Winter projects 2014 thread

Michael Czeiszperger · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:35 am **Posts:** 861

My winter project is to turn the Subaru rallyx car into a "rally rat".

Remove all paint and let exterior rust - in progress
Strut greasing - done
Remove all interior sound deadening - done
Install racing seats
Fix full tank problem
Install hydraulic e-brake
Install mud flaps
Move battery to trunk
Install rear windows

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:42 pm

I'm working on building a replacement for AXWare. This is a long-term project that will take well past this winter to complete (if I ever manage to complete it!).

I'm using a very different set of tools to build it than I used for the Instant Results web app, so I've mostly been dealing with some learning curve so far. I have a little bit of REST API scaffolding built with Dropwizard, a little bit of database persistence with Hibernate, and an early attempt to cleanly separate the public representation models from the domain models and from the persistence models.

I haven't settled on a name for it. The working name is AxRunner. Someone suggested AXBeWare. I think AXMurderer is kinda funny. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

RodneyWright · **Posted:** Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:15 pm

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

I'm working on building a replacement for AXWare. This is a long-term project that will take well past this winter to complete (if I ever manage to complete it!).

I'm using a very different set of tools to build it than I used for the Instant Results web app, so I've mostly been dealing with some learning curve so far. I have a little bit of REST API scaffolding built with Dropwizard, a little bit of database persistence with Hibernate, and an early attempt to cleanly separate the public representation models from the domain models and from the persistence models.

I haven't settled on a name for it. The working name is AxRunner. Someone suggested AXBeWare. I think AXMurderer is kinda funny. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Names....

> cone carnage
> cone ware
> ACTS: Auto Cross Timing System
> CCC: Cars clobbering cones
> Dodgeware
> AXstats

yeah, that's all I got for now. Carlton, thanks so much for trying to make an alternative to AXware. I'd copyright the results and claim the royalties!

Charlie Guthrie · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 8:14 pm **Posts:** 832

Come on now, we can do better than that..... Also, keep in mind that timing is valuable to other sports (think Rallycross or bicycle racing).
TimeTool
TotalTimeTool
SportTime
How many ways can we insert time/timer into the name?
Charlie G

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Tue Dec 23, 2014 10:58 pm

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm planning to release the project as free open source donationware. I don't have a public repository yet, but once i get a little further along and settle on a name, I'll start publishing my code online.

I want to keep the project focused on autocross. I think it would be tricky to build the necessary abstractions to accomodate other types of racing. Right now, I just want to get an autocross timing and scoring program off the ground. Keeping the project scope fairly narrow will help with that.

Perhaps at some point in the future, some enterprising software developer might like to fork the code and add the necessary abstractions to accomodate other types of racing.

Michael Czeiszperger · **Joined:** Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:35 am **Posts:** 861

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

I'm working on building a replacement for AXWare. This is a long-term project that will take well past this winter to complete (if I ever manage to complete it!).

I'm using a very different set of tools to build it than I used for the Instant Results web app, so I've mostly been dealing with some learning curve so far. I have a little bit of REST API scaffolding built with Dropwizard, a little bit of database persistence with Hibernate, and an early attempt to cleanly separate the public representation models from the domain models and from the persistence models.

I haven't settled on a name for it. The working name is AxRunner. Someone suggested AXBeWare. I think AXMurderer is kinda funny. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Good luck! Its not "rocket science", but not a trivial project either. What are you writing it in?

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 12:01 pm

Michael Czeiszperger wrote:

Good luck! Its not "rocket science", but not a trivial project either. What are you writing it in?

I'm writing the backend in Java 8. I had started prototyping the core service with a Spark REST interface a few weeks ago, but the project quickly outgrew it. I just finished moving what I have so far over to Dropwizard. Its learning curve is much steeper (Spark's was nearly zero), but I think it'll be a much better fit for the project going forward.

And ... cue the Java haters coming out of the woodwork.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 2:52 pm

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

Michael Czeiszperger wrote:

Good luck! Its not "rocket science", but not a trivial project either. What are you writing it in?

I'm writing the backend in Java 8. I had started prototyping the core service with a Spark REST interface a few weeks ago, but the project quickly outgrew it. I just finished moving what I have so far over to Dropwizard. Its learning curve is much steeper (Spark's was nearly zero), but I think it'll be a much better fit for the project going forward.

And ... cue the Java haters coming out of the woodwork.

What do you think you can do better than axti.me which seems to have good reviews and apparently is selling?

George Bright · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:05 pm

Charlie Guthrie wrote:

Come on now, we can do better than that..... Also, keep in mind that timing is valuable to other sports (think Rallycross or bicycle racing).
TimeTool
TotalTimeTool
SportTime
How many ways can we insert time/timer into the name?
Charlie G

Tarheel Interval Timing System 2.0 nod to Neal Harrington

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:52 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

Michael Czeiszperger wrote:

Good luck! Its not "rocket science", but not a trivial project either. What are you writing it in?

I'm writing the backend in Java 8. I had started prototyping the core service with a Spark REST interface a few weeks ago, but the project quickly outgrew it. I just finished moving what I have so far over to Dropwizard. Its learning curve is much steeper (Spark's was nearly zero), but I think it'll be a much better fit for the project going forward.

And ... cue the Java haters coming out of the woodwork.

What do you think you can do better than axti.me which seems to have good reviews and apparently is selling?

I think the autocross timing software market is not large enough to sustain more than one commercial product. AXware has (had?) a monopoly, let their software stagnate, and treats their customers like dirt. axti.me has a lot of awesome things going for it, and I could see them running AXware right out of business. Once enough clubs make the switch, network effects will put additional pressure on the remaining AXware users to switch too. That would leave axti.me with the monopoly. I don't know how the owners of axti.me will run their company if/when they get into that position, and I don't really want to wait to see how that shakes out. What if the owners run it well, but decide to sell off the business and it ends up with someone less benevolent?

I'm planning to make my project free and open source. Anyone with the skill and the will would be able to make contributions to it. If it gets even a little bit of traction, it'll help keep the commercial offering honest and innovating.

I definitely want to match some of the features that axti.me has. Real-time updates, worker roles, mobile/desktop browser-based access. I don't think they have split/sector times, and I'd love to build that in.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Thu Dec 25, 2014 8:23 am

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

I think the autocross timing software market is not large enough to sustain more than one commercial product. AXware has (had?) a monopoly, let their software stagnate, and treats their customers like dirt. axti.me has a lot of awesome things going for it, and I could see them running AXware right out of business. Once enough clubs make the switch, network effects will put additional pressure on the remaining AXware users to switch too. That would leave axti.me with the monopoly. I don't know how the owners of axti.me will run their company if/when they get into that position, and I don't really want to wait to see how that shakes out. What if the owners run it well, but decide to sell off the business and it ends up with someone less benevolent?

I'm planning to make my project free and open source. Anyone with the skill and the will would be able to make contributions to it. If it gets even a little bit of traction, it'll help keep the commercial offering honest and innovating.

I definitely want to match some of the features that axti.me has. Real-time updates, worker roles, mobile/desktop browser-based access. I don't think they have split/sector times, and I'd love to build that in.

Understood and appreciated. Do you anticipate help from other developers once you get far enough along to attract their attention and interest?

Carlton Whitehead · **Posted:** Thu Dec 25, 2014 1:45 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

Understood and appreciated. Do you anticipate help from other developers once you get far enough along to attract their attention and interest?

A few people have already expressed interest in contributing in various ways. There are a lot of very technology-oriented people in the autocross scene, and I suspect the temptation of tinkering with an open source timing and scoring project would be hard to resist.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2014 2:49 pm

Carlton Whitehead wrote:

DickRasmussen wrote:

Understood and appreciated. Do you anticipate help from other developers once you get far enough along to attract their attention and interest?

A few people have already expressed interest in contributing in various ways. There are a lot of very technology-oriented people in the autocross scene, and I suspect the temptation of tinkering with an open source timing and scoring project would be hard to resist.

Post up a git repo when you have that ready to go. I'd like to contribute.

Front end: browser based? or thick client?

My opinion would be browser based so it'll be as platform independent as possible (yet another booyah to AXWare

). With the number of clubs across the country on a tight IT budget using 3+ year old laptops for T&S, requiring bloated ass Windows is far from ideal.

It would be amazing walking into a bus and seeing a T&S laptop running Ubuntu/CentOS

and never having to hear the words "Axware was being flaky so we rebooted Windows" :soap:

clinehall · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:17 pm

-Clean out my garage and re organize.
-FINALLY get the 350f running
-Time to restore the Mini, it's hurting a little bit. AC aux fan needs replaced. Install gauges I've had for about 8 years waiting to do. New wheels, tires, graphics.
-Avoid buying more stuff I don't need!
-

clinehall · **Posted:** Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:19 pm

Steven Carter wrote:

Get my swing speed to 105 mph
!

And how do you propose to do that? I'm thinking of a dedicated exercise program to see If I can accomplish this.

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