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have wished for decades now there was an open-source Garmin on the level of Cyanogenmod / LineageOS for Android not sure if it will happen this decade but defi

by ck2 6mo ago

have wished for decades now there was an open-source Garmin on the level of Cyanogenmod / LineageOS for Android not sure if it will happen this decade but definitely next decade proper running/cycling metrics are hard as demonstrated by how many well-funded competitors are somewhat close but not there 100% yet (Coros, Amazfit, etc) someone once hacked and decompiled older Garmins but newer ones are encrypted/signed/locked-down

mghackerlady 6mo ago
I have a garmin from the late 90s and am saddened by the lack of FOSS software to even sync a new map onto it
- ck2 6mo ago
  not sure if this will help you but there is a neat website that allows you to build free maps for older Garmin models that didn't have them at first like Fenix5 https://garmin.bbbike.org/ https://garmin.bbbike.org/ 1990s is going way back though, they didn't even have mass-storage mode then, it was their proprietary "garmin mode" for usb which only things like BaseCamp can talk to
  - mghackerlady 6mo ago
    oh bud, mine doesn't even mention USB in the manual. I got the thing for like a dollar at goodwill haha
rjsw 6mo ago
Have you looked at the specs for the upcoming PineTime Pro [1]? [1] https://pine64.org/2026/03/28/pinetime_march_2026/ https://pine64.org/2026/03/28/pinetime_march_2026/
- xrd 6mo ago
  I'm very excited about this. GPS was the final piece of the puzzle. I love(d) my bangle.js. Such a true hacker device. Really fun to use WebUSB and push JavaScript files as apps. But the GPS on that device was a mess, honestly. I know this is a complicated problem but having to synchronize to satellites and recalibrate all the time was beyond me. I really wanted it to work because I built my own toy run tracker visualization tool. I am curious about this new lilygo device because it sounds like it has an alternative location sensor: "A u-blox MIA-M10Q GNSS module provides accurate location tracking..." I'll need to look that up. Anyone have a summary on what's the difference between that and regular GPS?
- branon 6mo ago
  Oh nice, didn't realize they were doing a second one. Loved the original but I took mine rock climbing and cracked it :(
m463 6mo ago
> newer ones are encrypted/signed/locked-down I have a garmin watch and didn't know this. That said, I just used it out of the box, and never (on purpose) hooked it to wifi, bluetooth, garmin connect, etc. Can't do that with an apple watch.
- jerlam 6mo ago
  The underlying Garmin platform is so old that it predates iPhone/Android. I think you can plug in many Garmins via USB without any special software and simply copy activities and data off the watch. They had a segment of customers who wouldn't have or be allowed to connect a phone - triathletes, long-distance hikers, military. But it's been slowly changing as users want more modern features and the company wants to increase sales.

by ck2 6mo ago

mghackerlady 6mo ago

I have a garmin from the late 90s and am saddened by the lack of FOSS software to even sync a new map onto it

ck2 6mo ago
not sure if this will help you but there is a neat website that allows you to build free maps for older Garmin models that didn't have them at first like Fenix5 https://garmin.bbbike.org/ https://garmin.bbbike.org/ 1990s is going way back though, they didn't even have mass-storage mode then, it was their proprietary "garmin mode" for usb which only things like BaseCamp can talk to
- mghackerlady 6mo ago
  oh bud, mine doesn't even mention USB in the manual. I got the thing for like a dollar at goodwill haha

rjsw 6mo ago

Have you looked at the specs for the upcoming PineTime Pro [1]? [1] https://pine64.org/2026/03/28/pinetime_march_2026/ https://pine64.org/2026/03/28/pinetime_march_2026/

xrd 6mo ago
I'm very excited about this. GPS was the final piece of the puzzle. I love(d) my bangle.js. Such a true hacker device. Really fun to use WebUSB and push JavaScript files as apps. But the GPS on that device was a mess, honestly. I know this is a complicated problem but having to synchronize to satellites and recalibrate all the time was beyond me. I really wanted it to work because I built my own toy run tracker visualization tool. I am curious about this new lilygo device because it sounds like it has an alternative location sensor: "A u-blox MIA-M10Q GNSS module provides accurate location tracking..." I'll need to look that up. Anyone have a summary on what's the difference between that and regular GPS?
branon 6mo ago
Oh nice, didn't realize they were doing a second one. Loved the original but I took mine rock climbing and cracked it :(

m463 6mo ago

> newer ones are encrypted/signed/locked-down I have a garmin watch and didn't know this. That said, I just used it out of the box, and never (on purpose) hooked it to wifi, bluetooth, garmin connect, etc. Can't do that with an apple watch.

jerlam 6mo ago
The underlying Garmin platform is so old that it predates iPhone/Android. I think you can plug in many Garmins via USB without any special software and simply copy activities and data off the watch. They had a segment of customers who wouldn't have or be allowed to connect a phone - triathletes, long-distance hikers, military. But it's been slowly changing as users want more modern features and the company wants to increase sales.