The more I study this Oracle/MapInfo thing the more I like what I am learning. I typically don't know what I am doing so if there are issues here that need some "flame broiling" well, I just ask that I am well basted and you share them with the list. FYI MidNight Mapper aka Neil 5/1/99 > Yep - there is suddenly a lot of uncertainly on the ESRI side of GIS. I am > struggling to figure it out too. > > My reference is to the usage of SDE/SDO on Oracle's newest product 8i. > With this release, Oracle leaps ahead of rivals, such as IBM and Microsoft > (five user license $1475). 8i users can store Web pages, spreadsheets, > word-processing files, images, and other traditional files directly in the > database. What is of interest to GIS is 8i internalizes the indexization of > spatial objects to "its" core technology versus the SDE/SDO model of > middleware and external spatial indices and objects. The new Spatial > feature ($995) that replaces SDO provides spatial access to Oracle's 8i > data. The GIS features of Spatial are a small set of very efficient and > fundamental operators. They can be extended by third party tools like > MapInfo's Spatialware and I believe soon, by a new version of SDE or > SDE-like product (see below). > > Oracle interMedia is another extension to Oracle8i�s content management > capabilities. Oracle interMedia allows you to easily manage multimedia > content so your dynamic Web applications can incorporate image, audio, > video, spatial, text, and relational data to provide a rich multimedia > experience to anyone visiting your Web site. All your students and > co-researchers, from the classroom to the lab and library, can access the > information they need to do their jobs from any computer equipped with a > standard Web browser. Its that simple? > > The history of SDE/SDO are they have common roots and architecture. Oracle > has left the SDO middleware design behind for its Spatial technology to > optimize its redesigned 8i product line. While SDE is not dead ended I do > not believe you'll be able to get equal performance versus 8iSpatial. Most > of this news is no more than a month old so great uncertainty surrounds the > issues. What is certain is things have changed in a rather significant > way. > > You can read more about 8i at Oracle's web: > > http://www.oracle.com/database/oracle8i/index.html > > For the detail on 8iSpatial you'll need to read the white papers on what > 8iSpatial is.... > > http://www.oracle.com/database/options/spatial/index.html > > My guess is if you really hunt hard you'll see a ESRI path to build a "new > generation" (Ver 8) of ArcInfo/ArcView around Microsoft's SQL Server and > Visual Basic on NT machines. There is more here than it appears. This will > only add a COM model and leaves off a CORBA design that Java suggests. > > http://www.ESRI.com/news/releases/99_2qtr/arcinfo8beta.html > > This is ESRI's spin on an alliance with Microsoft although if you visit > > http://terraserver.microsoft.com/default.asp > > a demonstration of Microsoft's SQLServer/Internet technology, you do not > find any ESRI product mentioned. Further if you follow the emergence of > Office2000, Microsoft is about to launch a desktop mapping system know as > PointMAP for $120 a seat (or less). > > http://www.microsoft.com/MAPPOINT/ > > The opportunity of the internet is turning a lot of things upside down. > What does it all mean? I don't know but something very big happened to the > GIS community by the design changes in Oracle's 8i. For the want of a > better phrase I would say its a "new deal". > > Sorry for the confusion.... > Neil ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe from this list, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and put "unsubscribe MAPINFO-L" in the message body, or contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
