Location, Location, Location
Tutorial – gpsd
Even though your computer does not come with its own GPS, you can hack one onto it using a mobile phone. Although, it does take quite a bit of fiddling.
There is plenty of literature online on how to connect a GPS device to a computer. But normally the devices covered are exclusively GPSs, that is, something you would probably have to go out of your way to buy.
What you don't find so much information about is how to use what you have at hand, namely, your regular phone. However; it can be done. It is a bit hacky, but it works.
On Your Laptop
Linux comes with a daemon called gpsd
[1] that can process the information delivered by a GPS device. Although gpsd
is usually started and stopped with systemd (and is usually launched at boot), you'll be running it by hand. The reason is again the hackiness of the solution, due to processing data coming from a GPS device not on board or that is not connected over a serial or USB port, which is what gpsd
usually expects. (See the "NMEA" box.)
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Gnome Developers Consider Dropping RPM Support
In a move that might shock a lot of users, the Gnome development team has proposed the idea of going straight up Flatpak.
-
openSUSE Tumbleweed Ditches AppArmor for SELinux
If you're an openSUSE Tumbleweed user, you can expect a major change to the distribution.
-
Plasma 6.3 Now Available
Plasma desktop v6.3 has a couple of pretty nifty tricks up its sleeve.
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.