[gpsd-dev] How to get started writing a GPS driver?

[Tim Bird]

Sorry to ask a complete newbie question, but is this the right place
to get started if one wants to write an open source driver for a
Sony GPS receiver module?

A developer at Sony has contacted me, and wants to write an open
source driver for a GPS receiver module.  The module is accessed via
a UART.  On our dev board is made available to
Linux via a USB/serial interface.   I'm new to this GPS stuff.
Does writing a driver for this involve writing a kernel driver?
Under what conditions does one write a kernel driver, vs extend
gpsd to support whatever special features Sony has added to their
receiver module?

what is the relationship, if any, between this project and support
for GPS devices under Android (I suspect none, but maybe I'm wrong
and there's a shim between gpsd and the Android Location Services
library?)

Any help or pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks,
 -- Tim

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Tim Bird
Architecture Group Chair, CE Workgroup of the Linux Foundation
Senior Staff Engineer, Sony Network Entertainment
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