[Gvsig_english] Status

[César Martínez Izquierdo]

Hello Marcel,

the main problem here is that a desktop GIS application is a great
effort, so in open source we re-use existing libraries to make this
effort a bit more affordable :-D

Some of the libraries that gvSIG uses are native (C or C++, not Java),
and therefore must be compiled for each target platform. For example,
GDAL and Proj4 libraries are currently in use. Qt would not solve this
problem, as it can't provide the functionality that GDAL or Proj4
offer.

So the main problem is that:
- these native libraries must be compiled for each platform, and time
is limited, so the project has to focus on some platforms (time is
limited).
- sometime, compilation is not straightforward in some platforms, and
some incompatibility issues arise (like happens in Vista).
- in order to detect these incompatibilities you need to test in each
platform (and again, time is limited)
- if incompatibilities arise, they must be solved, and we are not
experts in C, C++, Vista nor Mac

As a summary... we'd like to run in as much platforms as possible, but
resources are limited (life is not perfect :-).
Of course, we'd be very pleased if someone could compile the native
libraries for other platforms (like Mac)... this is an open source
project and we all can make it better.

There is an ongoing effort to improve the situation (to make easier
compiling on different platforms, etc), but I don't know its current
state.

Best regards,

César


2009/11/26 pvmstg hotmail pop <pvmstg at hotmail.com>:
> Hi all,
>
> Verry interesting exchange... Starve to test it since no mac binary
> released yet.
>
> Just a stupid question.  If gv_sig is suppose to be cross platform
> and, from the reading, it cause problem on mac, why not made, like
> qgis, use of Qt where the crossplatform seem ok?
>
> Do you have stop pursue the crossplaform idea to stick only with linux
> and windows?  Maybe we will see return of mac on the stable...?
>
> For me, after the mac support, the printing capability is the most
> important feature.  When going to prepress, we need at least 300ppp
> tiff output, pdf/x or eps.
>
> In my list, the support of file geodatabase will be a big issue. I
> know, it's esri the problem.  At the esri conference they said that
> it's for the 9,4 prevue to be release at spring for the api.  Just
> remember that shapefile are outdated and, for small users, like us,
> postgis is not the solution.  All the vector and bitmaps file are in
> file geodatabase.  We will need to access them.
>
> Hoping to see a mac version to test... soon.
>
> Marcel
> _______________________________________________
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> Gvsig_internacional at listserv.gva.es
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>



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   César Martínez Izquierdo
   GIS developer
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   ETC-LUSI: http://etc-lusi.eionet.europa.eu/
   Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (SPAIN)
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