To Those Who May Be Interested (This May Qualify As Friday Humor?)
While off the subject of MapInfo directly I have been following with keen interest the
recent HTML email issue and the MapInfo/ArcView discussion. I have also been to the
pub at lunch and enjoyed a lively debate with some Macintosh devotees so I was in the
mood to leap to Microsoft's defense (after 2 pints of Guinness I hasten to add) from
the point of view of a small business.
Our existence and success in a very competitive market is down, in no small part to,
the facilities that are provided to us by Microsoft. We would not be able to develop
software as quickly and cost effectively without OLE and VB. As a company of 8 people
we are able to compete with much larger companies and make them sit up and take
notice. We have recently implemented a PC Windows based GIS solution for Shell Oil (a
reasonably large company) up against UNIX based dinosaur opposition (again a
multinational). We moved quickly, were able to connect to the UNIX system, again
thanks to facilities provided by Oracle AND Microsoft, and the bottom line was we were
cost effective in what is currently a very tight petroleum market (US$9 oil).
As to the MapInfo/ArcView discussion I have no firm preference one way or the other.
As Warren Vick said they are 80% the same, I just have concerns over the future
development, MapInfo seem to be focused on Web development and MapInfo Professional
appears to be suffering. ArcView 3.1 was, as far as I was concerned, a great upgrade
that delivered features that the user needed. We choose ArcView for the Shell
implementation for a number reasons and if anyone is remotely interested I will be
happy to detail them.
Another point that became apparent at lunch is that some people cannot help having an
emotional attachment to their operating system or application, just as some people
feel that a Rotring pen is still the best way to produce maps. Perhaps I'm missing
something, but I am always looking for the best way to do a job and as a small company
we can't afford to get emotional about a few bytes of code (except the director who
misses his Macintosh but fortunately he gets out voted). I am no lover of monopolies
but I also don't miss spending half my day trying to convert my Mac files to PC.
Microsoft have never affected our business accept positively and while they continue
to do so then they will always get my cautious support.
Maybe one day we will be able to keep ESRI and MapInfo on their toes, but at present
with the size of company we are, we could only get there with the application
development environment developed by Microsoft.
Well enough of my Friday afternoon rant, I also have to say how much I enjoy the
variety of opinions and discussions that the list hosts.
Have a good weekend
Chris
These are not necessarily the opinions of Meridian GIS
Chris Clarke
Meridian GIS
Level 2, 1050 Hay Street
P.O. Box 295
West Perth 6872
Western Australia
Phone (618) 9226-0101
Fax (618) 9226-0102
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<http://www.meridian-gis.com.au>
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