Request for help: Would like community applications to show and discuss at LinuxWorld

[Marcos Mezo]

>
>  So tell me your stories! They are valuable content for my talks.
>
First hello everybody, as it's the first post to the list.

I've been following this project since about 1 year, and as soon as the 
Freerunner was on sale I ordered mine (2nd July) and I'm eagerly 
awaiting it from Pulster's shop (hope it is sent tomorrow).

I have to say that I bought and had on my hands a Nokia N95 for about 
100 Euros less than what I've payed for the Freerunner, and inspite of 
having more features (camera) and beeing more proven I sold it on ebay 
without even opening it cause I received it the same day I learned the 
Freerunner was on sale.

As for my story,.I don't know if I will ever have the time for it, but I 
envision the following:

For some years now I've been an "official" and scorer (sort of a judge) 
for Hot Air Balloon competitions, and previously an "observer". Until 
recently an "observer" followed each balloon in competitions either in a 
car or on the balloon. The "tasks" a balloon has to fly are mostly going 
as near as possible to a given set of targets some kilometers away from 
where it launches. Remember hot air balloons can only climb or descend, 
but otherwise flow in the wind. By changing heights they try to find the 
winds and local airstreams that bring them as close to their target as 
possible.

With the observers they had to throw a coloured marker when they thought 
they were as close as possible to the target and then it was measured by 
tape if close enough or on the map by reference.

Now (at least in national events; I think world and continental 
championships still require observers) everything is measured using GPS 
tracks (except on some targets where there is a measuring area of 
~50-100m and they have to drop markers to be measured by a team). I'd 
like to write an app that automaticaly sends the track live over GPRS to 
the competition centre (if there is GPRS signal), and also that stores 
it crypted on the phone so that it can't be altered. I also would like 
to try to emulate the "marker dropping" by having some push buttons on 
the screen the competior would had to push when he decides it's best, 
because sometimes there are scoring areas where, if your "mark" is 
outside of it, it isn't valid. With markers thrown, the competitor had 
to decide if he drops the marker when he is about to leave the scoring 
area of he will try to reenter later to have a better mark. With current 
GPS rules this pilot decision is lost, as all trackpoints inside the 
scoring area are measured.

Me trying it doesn't mean it will be adopted (that would mean every 
competitor had to buy one FR or maybe the the national federation), but 
maybe at least we will have something to show and who knows..... Of 
course this can be made with any other phone with java and a GPS, but 
still I prefer the FR.

Of course, even if I don't do anything of the above, I plan to using it 
for sshing to some servers, maybe even VNC or Remote desktop, also for 
openstreetmap and also as a SIP UA. And I almost forgot, also for fun!!!!

Marcos