On Mon, Sep 01, 2025 at 04:44:07PM +0200, Didier Kryn wrote:
>
>     Thanks. I didn't know about applications of Openstreetmap for Linux. And
> I'm fed up with the available commercial applications which are les and less
> friendly as time goes and try hard to put more and more ads. I will try what
> you suggest. It is for sure simpler and less intrusive than using flatpak to
> port an Android app.

There are very many open source ad free programs written by the
OpenStreetMap community: mostly by linux users. Since the targets may be
for navigation on portable devices, Android as well as other op systems
are often included. And I gather there are options to run on Raspberry
Pi's with gps modules attached.

In all the cases that I know about, the maps are downloaded to the
device, so nothing more than a gps signal is needed.

There is too much for any one individual to know about OpenStreetMap.
Because it is "Open", many organisations use it: they are just supposed
to acknowledge OSM. Not all of them are evil!

navit just happens to be the program that I use for historical reasons: I
had a cheap WinCE (shudder) satnav on which I could install it (navit)
which transformed it from a marginally useful device into a wonderful
aid. I quite like it but I don't have any other experience except mkgmap
on my Garmin.

There are also *many* renderings apart from even the handful on the main
site: that is a sort of universal neutral view not adopting the
conventions of any particular country. You will probably find rendering
that suite you better. Look it the wiki entries for your part of the
world.

By the way, I use viking (debian/devuan package) a fair bit usually to
check gps tracks. That's another linux program that might do what you
want. There are many others.

ael