So I'm "co-opted", eh? Let me see if I can explain a couple of
things, including why I haven't had anything bad to say about MI
v. 5.5.
I moved a lot of MapInfo-L stuff over to Direction Magazine's
server because the disk space and a lot programming help was
offered free to the MapInfo-L community if I wanted to make use
of it. The site I was using for the MapInfo-L archives was
getting so busy that we sort of wore out our welcome there. The
site's owner wasn't interested in supporting a free service for
software they didn't use, so it was time to move.
The deal with Directions Magazine was that we could run things
they way we liked, and they would be trying to build more
usefulness into their server to support a broad-based GIS
community. The various efforts you see at Directions Magazine
beyond the GIS news --the wish lists, Data Center, Tools
directory, the fact that the people who have been trying to do
this sort of thing for years are all allowed (actually
encouraged) to editorialize in the magazine-- should be seen as a
collection of experiments in building communities online. If this
effort is successful, the result will benefit the "end users" as
well as the sponsors. The idea in my mind is that if we can build
a better resource for promoting the free and open exchange of
ideas, software and data, then the community would be stronger,
the influence of the corporate GIS companies would be better
balanced with their users needs, and the various commercial
interests that depend on a community will also find more
resources and encouragement to support the community with
relevant products and services.
Co-optation is a relative thing. Directions Magazine needs
community support as much as we need their "free" services (you
do pay for them because you have to look at all those ads, but
how much does that really cost you for what you get?). Commercial
interests need their communities as much the communities need the
products and services they sell. Or you can go have fun
installing Linux and GRASS for "free" and see why it's nice to
have an easy route to GIS.
Even big corporations need to hear what their users really think
about them and their competitors. And where would the smaller
commercial upstarts ever get upstarted if they couldn't find a
community to try out their ideas and products? Businesses who
can't be bothered with responding to users will get what they
deserve in this electronic agora, and those with great new ideas
will take down the flat-footed, slow-witted Goliaths. (but make
no mistake... David was lucky, too!) In any case, it benefits the
end-users most of all to be able to speak with a voice that has
the strength of a community behind it.
Anyway, we can talk more about that any time anyone likes. The
reason I haven't had anything negative to say about MapInfo v5.5
is that it works fine for me and I haven't had any problems
printing large-format plots. I like it; I use it every day, and
I'm always ready to howl like a whipped puppy as soon as it
doesn't do something I want it to. I also don't have any of my
customers complaining to me about its alleged warts. I'm not
claiming it's perfect for everyone, but it just seems fine from
my POV.
Most of my work is development oriented, and I can tell you that
the re-write MapInfo did between 5.0 and 5.5 on the low-level
routines used for clipping and combining regions is, to me, one
of the most welcome changes I've seen with the product in a long
time. You just don't get those "Error overlapping objects"
messages any more and it seems to always do the right thing. That
was always a source for a drop-dead error that mapbasic
programmers could do little about.
I don't care much about charts and reports myself, but
connections to Oracle (or ANY way to make MapInfo truly
multi-user and network friendly) is an important plus. IMHO,
built-in multi-user capability will soon be a normal GIS software
requirement. I only wish I could get better info on the technical
issues of implementing an Oracle connection, prices and other
things you need to know to actually use it.
- Bill Thoen
David Bruce wrote:
>
> Like Bob Foss, I have had curious misgivings about the mixed remarks
> concerning MI 5.5. There are certain features I would definitely be
> interested in having; and there is an element of 'loyalty' in wanting to
> see MapInfo Professional continue to evolve. But ...
>
> Andrew Dressel's 'enlightened user's' remarks have traditionally been a
> welcome and definitive indicator of the software state of affairs, but
> since the release of MI 5.5, these remarks have been unusually limited
> to the high-end features, e.g. Oracle connectivity. This absence of
> assurance has been less than compelling.
>
> With Bill Thoen and Steve Wallace co-opted by Directions obligations,
> who among MapInfo end users can make a convincing case for new benefits
> outweighing some apparent performance quirks? Are they quirks or do
> they reveal something more serious?
>
> David Bruce
> Pflum, Klausmeier & Gehrum Consultants, Inc.
> Indianapolis, IN
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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