community
TrailRunner 2.0 -- Routing and Communities
16.05.09 15:49 Filed in: Features
TrailRunner 2.0 is out, please find below what has changed in this new milestone release:
Community route exchange
The Route exchange with GPSies.com, one of the world biggest routing portals, is now grouped in one management panel.
Added a Hiking, Running and Biking filter to the GPSies route import.
Routing service and route editor and elevation download
Added routing service based on the Cloudmade/OpenStreetMap trail network.
The route editor for routes based on the personal track network was rewritten from ground up.
Elevation data for routes is now automatically being loaded from an internet service
Overall usability improvements
A new route management tool was added to the editing controls toolbar.
Download: TrailRunner 2.0
Community route exchange
The Route exchange with GPSies.com, one of the world biggest routing portals, is now grouped in one management panel.
Added a Hiking, Running and Biking filter to the GPSies route import.
Routing service and route editor and elevation download
Added routing service based on the Cloudmade/OpenStreetMap trail network.
The route editor for routes based on the personal track network was rewritten from ground up.
Elevation data for routes is now automatically being loaded from an internet service
Overall usability improvements
A new route management tool was added to the editing controls toolbar.
Download: TrailRunner 2.0
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MacDeveloper - Filing TrailRunner Bugs And Feature Requests
05.12.08 23:49 Filed in: Features
TrailRunner is now part of the MacDeveloper Testing Network.
“MacDeveloper helps companies and individual software developers alike improve the quality of their products by providing a platform to have their applications properly tested from a well informed, and energetic Beta Pool. It’s an opt-in service for testers who love what the Mac community offers and genuinely want to test.”
Because MacDeveloper uses a clean and structured interface to sort, comment and file bugs and feature requests I would suggest that everyone wanting to become a beta tester for TrailRunner subscribes to the Testing Network.
But — as always — you can still contact me directly if you have any questions or general feedback. MacDeveloper is just another good way to communicate with me.
Enjoy the holidays…
> MacDeveloper
Detailed Bike maps from opencyclemap.org
15.11.08 00:01 Filed in: Maps
I have updated the opencyclemap.org data source, as the openStreemap alternative is now hosted on a faster server.
If you didn’t know yet, the cycle map is based on the very same data as the OpenStreetMap project but uses a specialized map renderer for outdoor activities. At low zoom levels it is intended for overviews of the National Cycle Network; at higher zoom levels it should help with planning which streets to cycle on.
The new maps now display a elevation contours and hill coloring and have cycle lanes marked on streets within cities.
You might want to reload your maps if you want TrailRunner not to display the old cached imagery. You can either use File > Consolidate > Reload Background Maps or remove the whole cache directory from your home directory under yourHome/Library/Application Support/TrailRunner/GeoTiles/openstreetmap.org
> openstreetmap.org
> opencyclemap.org
If you didn’t know yet, the cycle map is based on the very same data as the OpenStreetMap project but uses a specialized map renderer for outdoor activities. At low zoom levels it is intended for overviews of the National Cycle Network; at higher zoom levels it should help with planning which streets to cycle on.
The new maps now display a elevation contours and hill coloring and have cycle lanes marked on streets within cities.
You might want to reload your maps if you want TrailRunner not to display the old cached imagery. You can either use File > Consolidate > Reload Background Maps or remove the whole cache directory from your home directory under yourHome/Library/Application Support/TrailRunner/GeoTiles/openstreetmap.org
> openstreetmap.org
> opencyclemap.org
TrailRunner 1.8 - Share your Routes
21.09.08 19:07 Filed in: Features
Completed the next level for the GPSies.com integration. After the download of routes from the GPSies community was recently introduced you now can share your routes with others in the GPSies community. Quick how to:
Open Route Sharing
You’ll find the new menu command under File > Share Routes.
Login
Get an account at GPSies.com and log in.
Choose Routes to Share
Select the routes you want to share by placing a check mark.
For each chosen route, enter your route description. If you’d like to reference to other websites for detail, TrailRunner will automatically detect hyperlinks.
Choose your descriptions wisely as they will help others follow the same course as you did (even with GPS devices this is still recommended)
Select a suitable activity for your suggestion and press upload.
Within the GPSies.com portal you can still refine your route descriptions at a later point. Have fun…
Download a Preview Build of TrailRunner with this feature
Open Route Sharing
You’ll find the new menu command under File > Share Routes.
Login
Get an account at GPSies.com and log in.
Choose Routes to Share
Select the routes you want to share by placing a check mark.
For each chosen route, enter your route description. If you’d like to reference to other websites for detail, TrailRunner will automatically detect hyperlinks.
Choose your descriptions wisely as they will help others follow the same course as you did (even with GPS devices this is still recommended)
Select a suitable activity for your suggestion and press upload.
Within the GPSies.com portal you can still refine your route descriptions at a later point. Have fun…
Download a Preview Build of TrailRunner with this feature
TrailRunner 1.8 - GPSies on the Run
20.09.08 19:22 Filed in: Features
The route course lookup is accessible through either the File > Find Routes Nearby command or the new toolbar-icon. A new importer pane will open on the left displaying all routes available near the current map location. Browse, check and import what you like and use TrailRunners merge and planning options to individualize what others have already explored for you.
Help !!
09.02.08 17:04 Filed in: Conceptual
This time I'd like to place a call into the TrailRunner community. A call for your help.
In the past, TrailRunner became more and more feature rich, not yet over-loaded but pretty complex. And TrailRunner has conceptual limitations by it's nature of being freeware using free services and a single person background (me).
My development cycle goes from answering support emails, fixing bugs, developing new features, documenting features and back again.
As you might have noticed I tend to develop features with the highest request rate first. But this ignores a great number users: The first time users. And to make TrailRunner bigger and better, we need helping them to get onto the trail. And that's what I am asking your help for.
Tutorials
Currently I have set up three tutorials, one for each technical target group. But when Steve Jobs explained us all in his keynote that the Amazon Kindle will fail due to the fact that no-one is reading anymore, he was quite right. Written tutorials are good for those that take the time but nothing for a first time user. They want video tutorials. But video tutorials are double the work, or even more.
Assistance
Many software packages try to solve the learning curve problem by providing assistance like tip of the day, warning messages with the obligatory "don't show this anymore" checkbox and the glorious MS Office paper-clip assistant. I already have added warning messages on key usage trails but that's far from being perfect. I started on a tip of the day system but haven't completed this yet.
Forum
In the age of internet it looks like every software package is required to have a forum. But at least after a month you need a forum administrator — and that's me. So I ignore the whole forum demand and keep focused on my feedback mails, unless I would know there would be valuable and useful support content growing in the forum content, without my intervention being required.
All in all, my questioning is, who would like to help me out by:
Extending, refining and completing Tutorials, possibly by creating a video Tutorial.
Giving me pointers on where first time users (like you once where too) would get stuck in the application and what tips of a day would help to get further.
Making suggestions on forum topics that might help new users to get valuable information that is generated by other users, and not moderated by myself.
If you have the time and ability, please drop me a line. Didn't you not always want to use iMovie and didn't know what for… Here you go (maybe).
In the past, TrailRunner became more and more feature rich, not yet over-loaded but pretty complex. And TrailRunner has conceptual limitations by it's nature of being freeware using free services and a single person background (me).
My development cycle goes from answering support emails, fixing bugs, developing new features, documenting features and back again.
As you might have noticed I tend to develop features with the highest request rate first. But this ignores a great number users: The first time users. And to make TrailRunner bigger and better, we need helping them to get onto the trail. And that's what I am asking your help for.
Tutorials
Currently I have set up three tutorials, one for each technical target group. But when Steve Jobs explained us all in his keynote that the Amazon Kindle will fail due to the fact that no-one is reading anymore, he was quite right. Written tutorials are good for those that take the time but nothing for a first time user. They want video tutorials. But video tutorials are double the work, or even more.
Assistance
Many software packages try to solve the learning curve problem by providing assistance like tip of the day, warning messages with the obligatory "don't show this anymore" checkbox and the glorious MS Office paper-clip assistant. I already have added warning messages on key usage trails but that's far from being perfect. I started on a tip of the day system but haven't completed this yet.
Forum
In the age of internet it looks like every software package is required to have a forum. But at least after a month you need a forum administrator — and that's me. So I ignore the whole forum demand and keep focused on my feedback mails, unless I would know there would be valuable and useful support content growing in the forum content, without my intervention being required.
All in all, my questioning is, who would like to help me out by:
Extending, refining and completing Tutorials, possibly by creating a video Tutorial.
Giving me pointers on where first time users (like you once where too) would get stuck in the application and what tips of a day would help to get further.
Making suggestions on forum topics that might help new users to get valuable information that is generated by other users, and not moderated by myself.
If you have the time and ability, please drop me a line. Didn't you not always want to use iMovie and didn't know what for… Here you go (maybe).
TrailRunner 1.6 - Community and tracks nearby
20.01.08 02:05 Filed in: Features
You still might know GPSies from one of my previous posts. GPSies is a site that stores and visualizes running courses or Mountain Bike Tracks users have uploaded to share. TrailRunner now integrates with GPSies in two ways:
Display weblog tracks
Every weblog entry now has a new link that displays the attached route at GPSies. This makes it convenient for your visitors to quickly investigate the route and not just download the GPX or KML files.
Find Tracks Nearby
For the current location in your document, TrailRunner opens a new browser window and displays what GPSies has to offer for this region. To do this, use File > Show nearby tracks
When GPSies has opened, you'll find a search pane on the right that will show you routes nearby. If you have found a route that is of any interest to you, download the route. Drag the downloaded file onto the TrailRunner application icon in your dock and you can merge the new route into your main document.
I have the strong feeling I don't have to tell you how cool this is.
> http://www.gpsies.com
