FreeCAD Project announced telemetry collection in the application. The data will help developers gain an objective understanding of FreeCAD usage — free of the emotions that clutter bug trackers and user forums.
What data is collected:
- System information (OS, architecture).
- User preferences (theme, interface configuration).
- List of installed addons and macros from third-party developers.
- Crash logs.
- User errors encountered while using the program, such as excessive limiter usage.
- Contents of drawings and models.
To comply with GDPR and various personal data protection laws, users will be assigned a random UUID.
Telemetry collection is disabled by default. This feature is already available in recent weekly builds and will be one of the main innovations in the upcoming major release (1.2).
As a reciprocal service, the addon analyzes models opened in the application, compares them against databases of registered patents, and if there are no matches, it automatically generates a patent application. Upon successful patent registration, the project will receive a percentage of the patent royalties. This will finally allow FreeCAD developers to buy their own coffee machine for the FOSDEM booth.
In addition, an AI addon, which, based on telemetry data, will tell Sketcher users, 'Not like that, you fool, look, this is how it should be,' and correct the drawings. The addon was initially developed for training engineering students, but industry practice has shown a significant need to greatly expand its application.
A similar addon is planned for the assembly workbench, which will identify assembly errors, vividly and in shocking detail animate accompanying mechanical damage to the structure using the Bullet, and then automatically apply constraints for Revolute, Cylindrical, and Slider connections.
April 2: The project is indeed starting to collect telemetry. To participate in this, users need to install the Telemetry add-on, first updating the cache in the Addon Manager. Each user is indeed assigned a random UUID, and to comply with GDPR, the data is stored on a server in the EU. Models/drawings and acceptable errors are not collected or analyzed, the rest of the list is correct. The add-on for teaching students to work in Sketcher is indeed being developed, but the use of AI is not planned. An add-on for automatic assembly corrections is not planned, which is a shame!
Source: linux.org.ru
