On Mon, Feb 12, 2001 at 09:13:15AM -0800, Health Maps wrote:
> The idea of the list is to help people solve problems. If commercial
> software can do that it should be referenced and discussed. I certainly want
> to know about it. If free software does the job, then fine. However one
> reason commercial software exists is because people spent a whole lot of
> time developing it and need some payback - one has to pay one's bills and
> there is nothing wrong with profit from one's efforts. There would be
> virtually no GIS or spatial stats or much else without commercial products.
>
> Also free software can be very much non-free if it can't be maintained, has
> bugs, and is totally at the whim of the developer, which is of course
> perfectly reasonable. Free software is a false economy, so forth.
>
> If someone wants to push their product then reasonable restrain can be a web
> site reference to find details. I need to spend less time looking around for
> solutions, not more, that is why we join listserves.
>
> Richard Hoskins
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> GMT -8
Probably this discussion shouldn't become a free/proprietary flame war.
Those being interested in free GIS software (various products) might
have a look at
http://www.freegis.org/
The idea of free software is discussed here:
http://intevation.de/infos/freesoftware.en.html
Generally it would be interesting to establish a comparison table for
various GIS/stats products (proprietary - free) to help the subscribers
here when to use which software. From such a table everybody can
see which software meets his/her needs. It could be extended with
special hints to individual products. Then evenybody can decide
what to use. I would be glad to see something like this on ai-geostats.org
Regards
Markus Neteler
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On
> Behalf Of Ted Harding
> Sent: Monday, February 12, 2001 8:06 AM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: Re: AI-GEOSTATS: Comments about software
>
>
> On 12-Feb-01 Isobel Clark wrote:
> > I agree that we do not want to turn the AI-Geostats
> > list into an advertising free-for-all but it is very
> > difficult not to refer to what you consider the
> > perfect solution to a particular problem.
>
> Myself, I think this is fine as far as it goes. If Isobel
> knows that the software developed by her house does a
> particular job, and this may not be obvious or known to
> others, then I cannot see why there should be objection
> to her pointing it out in that context (otherwise the
> mickey-mouse situation could arise in which non-free
> software writers prompt their friends to point it out).
>
> I don't really see an essential difference between saying
> that E**SS* can do something specific, and saying that
> ARCI*** can do it.
>
> Equally, this should not take the form of an advertising
> blurb. Within the list policy of not allowing advertising,
> people should be able to mention a product with a decent
> restraint, to the extent justified by the context.
>
> I was unhappy about Gregoire's recent assertion that
> "it is a demo version of a commercial product and I can not
> accept to have it mentioned on the mailing list", since it
> carries an implication that no commercial product should
> be mentioned even in the context of pointing out that it
> may give the solution to a reader's problem. Surely it must
> be allowable to say that the solution to a problem can be
> found in XXX package, commercial or not?
>
> The delicate question of course is: where is the line that
> defines "decent restraint"?
>
> Ted.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> Topical Thought: It is better to arrive, than to travel hopefully.
> E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 284 7749
> Date: 12-Feb-01 Time: 16:05:48
> ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
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