Open Caching

For all your general chit chat, caching or not.
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CraigRat
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Re: Open Caching

Post by CraigRat » 08 December 10 1:10 pm

It's still VERY VERY VERY beta, it's not a working site yet....

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gmj3191
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Re: Open Caching

Post by gmj3191 » 08 December 10 1:17 pm

The mapping they use is interesting.
It looks a little like Bing, but there's no attribution.
When you zoom in close the aerial photographs are quite nice, and taken from an angle which gives a 3D impression.
In my area the photos look about two years old.

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Trigg-A-Nomics
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Re: Open Caching

Post by Trigg-A-Nomics » 08 December 10 1:55 pm

CraigRat wrote:It's still VERY VERY VERY beta, it's not a working site yet....
True and a lot of the proposed features look interesting. But renaming GC & GA caches to OX caches seems like a fairly fundamental issue. [-X

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Richary
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Re: Open Caching

Post by Richary » 08 December 10 8:02 pm

Trigg-A-Nomics wrote:After looking at the two Aussie caches currently on opencaching.com, I think what they're doing is pretty rude. :stabby
Compare:
http://geocaching.com.au/cache/gc1dxcj
http://coord.info/gc1dxcj
http://www.opencaching.com/#geocache/OX1DXCJ

They've taken taken the GC cache identifier, stripped out the GC, replaced it with an OX and listed it as an opencaching.com cache where you can add a log.
That's going to work (not) if you can import caches from other sites as well.

There is bound to be a clash if someone imports GC1234 and someone else imports GA1234. Let alone TP1234. How will they handle that one? And no, I can't be bothered finding two that match and creating an account to try it!.

As for being able to log there, it's silly. The owner may not even know there cache appears there, so will never know to check the logs to see if they are real. And won't get emails about the cache finds unless they are registered on that site.

Pulling other people's data and using it in that way is just asking for trouble, even beyond the legal issues. Is there anything to stop me grabbing my PQs for all of NSW and then uploading them as my hides? Editing the text would be easy even if it checks for an owner-id or similar tag.

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gmj3191
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Re: Open Caching

Post by gmj3191 » 08 December 10 8:57 pm

Yes, I agree. After thinking this through I've archived the cache I put there, which was just a copy of one from GC.com.
Having caches in multiple systems doesn't really make much sense.
I think I'll stick with GC.com for the foreseeable future as far as cache registration goes.

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CraigRat
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Re: Open Caching

Post by CraigRat » 08 December 10 11:39 pm

It's odd the way they change the waypoint name.
It'd be good if they did what we do i.e: This is cache gcxxxx and is located on geocaching.com (or wherever)

SO you act as a directory, not as a separate spot to log a cache not listed on your site. Even WE don't do that :lol:
(We REALLY dislike dual listing of caches but appear to be one of the only independant sites that discourage it)

Theres a few good things we'll probably appropriate from them (Their API looks like something we could do here too), but for now we'll just sit an wait for all the stuff to be ironed out.

Don't get me started on their GPX format....what a stinker!

The whole thing is a bit of a train wreck right now. Garmin still have not communicated with any of the other independent sites with regards to use of data etc nor of their actual intentions. Go on their forums and it's crazy, no visible leadership, no-one to calm the swarm of bees.

As it stands I don't think GC have any immediate worry, nor do we. It's pretty feature-barren right now. I think 'Beta' might be over optimistic, it's in a alpha state IMO.

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mtrax
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Re: Open Caching

Post by mtrax » 09 December 10 1:31 pm

Getting Internal server error when posting new cache.. can you guys sort it out!! :lol: :mrgreen:

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hgl
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Re: Open Caching

Post by hgl » 10 December 10 12:03 am

CraigRat wrote:
SO you act as a directory, not as a separate spot to log a cache not listed on your site. Even WE don't do that :lol:
(We REALLY dislike dual listing of caches but appear to be one of the only independant sites that discourage it)

The whole thing is a bit of a train wreck right now. Garmin still have not communicated with any of the other independent sites with regards to use of data etc nor of their actual intentions. Go on their forums and it's crazy, no visible leadership, no-one to calm the swarm of bees.
I kinda like the idea of the index, as the only pain with GC / GCA is not being able to easily view them all while in the field (although I am working on this!).

If there is a model for a good non-GC site, GCA is it! They could have saved a lot of effort and employed our great developers and got a site that works :)

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SamCarter
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Re: Open Caching

Post by SamCarter » 10 December 10 8:27 am

hgl wrote: If there is a model for a good non-GC site, GCA is it! They could have saved a lot of effort and employed our great developers and got a site that works :)
If there is a model for the best geocaching site, GCA is it (never mind GC). =D> \:D/ :lol:

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hgl
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Re: Open Caching

Post by hgl » 11 December 10 12:19 am

SamCarter wrote:
hgl wrote: If there is a model for a good non-GC site, GCA is it! They could have saved a lot of effort and employed our great developers and got a site that works :)
If there is a model for the best geocaching site, GCA is it (never mind GC). =D> \:D/ :lol:
I'll pay that ... (except maybe for the iPhone app :)

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bshwckr
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Re: Open Caching

Post by bshwckr » 11 December 10 12:30 am

hgl wrote:
I'll pay that ... (except maybe for the iPhone app :)
Thankyou! I thought it was only me. GC iPhone app rules. I am not a big GC fan or an Apple fanboi but credit where credit is due. This credit extends to GCA as well because those guys know how to write code! Cant wait for their iPhone App.

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CraigRat
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Re: Open Caching

Post by CraigRat » 11 December 10 7:51 am

bshwckr wrote:Cant wait for their iPhone App.
You may be waiting some time :lol:

Mobile Optimised Site: Certainly (got some time t home over Xmas alloted to do more on this)
Android App: Maybe
iPhone app: Not likely (not by us anyway).

If I get an API together (which I will for the mobile site) then it'll be easy for someone else to make an iPhone app

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Coffee and Cache
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Re: Open Caching

Post by Coffee and Cache » 12 December 10 12:43 am

Tried to create an account mainly out of curiosity. It said my "display name" was invalid, although no such field was asked for and no diagnostic was given. I suppose it meant my "handle". Maybe it doesn't like spaces. Maybe I'll try again later, maybe not.

Good news about the GC API and up and coming GCA API anyway.
Last edited by Coffee and Cache on 16 December 10 7:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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CraigRat
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Re: Open Caching

Post by CraigRat » 16 December 10 6:21 pm

The one thing that amuses me is the ignorange in the Geocaching Blogosphere about what's ALREADY in place with regards to alternate sites.
If I see 'Does Geocaching need a second website' post from a blogger I'll....well... umm.... I won't do anything I suppose. :stabby :stabby :stabby

Although I must admit I did bite on the Mad Cachers blog page. grrrrrr (I wonder if my comments will make it to the page though....)

Thanks to those GCA users who made some nice comments... very much appreciated...and 100% correct.

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MtnLioness
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Re: Open Caching

Post by MtnLioness » 16 December 10 7:23 pm

Forums?
I can't find a link anywhere for their forums??? :? :?

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