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geeksville / Gaggle

An Android application for glider pilots
http://groups.google.com/group/gaggle-users/
33 stars 16 forks source link

OLC upload support for Gaggle #2

Open geeksville opened 14 years ago

geeksville commented 14 years ago

First of all I would like to thank you for developing this great bit of software.

I just have a question. Lot of us sailplane pilots upload our flight to the OLC (Online Contest) When uploading an IGC-file recorded by Gaggle, it can not be validated by the OLC. Maybe somewhere in the future you could edit the logger to get it's flights approved?

Of course I'm not looking for official FAI-IGC approval, just for low- level OLC approval. Many (professional) software loggers do have this approval.

For more info, see http://www2.onlinecontest.org/validate.php

And here you can find the IGC of my own flight, recorded by Gaggle: http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=383788367

Thanks very much and keep up the good work!

Dinant from the Netherlands

Turbo87 commented 13 years ago

If you implement it properly you could use the signing code of XCSoar since that one is already validated properly by the OLC. For each new validation implementation the OLC charges money so I would recommend not creating another implementation...

dkm commented 13 years ago

It is really easy to implement the signature for the FAI. I did a test few months ago, using asym crypto. There is everything needed in the android SDK for that :) The only problem is "how to distribute the key along with the software". This is the stupid detail of the solution chosen by FAI... The gaggle distributed on the market could embed a secret key, that noone else should look at :) The, it's a matter of providing the FAI with a single software able to check the signature validity...

Turbo87 commented 13 years ago

Depending on your license that might not be possible. We had the same problem with XCSoar and ultimatly decided that the software signing process can't be made safe anyway. After all it is an illusion but it keeps 99% of the users on the safe side because they are not programmers.

The problem is not getting the FAI approval but rather getting the OLC to validate the files correctly. As I said in the previous comment the OLC has decided to charge money for that approval and by using our signing algorithm/key you could avoid that ;)

arieck commented 12 years ago

Hi, just a quick note, I was the original writer and maintainer of the article at http://www2.onlinecontest.org/validate.php But since I'm not longer working for the OLC team (since 2007) within the moment they moved to OLC2.0 platform, this article could not longer maintained. I have moved everything to http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=10 On pure open source level, Gaggle can get same level of approval for Hanggliding/Paragliding FAI/CIVL Server like XCsoar and LK8000. I do suggest not to opensource GRecord creation code, if the license allow it. Further it depends on national contests on next step to trust, depending on national rules. I can not say much about sailplane (FAI/IGC) or private contests like OLC, but at least from WXC level there will be no issue. And sure I don't charge money ;-) all is pure volunteer work at WXC. If someone like to implement the GRecord, the developer can contact me at http://wxc.fai.org/support cheers, Andreas

dkm commented 12 years ago

Code nearly finished, I simply have to read some android code, but I can already sign my tracks :)

arieck commented 12 years ago

good news. Check page http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=10 for an free available 3-letter code (starting with an X) and let me know with a ticket at http://wxc.fai.org/support the details

dkm commented 12 years ago

Will do !

I'm a bit puzzled but the small § about OSS:

National contests might easy able disallow your GPL software. In result pilots flight is not scored at WXC as well.

Why does that mean ? I'm not interested by developing anything but free software. In particular, when it comes to security, I'm not fond of the "security by obscurity" concept :). My code will be GPL (as is Gaggle), and I'm not planning on any obfuscation of the signing part. I guess Kevin will simply have to keep the key out of the git repository and add it when releasing a new apk. Anyone knowing how to unzip an apk will be able to extract the key... So what ? :)

arieck commented 12 years ago

A Aeroclub (NAC) of an National contest (National Championship), lets say XContest Lithuania (which runs on XContest platform) can and will have it's own rules of what is accepted national and what not. This is the same with every nation. No nation (even FAI as well) can not judge other nations. :-) So when one nation (contest) disallow any opensource, then the pilot can not be scored nationally. In result, the IGC file is not forwared to FAI WXC, for international scoring. When an official Observer from an national contest allow tracks, generated and signed by opensource, sure when forwarded to FAI WXC, it will be scored same way like the Observer "say ok" to this flight.

In pure theory a National Championship (running on a online platform) can disallow any kind of software and accept only tracks from a GNSS logger (by hardware generated signatures).

When a Software is listed at http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=10 then it means, in case a National Contest accept it, then it is accepted on this level as well.

When a software is listed at http://wxc.fai.org/module.php?id=10 then it simply says the IGC file is compatible, cause software is tested. I have seen so many garbage (Software generated IGC files) in the past, that there is still a need to do some very basic quality tests and check it against IGC spec. It improves stability for the online servers and desktop software, and should reduce the support requests from the end users. ;-)

cheers, Andreas