Andy80F
Registered user
Whilst i have the Mac I don't have a GPS however there is GPS functonality in my Route 66 2004 software pack. The help files describe it as simply enabling the software to track where you are and there seems not to be a facility to upload from Route 66 to the GPS unit, which is probably what is needed. It does point to there being Mac/GPS connectivity though and the Google Mac Section does have links to some third party solutions such as HikeTech for down/uploading waypoints to some GPS units. Other sites describe the use of PC emulation software but that method can be slw and unreliable apparantly. Why not contact Garmin etc and enquire if they plan to upgrade the software, which must surely not be beyong them.
There seems to be vary few remaining pockets of software not supported by the Mac OS it seems GPS and Garden planning are both lacking in support, just think of all the poor Mac users unable to find there garden sheds.
Regards
Andy80F
There seems to be vary few remaining pockets of software not supported by the Mac OS it seems GPS and Garden planning are both lacking in support, just think of all the poor Mac users unable to find there garden sheds.
Regards
Andy80F
Deleted Member
Guest
thanks andy
contacted garmin tech as part of upgrade cokc up and they state that Garmin have no plans to introduce mac software, probably because they can't write functioning software period. And any hybrid set up will simply take mac os and windoze and make things unworkably complex.
So unfortunately it looks like it has to go.
Reminds me of the Triumph sales twerp at the bike show who when asked if triumph will ever make a bike with a finished transmission train (ie shaft drive) replied with a certain arrogance that he was sick of telling people like me that there is no call for it!!!
Work that one out
contacted garmin tech as part of upgrade cokc up and they state that Garmin have no plans to introduce mac software, probably because they can't write functioning software period. And any hybrid set up will simply take mac os and windoze and make things unworkably complex.
So unfortunately it looks like it has to go.
Reminds me of the Triumph sales twerp at the bike show who when asked if triumph will ever make a bike with a finished transmission train (ie shaft drive) replied with a certain arrogance that he was sick of telling people like me that there is no call for it!!!
Work that one out
PanEuropean
Registered user
Alan:
I think Garmin does not want to get into producing a Mac OS version of the MapSource application because they don't want to just port the application over to the Mac OS, if they did do it, they would want to do a decent job, and this would require about 5 to 8 full time employees to support the Mac platform and the ongoing revisions needed to keep the application current. Keep in mind that MapSource is a monster application that has to be compatible with about 80 different GPSR's.
Salaries, overheads, and equipment to support this would probably run to about USD 1.5 to 2 million a year - and there is just no economic benefit to doing this. Although the Mac has a dedicated home user community, the bulk of the Mac's installed today are in business applications - primarily graphics. Back in the 1980's, I used to develop software for the Mac, so I have a soft spot for it - I still have my Lisa in one corner of my basement, and it still works (though I don't use it). I got out of Macs and went over to the Wintel platform around the time of Mac OS 6.3, when I saw the handwriting on the wall.
I know of some Mac users who run MapSource in emulation (under Virtual PC) on their Macs. This configuration runs well, but it is fidgety to configure the communication port to download map segments. Route and waypoint uploads and downloads seem to be trouble-free. I have set a few friends up this way.
Best suggestion I have for you is to try and buy an old DOS box (a 486 or similar) for a hundred bucks or so at a garage sale - all you need is the monitor, keyboard, and processor - you can then use this for map segment uploads/downloads, and run MapSource under emulation on your Mac for route creation and route/waypoint transfers. Or, just install your cartography on a neighbor's PC, and for the odd time you need to transfer maps, use that machine. I am pretty sure the licence agreement allows you to do that.
NB that if you save a MapSource file to a floppy when running MapSource under Virtual PC emulation, you can use that same floppy without modification in the DOS box to pull up the map segments you want. In other words, you can do everything you want to do, except map segment transfer, from your Mac.
PanEuropean
I think Garmin does not want to get into producing a Mac OS version of the MapSource application because they don't want to just port the application over to the Mac OS, if they did do it, they would want to do a decent job, and this would require about 5 to 8 full time employees to support the Mac platform and the ongoing revisions needed to keep the application current. Keep in mind that MapSource is a monster application that has to be compatible with about 80 different GPSR's.
Salaries, overheads, and equipment to support this would probably run to about USD 1.5 to 2 million a year - and there is just no economic benefit to doing this. Although the Mac has a dedicated home user community, the bulk of the Mac's installed today are in business applications - primarily graphics. Back in the 1980's, I used to develop software for the Mac, so I have a soft spot for it - I still have my Lisa in one corner of my basement, and it still works (though I don't use it). I got out of Macs and went over to the Wintel platform around the time of Mac OS 6.3, when I saw the handwriting on the wall.
I know of some Mac users who run MapSource in emulation (under Virtual PC) on their Macs. This configuration runs well, but it is fidgety to configure the communication port to download map segments. Route and waypoint uploads and downloads seem to be trouble-free. I have set a few friends up this way.
Best suggestion I have for you is to try and buy an old DOS box (a 486 or similar) for a hundred bucks or so at a garage sale - all you need is the monitor, keyboard, and processor - you can then use this for map segment uploads/downloads, and run MapSource under emulation on your Mac for route creation and route/waypoint transfers. Or, just install your cartography on a neighbor's PC, and for the odd time you need to transfer maps, use that machine. I am pretty sure the licence agreement allows you to do that.
NB that if you save a MapSource file to a floppy when running MapSource under Virtual PC emulation, you can use that same floppy without modification in the DOS box to pull up the map segments you want. In other words, you can do everything you want to do, except map segment transfer, from your Mac.
PanEuropean
Deleted Member
Guest
pan european
Thanks for advice but the thought of contaminating my fully functioning smooth running multi purpose mac with a windoze time bomb is just not an option for me. I don't know enough about computer to configure, re route, re boot, fix bugs, iron out patches, upgrade and watch it all crash... that's why I bought an iMac in the first place!
The dell laptop I have at the moment is specifically for garmin stuff and occasionally opening discs given to us in windows formats but this ties itself in knots every so often and costs me to have the thing untangled.
Today I have spent half the day to Garmin tech asking for help on why my mapsource gets stuck half way thru installation.
It's all too frustrating and I end up wasting time I don't have pretending to be a computer engineer.
If I bought any other product that required so much fiddling and upgrading just to stand still then I would take it up with trading standards office and demand a refund but everyone seems to put up with this on wintel boxes.
So did I until I discovered iMac so that's why I think I have to let it all go. Thank you again for the help but technically it is beyond me.
Thanks for advice but the thought of contaminating my fully functioning smooth running multi purpose mac with a windoze time bomb is just not an option for me. I don't know enough about computer to configure, re route, re boot, fix bugs, iron out patches, upgrade and watch it all crash... that's why I bought an iMac in the first place!
The dell laptop I have at the moment is specifically for garmin stuff and occasionally opening discs given to us in windows formats but this ties itself in knots every so often and costs me to have the thing untangled.
Today I have spent half the day to Garmin tech asking for help on why my mapsource gets stuck half way thru installation.
It's all too frustrating and I end up wasting time I don't have pretending to be a computer engineer.
If I bought any other product that required so much fiddling and upgrading just to stand still then I would take it up with trading standards office and demand a refund but everyone seems to put up with this on wintel boxes.
So did I until I discovered iMac so that's why I think I have to let it all go. Thank you again for the help but technically it is beyond me.
PanEuropean
Registered user
Hi Alan:
Sorry to hear you are having so much grief with MapSource on the Dell.
MapSource itself is a pretty benign application (especially now, in the version 6 format) - it has to be benign, otherwise Garmin would go broke on the support costs. So, not that it's any comfort to you, but I suspect all your grief stems from the system software configuration on your Dell, not the MapSource application itself.
By the way - I thought Apple was providing Virtual PC as a preload on the iMac? Is this not the case? If it does come as a preload, then you can very safely install MapSource under Virtual PC, because if anything goes wrong, or you decide you don't like it, all you do is delete the container file that is the 'C:' drive for Virtual PC. Nothing you do when running Virtual PC will affect your Mac in any way after you shut down the Virtual PC application.
Anyway - good luck with it all - I tried to suggest that Garmin include language support files for Swiss German dialect, and they thought that was the funniest thing they had ever heard - so I know what being a minority user is like.
PanEuropean
Sorry to hear you are having so much grief with MapSource on the Dell.
MapSource itself is a pretty benign application (especially now, in the version 6 format) - it has to be benign, otherwise Garmin would go broke on the support costs. So, not that it's any comfort to you, but I suspect all your grief stems from the system software configuration on your Dell, not the MapSource application itself.
By the way - I thought Apple was providing Virtual PC as a preload on the iMac? Is this not the case? If it does come as a preload, then you can very safely install MapSource under Virtual PC, because if anything goes wrong, or you decide you don't like it, all you do is delete the container file that is the 'C:' drive for Virtual PC. Nothing you do when running Virtual PC will affect your Mac in any way after you shut down the Virtual PC application.
Anyway - good luck with it all - I tried to suggest that Garmin include language support files for Swiss German dialect, and they thought that was the funniest thing they had ever heard - so I know what being a minority user is like.
PanEuropean
