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| GeoCommunity Mailing List |
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| Subject: | Re: GISList: re: Linux RS and GIS software for the masses |
| Date: |
06/10/2002 07:58:37 AM |
| From: |
Cirillo, Dina Marie |
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I encourage Mr. Rotow and any who share his opinion to have a more open mind
about the possibilities of linux as an end-user platform and open source as
a development alternative.
He pointed out the failures of open source as a development model, but
neglected to mention some significant successes: In addition to the linux
OS, the open source community has developed some of the most dominant
mechanisms (read "for the masses") now providing services across the
internet, including the most widely used web server (Apache, running on 54%
of all internet web servers ), email daemon (Sendmail, handling 80% of
internet email), DNS and news servers. This community has also continued to
provide an environment of growth for technologies that innovate and improve
upon existing ones (perl, php, xml, html, javascript, python, vrml):
technologies that the commercial development community has profited greatly
from.
Mr. Rotow correctly points out that the latest professional version of Red
Hat linux is $200 - for this you get the packaged software and technical
support. What he neglects to mention is that you are then free to load this
single copy across an entire enterprise, or give it away to as many people
as you like under the GNU General Public License agreement. (And if you're
not interested in the tech support, and don't mind burning your own CDs, you
can download Red Hat 7.3 for free from the redhat.com site.)
With respect to GIS, linux, and user-friendliness, I would say that it may
only be a matter of time. I don't know the last time Mr. Rotow logged on to
a linux machine, but I can assure him that any twelve year old would be
quite comfortable with the latest SuSE, Red Hat or Mandrake KDE or Gnome
desktop GUI - compare this to just 3 or 4 years ago, when even a
sophisticated Windows user would have been challenged by it.=20
Also, open source technologies such as SVG continue to challenge the closed
world of commercial development, which has a tendency to stagnate when not
prodded by this creative outside influence. Every Microsoft devotee
indirectly derives great benefit from the open source community, whether
they are aware of it or not. In any case, the end-user should be the one who
gets to choose - open source continues to make this choice possible.=20
Dina M. Cirillo=20
Internet/Application Development
TAYLOR WISEMAN & TAYLOR=20
124 Gaither Dr. =B7 Suite 150 =B7 Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054=20
856 =B7 235 =B7 7200 Phone 856 =B7 722 =B7 9250 Fax=20=20
www.taylorwiseman.com
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