ffutures: (Default)
ffutures ([personal profile] ffutures) wrote2009-02-26 11:43 am

Yesterday's eBay bargain...

...was a route mapping program called Route 66 Britain 2004 for OS-X and the non-Intel processor. Got a couple of days ago for £2 plus postage, it turned up and I tried it last night.

Basically it's pretty much the same idea as Autoroute, and has support for GPS (e.g. the little Bluetooth gizmo I got a couple of months ago). I don't think it's quite as user-friendly as Autoroute, and it's a bit elderly - but apparently 2004 was the last release, since then they've gone over to selling satnav systems only, and there don't seem to be any other dedicated OS-X route planning programs now that Macs can run Windows programs. And road layouts don't change incredibly fast anyway.

Anyway, it works, and I can now locate my house on the map with pinpoint precision. More to the point, it might be fun to use it on train journeys etc., it apparently does a moving map view - for obvious reasons I'm not going to try on a motorbike! - and for environmental studies with datalogging etc.
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[identity profile] beamjockey.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 01:31 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think Route 66 goes through Britain. Maybe you shoulda turned left at Albuquerque.

[identity profile] ffutures.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 01:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Riiiight...

[identity profile] saranjeuhal.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Route 66 is an oldie, but it was always half-decent when I used it years back. I hated Autoroute because it always got things wrong. Autoroute was Mapquest to Route 66's Google Maps :D

[identity profile] ffutures.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 02:54 pm (UTC)(link)
It's at least 7 or 8 years since I've used Autoroute, I may be remembering it as better than it is.
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[personal profile] ckd 2009-02-26 03:18 pm (UTC)(link)
For several years we bought Route 66 US (which was really US/Canada) and Route 66 Europe (I'm not sure if the "Britain" version has more data for the UK or if it's just a relabel of Europe). Not bad in general, though these days Google Maps is as useful for planning if you have connectivity. Certainly worth £2, in any case.

[identity profile] ffutures.livejournal.com 2009-02-26 03:52 pm (UTC)(link)
It seems to be Britain only. My reason for wanting it is basically for the GPS plus it works off-line.