Camino Ninja (RIP) - is there a way to keep it going?

[BobY333]

Hi all. I'm aware that Andy, the force behind the app, passed away a few months ago. I never had the chance to meet him or his famed beard, but I did communicate with him with some suggested tweaks to the app along my last Caminos in May. He was incredibly responsive, and seemed truly happy to hear from me.

I relied on his app extensively. The offline GPS maps were invaluable, including leading me out of the woods below the Puerto de Pajares where one of Ender's signposts had fallen over and I had wandered astray.

I wonder if there is any way that I, or we as a group, could keep this app going? I have no app development experience, but I would certainly be game to learn and give back to this amazing community. I'm also quite certain that I'm being naive in thinking about how much/little work keeping it up would involve.

This is an idea in its infancy, but I figured I'd reach out and see if anyone has thoughts on this or would be willing to help if I got this started?

Many thanks,
Bob

 

[klimmo]

Hi all. I'm aware that Andy, the force behind the app, passed away a few months ago. I never had the chance to meet him or his famed beard, but I did communicate with him with some suggested tweaks to the app along my last Caminos in May. He was incredibly responsive, and seemed truly happy to hear from me.

I relied on his app extensively. The offline GPS maps were invaluable, including leading me out of the woods below the Puerto de Pajares where one of Ender's signposts had fallen over and I had wandered astray.

I wonder if there is any way that I, or we as a group, could keep this app going? I have no app development experience, but I would certainly be game to learn and give back to this amazing community. I'm also quite certain that I'm being naive in thinking about how much/little work keeping it up would involve.

This is an idea in its infancy, but I figured I'd reach out and see if anyone has thoughts on this or would be willing to help if I got this started?

Many thanks,
Bob

I'm with you Bob, I loved the app on the CP and will probably be using it for the VDLP this october. Great idea to keep it going.

 

[Markva79]

I'm with you Bob, I loved the app on the CP and will probably be using it for the VDLP this october. Great idea to keep it going.

We used both Camino Ninja and downloaded Mapy.cz on the VDLP earlier this month. They really compliment each other.

 

[wisepilgrim]

@BobY333
I have been making camino apps for over a decade now and can probably add a few answers to your specific questions if you have them. Camino Ninja certainly made his mark on this community and I for one would not assume that the app should be revived out of respect for Andy… I simply do not know what his wishes would have been.

But I can say that all of the functions you mention are available in other apps, and that if there is enough community interest in a slim version of the apps that I currently publish I would be happy to devote time to making one available for free.

The Ninja app that I have seen functions more of a directory than a guide, as I do not think it contained information or practical advice about places along the way or warnings about what to watch out for on the camino… please correct me if I am wrong. If this is what the community is looking for and needs I am following this thread to know more and to help out where and however I can.

Michael

 

[klimmo]

@BobY333
I have been making camino apps for over a decade now and can probably add a few answers to your specific questions if you have them. Camino Ninja certainly made his mark on this community and I for one would not assume that the app should be revived out of respect for Andy… I simply do not know what his wishes would have been.

But I can say that all of the functions you mention are available in other apps, and that if there is enough community interest in a slim version of the apps that I currently publish I would be happy to devote time to making one available for free.

The Ninja app that I have seen functions more of a directory than a guide, as I do not think it contained information or practical advice about places along the way or warnings about what to watch out for on the camino… please correct me if I am wrong. If this is what the community is looking for and needs I am following this thread to know more and to help out where and however I can.

Michael

Hi Michael,

I love the simplicity of it. Along with the map and albergues etc along the line. and what was great about it was that you could use it offline. I used it together with maps.me and it was all i ever needed.

Everbody is different, and has different needs, and this one suited me well.

Either keep his app alive (if that is as he wished) or take his legacy forward as inspiration for another, both seem a worthy endeavor.

Mon

 

[trecile]

and what was great about it was that you could use it offline. I used it together with maps.me and it was all i ever needed.

Wise Pilgrim and other Camino apps can be used offline too.

 

[WGroleau]

If he made the source code available and open source, then someone else can legally modify it and resubmit it to the app store(s) as a new entry. Or if he entrusted the source code to someone else to maintain, they could do so. Otherwise, someone would have to start from scratch to imitate it.

 

[USMC-Pilgrim]

Hi all. I'm aware that Andy, the force behind the app, passed away a few months ago. I never had the chance to meet him or his famed beard, but I did communicate with him with some suggested tweaks to the app along my last Caminos in May. He was incredibly responsive, and seemed truly happy to hear from me.

I relied on his app extensively. The offline GPS maps were invaluable, including leading me out of the woods below the Puerto de Pajares where one of Ender's signposts had fallen over and I had wandered astray.

I wonder if there is any way that I, or we as a group, could keep this app going? I have no app development experience, but I would certainly be game to learn and give back to this amazing community. I'm also quite certain that I'm being naive in thinking about how much/little work keeping it up would involve.

This is an idea in its infancy, but I figured I'd reach out and see if anyone has thoughts on this or would be willing to help if I got this started?

Many thanks,
Bob

There are many apps out there to assist pilgrims. I always went with the Ninja. Would love to know if his family would have plans to have it continue as memoriam to his wonderful service to the community.

 

[t2andreo]

I recommend you give the Wise Pilgrim apps and guides a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

[Katherine Radeka]

We were so sad to learn of Andy's passing. After using his app every day, he almost felt like an acquaintance, if not a friend.

I used Buen Camino and Camino Ninja, for different things. For Buen Camino, I especially liked the stage-planning feature. It was a bit buggy in the sense that it kept adding phantom stages but I could just delete those. I also found the most helpful lists of albergues and churches with links to mass times.

I used Camino Ninja for route-finding, and I especially liked the feature that opened up the entire Camino Francés first, and then zoomed in on your location. Cool to see my blue dot traveling across Spain that way. I also liked that it showed what towns you'd be passing through, and what services were in each town. But it was the accurate route-finding that was most helpful, and the reason why I'd recommend it to other pilgrims.

If I knew Wise Pilgrim had that feature, I would download it as a replacement. I have to admit that I didn't download Wise Pilgrim because I didn't like the printed guidebook with QR codes so I left it at home (a personal preference to be sure) but figured that if I didn't like the guidebook design, I'd probably like the app even less (honest feedback based on experience with other things like it).

 

[henrythedog]

We were so sad to learn of Andy's passing. After using his app every day, he almost felt like an acquaintance, if not a friend.

I used Buen Camino and Camino Ninja, for different things. For Buen Camino, I especially liked the stage-planning feature. It was a bit buggy in the sense that it kept adding phantom stages but I could just delete those. I also found the most helpful lists of albergues and churches with links to mass times.

I used Camino Ninja for route-finding, and I especially liked the feature that opened up the entire Camino Francés first, and then zoomed in on your location. Cool to see my blue dot traveling across Spain that way. I also liked that it showed what towns you'd be passing through, and what services were in each town. But it was the accurate route-finding that was most helpful, and the reason why I'd recommend it to other pilgrims.

If I knew Wise Pilgrim had that feature, I would download it as a replacement. I have to admit that I didn't download Wise Pilgrim because I didn't like the printed guidebook with QR codes so I left it at home (a personal preference to be sure) but figured that if I didn't like the guidebook design, I'd probably like the app even less (honest feedback based on experience with other things like it).

I’d really suggest trying one of the Wise Pilgrim apps. Like you I can’t get used to the printed guides; but the app is much better.

 

[klimmo]

@BobY333
I have been making camino apps for over a decade now and can probably add a few answers to your specific questions if you have them. Camino Ninja certainly made his mark on this community and I for one would not assume that the app should be revived out of respect for Andy… I simply do not know what his wishes would have been.

But I can say that all of the functions you mention are available in other apps, and that if there is enough community interest in a slim version of the apps that I currently publish I would be happy to devote time to making one available for free.

The Ninja app that I have seen functions more of a directory than a guide, as I do not think it contained information or practical advice about places along the way or warnings about what to watch out for on the camino… please correct me if I am wrong. If this is what the community is looking for and needs I am following this thread to know more and to help out where and however I can.

Michael

Hi Michael,

I gave it a go, compared your VdlP app to CaminoNinja (CN). I'm not convinced I will use WP (wisepilgrim), even though I have now paid it. CN is much easier to use, and gets me quicker to the info I seek. Whereas you offer loads more info, but mostly stuff I don't necesarilly need.

The way I plan from day to day is I start with thinking how much distance I would like to cover the next day, and then I look where that would get me.

In CN, the start place becomes your 0 and will then scroll down to about the ideal distance and it will give me the villages and the amenities there. By clicking on a village it gives me links to albergues and other places, I make a choice, put the chosen location in maps.me (where i have the kml file), and I take it from there.

I tried to do something similar in WP, I have to already know which region I'm in and will be in for the next day. I have to scroll through heaps and heaps of info that I don't need at this stage. If all that info would be in a dropdown menu, that would already be better in my opinion. Also, if I want to see if a location offers an albergue or hotel, i have to again scroll a lot.
The map took forever to download and then wouldn't unpack.

Lastly, CN is free, and I had to pay 3 chf for yours.

I hope this makes sense to you.

At the moment CN is still active, so I'll probably be mostly using that.
Even though I don't like WP from a practical standpoint, I appreciate all the details and design features. It's beautifully done. For background info I may come back to it.

Cheers,
Mon

 

[jungleboy]

In CN, the start place becomes your 0 and will then scroll down to about the ideal distance and it will give me the villages and the amenities there.

Wise Pilgrim also does this. If you tap and hold the place you want as your 0, it recalculates distances from there.

 

[trecile]

@klimmo You should look at the Buen Camino app. The stage planner feature makes it easy to plan daily distances.

APP del Camino de Santiago Buen Camino 2014 - 2024

Aplicación del Camino de Santiago profesional, con mapas, perfiles, alojamientos, planificador de etapas, a pie o en bici (Btt), en idiomas y actualizada.

www.editorialbuencamino.com

 

[klimmo]

Wise Pilgrim also does this. If you tap and hold the place you want as your 0, it recalculates distances from there.

Thank you, that helps.

 

[klimmo]

@klimmo You should look at the Buen Camino app. The stage planner feature makes it easy to plan daily distances.

APP del Camino de Santiago Buen Camino 2014 - 2024

Aplicación del Camino de Santiago profesional, con mapas, perfiles, alojamientos, planificador de etapas, a pie o en bici (Btt), en idiomas y actualizada.

www.editorialbuencamino.com

Thank you! Had a quick look and that looks really good, that would suit my stage planning much better.

 

[pasiño a pasiño]

Use Wise Pilgrim. It's all you need.

nope....all we need is already in ourselves!

 

[nilesite]

All well and good until you get lost

 

[Molly Cassidy]

All well and good until you get lost

Isn't that part of the fun!

 

[Eni]

Hi all. I'm aware that Andy, the force behind the app, passed away a few months ago. I never had the chance to meet him or his famed beard, but I did communicate with him with some suggested tweaks to the app along my last Caminos in May. He was incredibly responsive, and seemed truly happy to hear from me.

I relied on his app extensively. The offline GPS maps were invaluable, including leading me out of the woods below the Puerto de Pajares where one of Ender's signposts had fallen over and I had wandered astray.

I wonder if there is any way that I, or we as a group, could keep this app going? I have no app development experience, but I would certainly be game to learn and give back to this amazing community. I'm also quite certain that I'm being naive in thinking about how much/little work keeping it up would involve.

This is an idea in its infancy, but I figured I'd reach out and see if anyone has thoughts on this or would be willing to help if I got this started?

Many thanks,
Bob

I used Camino Ninja on my previous camino and I loved it. now I wanted to reupload it, but it seems its not available any more. Which app is the most similar and free of charge that you d recommend?

 

[trecile]

I used Camino Ninja on my previous camino and I loved it. now I wanted to reupload it, but it seems its not available any more. Which app is the most similar and free of charge that you d recommend?

There are a couple of suggestions in the previous posts.

 

[behrenscloud]

If he made the source code available and open source, then someone else can legally modify it and resubmit it to the app store(s) as a new entry. Or if he entrusted the source code to someone else to maintain, they could do so. Otherwise, someone would have to start from scratch to imitate it.

I would be happy to help maintain it. If possible, if any knows more, please let me know. Behrenscloud on gamil. Buen Camino!

 

[Ann Morrissey]

Hi all. I'm aware that Andy, the force behind the app, passed away a few months ago. I never had the chance to meet him or his famed beard, but I did communicate with him with some suggested tweaks to the app along my last Caminos in May. He was incredibly responsive, and seemed truly happy to hear from me.

I relied on his app extensively. The offline GPS maps were invaluable, including leading me out of the woods below the Puerto de Pajares where one of Ender's signposts had fallen over and I had wandered astray.

I wonder if there is any way that I, or we as a group, could keep this app going? I have no app development experience, but I would certainly be game to learn and give back to this amazing community. I'm also quite certain that I'm being naive in thinking about how much/little work keeping it up would involve.

This is an idea in its infancy, but I figured I'd reach out and see if anyone has thoughts on this or would be willing to help if I got this started?

Many thanks,
Bob

I cannot imagine doing the Camino without this app - It really is amazing, shows when you go off course, (which I have the habit off) advising on places to stay - please advise if there is anything else like it around, I will miss this app

Hope you can get it back up and running

Ann Morrissey

 

[natcire]

@klimmo You should look at the Buen Camino app. The stage planner feature makes it easy to plan daily distances.

APP del Camino de Santiago Buen Camino 2014 - 2024

Aplicación del Camino de Santiago profesional, con mapas, perfiles, alojamientos, planificador de etapas, a pie o en bici (Btt), en idiomas y actualizada.

www.editorialbuencamino.com

Just downloaded the app and CF to new phone and it looks very intuitive to use.

 

[trecile]

Just downloaded the app and CF to new phone and it looks very intuitive to use.

It has features that I didn't even realize until I had been using it for several weeks. You can watch a video tutorial here.

 

[BobY333]

I wish @wisepilgrim would produce a tutorial for his app (Buen Camino too) because I understand they have many of the same features, but they weren’t apparent to me.

Fingers crossed!

 

[wisepilgrim]

I cannot imagine doing the Camino without this app - It really is amazing, shows when you go off course, (which I have the habit off) advising on places to stay - please advise if there is anything else like it around, I will miss this app

Hope you can get it back up and running

Ann Morrissey

If you want a free alternative, here is the new All Caminos app:

https://allcaminos.app.link/facebookshare

I wish @wisepilgrim would produce a tutorial for his app (Buen Camino too) because I understand they have many of the same features, but they weren’t apparent to me.

Fingers crossed!

It is on my very long todo list, but adding new features to the app and keeping them all up to date takes more time than I expect. This week I push out a new feature which shows which albergues are CURRENTLY open, and which gives warnings around the expected closing dates.

Perhaps in March!

 

[BobY333]

If you want a free alternative, here is the new All Caminos app:

https://allcaminos.app.link/facebookshare

It is on my very long todo list, but adding new features to the app and keeping them all up to date takes more time than I expect. This week I push out a new feature which shows which albergues are CURRENTLY open, and which gives warnings around the expected closing dates.

Perhaps in March!

That’s awesome! I love that you’re adding features - but, respectfully, the trouble is that I couldn’t find the features so that I could benefit from them. For example, I think there’s a way to plan an individual stage and see distances for just that stage, but I don’t recall how to do it, and I don’t think it was intuitive. This isn’t criticism, I’m trying to be helpful

Thank you for all the work you do on the apps!

Bob

 

[wisepilgrim]

That’s awesome! I love that you’re adding features - but, respectfully, the trouble is that I couldn’t find the features so that I could benefit from them. For example, I think there’s a way to plan an individual stage and see distances for just that stage, but I don’t recall how to do it, and I don’t think it was intuitive. This isn’t criticism, I’m trying to be helpful

Thank you for all the work you do on the apps!

Bob

If you tap and hold on a place it will set that place as your starting point, and will recalculate all of the distances. If, later in the day, you want to have them recalculate simply tap and hold from wherever you are.

 

[Robo]

Hi all. I'm aware that Andy, the force behind the app, passed away a few months ago. I never had the chance to meet him or his famed beard, but I did communicate with him with some suggested tweaks to the app along my last Caminos in May. He was incredibly responsive, and seemed truly happy to hear from me.

I relied on his app extensively. The offline GPS maps were invaluable, including leading me out of the woods below the Puerto de Pajares where one of Ender's signposts had fallen over and I had wandered astray.

I wonder if there is any way that I, or we as a group, could keep this app going? I have no app development experience, but I would certainly be game to learn and give back to this amazing community. I'm also quite certain that I'm being naive in thinking about how much/little work keeping it up would involve.

This is an idea in its infancy, but I figured I'd reach out and see if anyone has thoughts on this or would be willing to help if I got this started?

Many thanks,
Bob

Whilst the sentiment is a good one, the practicalities may preclude it.
Who 'owned' the app?
Who were his beneficiaries?
What are their wishes?

Sadly I did not know Andy. May he RIP.

 

[gotaudrey]

Hi Michael,

I love the simplicity of it. Along with the map and albergues etc along the line. and what was great about it was that you could use it offline. I used it together with maps.me and it was all i ever needed.

Everbody is different, and has different needs, and this one suited me well.

Either keep his app alive (if that is as he wished) or take his legacy forward as inspiration for another, both seem a worthy endeavor.

Mon

Agreed. It is FABULOUS. There is no competition for the user-friendliness and fun. All my new friends on the route were using it and loved it as well. It is a must that should be preserved. MINE STILL WORKS!

 

[gotaudrey]

Agreed. It is FABULOUS. There is no competition for the user-friendliness and fun. All my new friends on the route were using it and loved it as well. It is a must that should be preserved. MINE STILL WORKS!

Also, to anyone reading this...competitive remarks are exactly that only - it is amazing to me that someone would use this thread to advertise other apps. Really? I didn't know the guy but if people want other sources they will find them. INSPIRATION: Get with someone who has it and enjoy!!!

 

[alexwalker]

I have tested a few apps, and I am sticking to WP apps: They have all I need & more; they are constantly improved; they work offline, also maps/GPS; push-updated automatically to your phone; the cost is nada; and they are uniform (same design for all Caminos, if you walk different ones).

As a former computer SW engineer (+40 years), i appreciate the user interface. It is good and intuitive design.

 

[natefaith]

An association from Germany has taken over Andy’s work. There are still some kinks to work out and hopefully they can improve the functionality, but it’s a start and great news. Here’s the thread announcing it. Rest in peace, Andy. We miss you, your good work, and your gentle spirit.

Thread 'Good news about Camino -Ninja'
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/good-news-about-camino-ninja.79578/