pypilot on openplotter 3

[SVHM]

This is the type of post I hoped I would never have to write but frustration forces me to write.

I did some troubleshooting and discovered that the RPI Zero W that was in my TinyPilot computer was no good.  I can't get anything to work on it, even with a different SD card.  After spending considerable time setting up OpenPlotter 3, and after Sean's response above, I figured I would try to uninstall OpenPlotter's version of Pypilot and only communicate with TinyPilot directly in case I had two versions of Pypilot running at the same time.    As soon as I completed the uninstall, OP3 died.  It would boot to the Rasberry Pi logo then go blank.  At that point, I had had it with OpenPlotter.  While it seems that it is a good program for those who are power users and programmers, it just requires too much admin work and never seems to work right.  Nothing is plug and play, everything needs to be set up individually, which, seems to cause conflicts and the need to fix them.  There are so many pages that need to be filled and permissions that need to be set that I have found it to be completely unusable.  I have tried using OpenPlotter several times but always with the same result.  Yesterday I loaded Rasbian and OpenCPN.  I Setup GPSD, added maps, installed Pypilot plugin, and Pypilot fired up first time.  I was able to get my motor to move in both directions and I am now a very happy camper.

In the end, all I wanted was to use Pypilot to work with OpenCPN.  I am not likely going to have an IoT boat and sit and tinker all day with stuff like that.  A boat is already a full time job.  I think for people looking to quickly get a working navigation system and autopilot system built and go sailing, OpenPlotter is probably not going to satisfy you.  The documentation seems to be where it was two or three years ago but the architecture keeps changing.  Again, unless you are a fanatic about building computers and know Linux and programming inside and out, you will probably find it very challenging.  

I think that for OpenPlotter to be a success, it needs to get some basic parameters working easily for the average person without advanced computer skills.  OpenCPN has been around for a long time and Pypilot for a while too.  On their own, they work and have worked.  They need to work out of the box with OP before anything else if OP is to be a useful operting system.  The documentation needs to be at least to a point where people can get a basic system  working.  Adding additional functionality, such as engine sensors, AIS, cameras, propane sniffers, and especially interoperability with commercial products should all wait till the basics are working for everyone.  OP seems to be important on a certain level and I suppose it should go forward.  I am only trying to critique the implementation.  I would, however suggest that people think about what OpenPlotter and Pypylot should be in the future. 

Where is this all going?  Is the goal complete interoperability with commercial products even though the corporations that make the products have absolutely no desire for the same?  Or is the idea to build capabilities for people without the means or desire to purchase expensive products to have similar or superior capabilities of commercial alternatives?  I would argue that the latter is more important.  Building an operating system around Signal K seems to be a losing proposition over the long term.  Eventually someone will get sued by some company for copyright or patent infringement in order to crush out the competition and that will be it.  Or, striving for interoperability with commercial products may make people just give up entirely on open source because the corporations are implementing what open source develops for free.  I think it would be better to focus on building open source products that go their own direction independently and leave the companies in the dust.  That would create head to head competition rather than wannabe products.

Thank you for your comments. Most of the messages we receive are congratulations but messages like yours are always more useful to improve.

These are my conclusions from your frustration and some proposals.

You haven't answered my questions yet but my conclusion is that your problems started when you tried to install openplotter 3 over an old openplotter 2 installation. This cannot be done without breaking the system and can only be done by following the "advanced" method. As a solution we will add a huge warning on the download page of the advanced method.

Pypilot in openplotter 3 does not need any command to be executed in the terminal and any task can be carried out from the graphical interface. In this thread it is recommended to carry out some manual tasks that come from the time when pypilot was not yet fully integrated into openplotter 3 and you had to force the installation. As a solution we should mark this confusing thread as obsolete. More background: https://forum.openmarine.net/showthread.php?tid=4221

You are right, DIY projects are not for everyone but there is little we can do there. The objective of openplotter is to bring development closer to non-advanced users and we believe that a lot is achieved but each one has its own limit.

You have been recommended to try other systems that claim to be more plug and play, I can only say that you try it and then tell us about your experience. Remember to read the Getting Started section and its 64 chapters before installing, paying special attention to the pypilot chapter

I had a version of OP  installed from over a year ago.  I have been unable to use my boat for a while and the version was outdated.  While using it recently, OP said I needed to upgrade and I merely upgraded using the upgrade that is part of OP.  After your message above, I wiped the system and started from a clean download with the link you provided.  The new version also had the same problems as the old and then it self-destructed.  I do think that hardware was one of the major contributors to the problem, and to my frustration, but my critique of OP and its user friendliness are valid in my view. 

I think you are failing to confront the realities of the user.  You must keep in mind that I have now installed OpenCPN and Pypilot on an operating system that has no software related to boats or anything related to signal k.  It has none of the tools you have in OP and it works.  That is something I have never been able to accomplish with OP.  I think that says a lot and it is something you should take to heart!

The documentation is a critical component for any user to get started.  OP's documentation has whole sections that are empty (coming soon).  There is nothing in there about Pypilot integration.  It would be better to have a solid documentation with physical installation scenarios rather than for people to constantly write to a forum to get things working. 

I argue that there should be a base functionality that gets you a working system with a chart plotter (OpenCPN), autopilot (Pypilot), and weather.  The dashboard should work with these three items. 

Let me finish by also offering congratulations.  If people like you did not work to build something like OP, we would not have it at all.  I thank you for this very much.  I want OP to work for me and I will try again but I need my OpenCPN and autopilot NOW.  Once I get my boat off before hurricane season gets into full swing, I will be able to play around with it more.  Thanks again.