## Features ##
-More documentation is coming soon, but in the meantime,
-most operations in the second-generation GUI are pretty easy to figure out.
+Version 0.7.1 is the first release containing our new cross-platform Java-based user interface. AltosUI can:
+
+* Receive and log telemetry from a connected TeleDongle device. All data
+ received is saved to log files named with the current date and the connected
+ rocket serial and flight numbers. There is no mode in which telemetry data
+ will not be saved.
+
+* Download logged data from TeleMetrum devices, either through a direct USB
+ connection or over the air through a TeleDongle device.
+
+* Configure a TeleMetrum device, setting the radio channel, callsign, apogee
+ delay and main deploy height. This can be done through either a USB
+ connection or over a radio link via a TeleDongle device.
+
+* Replay a flight in real-time. This takes a saved telemetry log or eeprom
+ download and replays it through the user interface so you can relive your
+ favorite rocket flights.
+
+* Reprogram Altus Metrum devices. Using an Altus Metrum device connected via
+ USB, another Altus Metrum device can be reprogrammed using the supplied
+ programming cable between the two devices.
+
+* Export Flight data to a comma-separated-values file. This takes either
+ telemetry or on-board flight data and generates data suitable for use in
+ external applications. All data is exported using standard units so that no
+ device-specific knowledge is needed to handle the data.
+
+* Speak to you during the flight. Instead of spending the flight hunched over
+ your laptop looking at the screen, enjoy the view while the computer tells
+ you what’s going on up there. During ascent, you hear the current flight
+ state and altitude information. During descent, you get azimuth, elevation
+ and range information to try and help you find your rocket in the air. Once
+ on the ground, the direction and distance are reported.
+
+AltosUI provides all of these features on the three target operating systems,
+Linux, Mac OS X (version 10.5 or newer) and Windows (XP, Vista or 7). The bulk
+of the software is written in Java and is built once and tested and delivered
+on all three target platforms. A tiny ‘shim’ library is built on each system
+to provide access to the Altus Metrum devices connected over the USB link.
+
+## Future Plans ##
+
+A number of features are implemented or in process in the sources available
+in our publicly visible repository that are not part of the current stable
+release. Some of these features are already available in our C utilities,
+but not yet part of our second-generation Java user interface altosui.
+
+* [Google Earth](http://earth.google.com) "KML" file export. The
+ first-generation C program ao-postflight can do this, the implementation
+ in altosui has improvements.
+
+* Data plotting. The first-generation C program ao-postflight can output a
+ set of standard plots as an svg file. The plotting code we're integrating
+ into altosui supports direct interaction with the data and is much more fun!
+
+* State-dependent display. When the rocket is on the pad, you mostly want to
+ know if it’s ready to fly. When the rocket is descending on a chute, you
+ want to know where it is in the sky and how fast its falling. Presenting a
+ limited amount of information that represents what is most interesting to
+ the user at any given time should make the display easier to read.
+
+* Ejection charge testing. The TeleMetrum firmware has the ability to be
+ commanded to fire ejection charges over the USB or radio links. Safely
+ hooking this up to the user interface will allow for wireless ejection
+ system testing. It is possible to do this today with a terminal program,
+ but we want this to be a feature in altosui. The key here is “safely”, of
+ course, which means figuring out a ‘fool proof’ user interface.
+
+* A Kalman-filter based approach to apogee detection using more than just the
+ baro sensor, so that we can safely control apogee ejection on flights to
+ altitudes beyond the range of our baro sensor alone. Unlike the other items
+ on the list, this will be a significant change to the in-rocket TeleMetrum
+ firmware. It may therefore be a while before this becomes part of a stable
+ firmware release.
+
+There are any number of additions that could be made to this list; feel free
+to send along ideas that you’ve got. Of course, all of this software is
+licensed under the GNU General Public License, so you can get the source and
+hack on it in the comfort of your own home.
## Platform Specific Notes ##
projects / web / altusmetrum / commitdiff