.

It has not stopped working or suffered any loss of function, and I am not scared using it on the internet.

I keep meaning to turn them on once more before XP finally "dies" just to make sure it's up to date, then go away and leave it for a day, as that's probably how long it will take to update itself.

 

[Sybaris]

It has been running very well on Windows 8 for me all summer.
There are many benefits with W8 but the two major ones are that everything runs much faster, i.e. it gives new life to old hardware, and it has a built-in virus program so you can uninstall any other anti-virus program you are using as they also always slow down computers.
Trust me, do not believe all the bad press about W8. It is the best Windows OS so far by a wide margin. It is also the best OS overall in existence today.
By the way, I started my own software development company back in 1989 and have seen and worked extensively with a lot of operating systems since then.
Cheers,
Per

 

[TonyS]

Can I ask what computer you chose and what criteria you used? It seems that the Win 8 with a touchscreen is about £100 more than a mouse/trackpad version. I love the iPhone touch screen but does it work as well on a computer? My trackpad on the Acer is excellent. An SSD drive would seem sensible for a boat and uses less energy. Win 7 or 8 allow a virtual router (netsh wlan) that my wife appreciates for her computer. The only problem I have is that this points to an ultrabook costing about £1000. I am reluctant to have more computers that need constant updating. Perhaps I should start a new thread on "the ideal boat computer for under £500"!!

 

[BrianH]

It has been running very well on Windows 8 for me all summer.
There are many benefits with W8 but the two major ones are that everything runs much faster, i.e. it gives new life to old hardware, and it has a built-in virus program so you can uninstall any other anti-virus program you are using as they also always slow down computers.
Trust me, do not believe all the bad press about W8. It is the best Windows OS so far by a wide margin. It is also the best OS overall in existence today.

I loathed Win 8 when it arrived on my new Asus - all those stupid tiles only implemented to pander to touch-screens and single digit typists, which I could never accept as I do a lot of writing and need a proper keyboard, on which I use all ten fingers at a fast typing speed. I've also seen enough mashed messages with such suffixes as "Sent by iPad" or some such negative marketing. And besides, I was so appreciative of Win 7, such a vast improvement on that dreadful predecessor, Vista. Why fix what was, at last, a really good OS?

But then, after the first bewilderment of shut down and control panel access, I came to appreciate what you mention, the faster running. It even has the first tile as 'Desktop' that invokes the same access screen I had with Win 7 ... Great. But the most endearing attribute is the time to startup and shutdown - almost instantaneous. So often with all previous MS OSs, I used to boggle at the shutdown period. I would start the computer, wait an age, check my mail and go to shutdown. "WTF is it doing?", I used to think as it churned away 'Shutting Down' on the screen for many, many minutes. And all after invoking just one application. Now it is all over in seconds. Yes, I have to admit, a great upgrade, I'm a convert.

 

[david_bagshaw]

No reason why not - I'm running OCPN V.3.2.2 on a puny atom-powered Asus Aspire One netbook (at much less cost than £300) on board below as backup for my Garmin plotter and it's fine. It gets fed with a USB GPS/AIS signal and the perfomance is perfectly adequate.

similarly here with a acer aspire 720 has worked well all year with OCPN and Visit my harbour chart stick and class b ais