Software Rules - Answer Thread

[Billie Jean]

A new SDK was released Dec 19th, but our robot works fine without it. Do we need to update to the latest SDK or can we use an older version?

1.75 is the minimally required version number of the FTC software, which includes the apps and software development tools. Teams are not required to upgrade to the newest version, they are only required to have the minimally required software version.

[Billie Jean]

Samsung Galaxy S5 Wi-Fi direct Name

We have obtained several Samsung Galaxy S5 phones, and all of them are on Android version 6.0.1, and all of them exhibit the same issue with their wifi direct name.
The issue is when we name them in the wifi direct menu as "xyz", the name shows as "xyz" in the wifi direct menu. However, in the FTC apps, and on other phones, the name shows up as "[Phone] xyz". As the rules are currently written, this is illegal, but we can not figure out how to fix this issue.
Can this be made a legal configuration so that for Samsung Galaxy S5 phones the names are "[Phone] #####-DS" and "[Phone] #####-RC".

For the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Self Inspection feature in the Driver Station and Robot Controller apps automatically creates the “[Phone]” prefix before listing the actual Wi-Fi Direct name. This is not a rule violation. Field Inspectors will use the Android operating system Wi-Fi Direct settings menu to verify that the phone is named properly.

[Billie Jean]

Is Alicorn Legal?

Recently, Alicorn has been proposed for use programming by FTC teams. Alicorn allows teams to program in Java Script without Android Studio or App Inventor.

See the following links for more information:

http://alicorn.io/docs/ftc-getting-started.html

https://www.reddit.com/r/FTC/comments/5bdonb/program_your_robots_with_java_script_info

Can you clarify whether the use of Alicorn is legal or not? In particular, <RS02> seems to require programming to be done using Android Studio or App Inventor with optional incorporation of libraries using JNI and NDK, so we are unclear about whether programming in Java Script using a text editor is compatible with <RS02>.

Thanks!

The use of Alicorn has been approved as an exploratory pilot in the states of Missouri and Kansas only. This pilot will help FIRST Tech Challenge assess potential programming alternatives; specifically, how programs are compiled and interpreted in the Android environment. This programming in no way provides a competitive advantage or disadvantage to any team. Further assessments will be made at the close of the season to determine if this program will be available to the entire FIRST Tech Challenge community in future seasons.

[Administrator]

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