On Tue, 31 Aug 2004 18:28:22 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:

wrote:

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 21:09:54 -0500, Ron Hunter
wrote:


Mxsmanic wrote:


Jeremy Nixon writes:



The normal consumer doesn't buy GPS units because they're too complicated
and have things like serial ports.


The normal consumer doesn't buy GPS units because he has no use for
them.



Basically every normal consumer I know, apart from my parents, wants a
GPS unit but hasn't bought one because there isn't one made for them.
Myself included.


They just want gadgets. In that case, anything will do.



That's because the only ones they're buying are the ones installed in their
cars.


They aren't much use in the home, since homes hardly ever move.



I use mine on trips. Very handy, and I am never lost with it is with me.



It's hard to find a laptop these days that has one.


Ah, laptops. I wouldn't know, as I've never found a use for a laptop.



I have use for one, but the ease with which one can be stolen, or
damaged has deterred me from buying one.



Desktop computers aren't nearly as relevant since they're not portable.


I can't imagine anyone dragging a laptop around in any situation that
would justify a GPS for navigation.



If you choose to purchase your GPSR at a place like Office
Depot or Staples, you can go just a few aisles away and purchase a
stock of paper and pencils. They are entirely adequate for recording
coordinates if a laptop is not desirable. For simple navigation, you
don't need a laptop.


On a recent cruise I was carefully plotting the daily observations on a
map and measuring to see how far we were from various locations, and how
fast we were going (average). Then I went on a tour of the ship and
found that the computer that did the ship's navigation had a display I
could look at and find all that data displayed on a moving map. Kinda
made me feel silly.

I, on the other hand, don't feel at all silly that I can
extract a square root with paper and pencil. You'd be aghast at what I
made my kids do before I'd let them buy calculators in junior high.

And if you really cozied up to the navigator on board, you'd
likely find he had his own personal GPSR, sextant and HO tables
squirreled away somewhere.





Huh? How about a person who does research on his ancestry and visits
cemetaries, and other places, like old homes? Being able to pinpoint a
grave is a very useful feature, if one needs to return to it, or
reference it for others.


Tell that to a normal, non-geek person.


They find that out for themselves.



And the average consumer doesn't *care* about the technical potential to
interoperate with anything given enough work.


A lot of GPS buyers are not average consumers.


True, and will remain true until GPS receivers become easier to use, and
getting rid of a complex and bothersome (and SLOW) RS232 serial port
sure would HELP.


Is Jeremy sharing his popsicle sticks with you?