I
figured I might add my $.02 regarding this topic. I have been a MapInfo
user for 5 years now, and I have found it to be a vey sufficient dekstop mapping
program. One thing that I have always found to be a major strength of MI
is that it is very intuitive and easy to use, especially for a
beginner. But, in no way shape or form is this an excuse for the
severe lack of content in the Online Help files for MI. Yes, when I first
started creating thematic maps and doing buffer queries, everything was
peachy. But as I became a more advanced user I sought to go beyond the
basic functionality, and this is where I ran into problems. Even
explanations of simple SQL functions are not included! I defnitely find
ArcView to have far superior Online Help as well as hard copy
documentation. I do understand that the odds of most users to actually
"read" or "lookup" something rather than just asking their
intra-office MapInfo "guru" are about the same as the Florida Marlins
winning the pennant this year, but it still believe it should be there for
people like the aforementioned "guru". Secondly, I disagree with
THomas , I find project management do be a very big deal, especially in case
where you might be distributing workspaces that are to be used by a large sales
force with many workstations. In conclusion, I think MapInfo as a whole is
moving in the right direction and trust me the user list is 100 times better
than ArcView's (heck, I am not even sure if they would let me even mention
MapInfo on their list).
Aracibo L. Quintana
Technical Specialist
Geoscape
International, Inc.
717 Ponce de Leon Blvd.
Suite 300
Coral Gables, FL 33071
http://www.geoscape.com
305.444.5668/ FAX 305.444.5277
---------------------------------
Preparation is what feeds desire
and
makes success that much sweeter
----------------------------------
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Thomas Gülden
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 1999 4:07 PM
To: MapInfo-L (E-Mail)
Subject: AW: MI MapInfo Annoyances RevisitedDear annoyed MI users,It is true that MapInfo has many annoyances. However, after having worked with MapInfo for some time I have to deal with ArcView now, because my employer (governmental in Germany) has chosen it as his desktop solution.Now, in comparison, I really find the ArcView UI completely uncomfortable, since it avoids consequently to adhere to windows standards. Menus and terminology are kind of build to hide the true purposes. When AV 3.1 was launched we ordered the German version, the English came, the German supplement is still awaited.If you look at the map projections provided, there is only a fraction of the huge amount that come with MI. And interestingly (if not annoyingly) a German national grid projection (Gauss Kruger) was not included, so you would have to do it through a custom projection until the German supplement is delivered (I believe). And the custom projection dialog is really awkward. Then you can color objects only by layer, and as of my knowledge can only reproject long/lat maps on the fly. Is there any raster registration tool in AV ????You see, each Desktop GIS has its major flaws, but I view MI certainly as the better balanced and more user friendly alternative.AV has its strength in map layouts, linking tables, and project management. But to my feeling the aforementioned missings are more fundamental. On the other hand each comparison is subjective.If we discuss wish lists:I would like to have spreadsheet like behaviour of the browser, which should be more formattable, better performance and more WYSIWYG in layouts, the ability to have a layout as a self contained document, better intelligent labelling, data-aware dialog designer, more comfortable linking of tables, dynamic coordinate grids and scalebars, better transparent raster performance.My feeling is that MapInfo has added recently more features which are better suited to add-ons, like the gridding capability. Although I haven't used the built-in gridding much yet, my feeling is that if you want to do serious gridding, you are better off with buying Vertical Mapper anyway. So, instead of adding more add-on-prone features, I would rather see the so much wanted enhancements of the basics.It seems that the 5.5 Beta addresses at least some of the issues, but by far not all of them (to address all of them at once, would be a stupid marketing, right ?) However, MI has certainly listened: you can now add legends based on non-thematic layers, queries can be saved, and the stupid report tool of version 4.5 has been replaced by a Crystal Reports add-on. It seems that the pace of change is just a little slow from upgrade to upgrade.Will the Y2K release of MapInfo be called MapInfo 2000 ? (I hope not.)RegardsThomas Gülden
Diplom-GeologeEmail (privat): [EMAIL PROTECTED]
