What would you like to see in Autoguiding Software?

Hi Guys,

Straight to the point. This weekend I began a programming project. Some new autoguiding software. This project springs from the fact that I am just basic a crank and am never entirely happy with all the good stuff already out there.

A couple of things which I put on my wish list before I began.

(yes I know most guiding software has many of these)

Multiple centroid guiding. Guiding on multiple centroids can produce better results as small scale seeing effects are reduced.
Average correction over multiple exposures.
Automatic calibration. What I plan to do here is offer an option to do a calibration which actually measures quantitivly the mounts backlash.
Automatic Star Search
Automatic Star Retrieval (You know when the mount gets a bump, then go find the original star(s) if it/they are still on the frame, don't just sit there and go beep beep until the user fixes the problem)
Save Last position (for multiple session imaging from a fixed setup)
Analysis Session - Analyse guiding over a period and identify where undercorrections or over corrections are taking place.

Dark Frame Subtraction
LX Support. Initally support for webcams and SC LX webcams. I can look into other imagers later.
Support for parallel port, GPUSB and internal camera (WHERE POSSIBLE) guider relays.
As well as all the standard stuff.

Now here's where you guys come in. Please tell me what features you would like to see? Get your thinking caps on. What are the problems you have with your current software. If the idea is sensible and more importantly doable. I'll include it.

Look guys, this is at a very early stage. This is why I'm asking now rather than 6 months down the road trying to crowbar in features that would have been much easier to do from the start.

The software will be freeware when it is realeased. No promises on dates or anything like that. 6 months (ish) sounds reasonable to me depending on how other committments go.

Dave,

I would like software that would automaticly select the brightest star in the image lock on and the connect to the scope. It would also be cool if the software could have a routine to assess the stars suitability for tracking.

Dave - that's pretty ambitious.

Would this programme interface with the AP mounts? Also, would it support all imagers (e.g. via Ascom) or just some.

Perhaps worth thinking about (but few if any have this equipment) - autofocus and instrument rotator.

Binning options would be nice as would a reular update on seeing condition fluctuations (FWHM or similar).

By the way, these are totally off the top of my head.

Good luck and I hope you turn out a product you can be proud of. Perhaps, if this turns into a hefty project, you should consider making it donation-ware...

Dave

Great stuff Dave,
you have alot of work ahead of you.
As a general hint, try to make it very progressive like registax, one step leads to the next and its easy to see what to do next.
I've seen programs that are very powerful but you need to read the manual to use.
Try and make it very intuitive, where a 1 A4 page manual would to the trick.