[ gpsdrive ] bluetooth gps

[Roger Lees]

I am a long time (since windows 3.1) Windows user but for the last year
I have been using Ubuntu as a dual boot.  I am impressed with Ubuntu.  I
have tried various Linux flavours over the years, and Ubuntu is the
first system which I find easy to use.  I recently bought a Bluetooth
GPS receiver and used it with Navigator 8 on Windows.  It worked
straight away.  I downloaded GPSdrive, and it doesn't recognise my GPS
receiver.  I think I know why after checking around the forums.  The
program uses gpsd, and is looking for a receiver via USB, which it
cannot see.  The answer I discover is to modify files in the Bluetooth
directory.  Now, I can probably do that, but in order to do so I am
going to have to learn a bit about how Linux works because not only
don't I know how to find the relevant files, I don't know how to get at
the command line.  I know all the Linux buffs will be sucking their
teeth and dredging up their most sarcastic remarks, but it has been a
long time since I had to alter a Windows program to get it to work.
They just do, and if they don't there is always another one that will.
I am too old (61) to learn how to tweak Ubuntu programs.  GPSdrive looks
like a good program.  There is another Linux program on Ubuntu,
TangoGPS, which also looks like a lot of fun to use with exactly the
same problem.  I realise that all of these programs are free and
therefore it is pointless complaining and/or moaning about the efforts
of people who are giving their skills and time for nothing, but if Linux
and Open Source programs are going to eventually replace Microsoft (and
I hope they do) they need to work for people like me who don't want to
indulge in programming at however simple a level to get them started.
After all, you don't expect to have to fiddle with your car's engine
before you can drive it away.  Or should you?  Which is a very long way
round asking if GPSdrive (or gpsd) could be amended to include Bluetooth
GPS receivers.  Please. 

Incidentally, it occurs to me that since GPS receivers know where they
are, then if Navigation programs were 'turned around' people could use
their GPS to draw maps rather than the other way around.  And if we all
did that, maps wouldn't go out of date.  But perhaps that has already
been thought of, and it's how maps get drawn.  Sorry I mentioned it.