<div dir="ltr">I agree with Chris, Brent, Bruce etc<br><br>The 2007 conference was in part a success through contributions made from proprietary vendors, the likes of AutoDesk, ESRI Canada, DMSolutions etc. As organisers of the conference we would soon find out how difficult it would be without the backing of these companies. We should also remember that because these companies operate a proprietary business model does not make them exclusively proprietary they are all, to some degree supporters of Open Source Geospatial software and Open Geospatial Standards.<br>
<br>I would actively support the inclusion of proprietary presentations and contributions. Perhaps the proprietary v's open source arguments are too often dominated by voices on the fringe excluding those that simply want the best set of tools for the job? IMHO we need more voices to explain and help us understand how we can benefit from introducing open source geospatial technology into our existing technology stacks, proprietary or not. I think Mark's comments said it all:<br>
<br><i>'we should be prepared to show off the wonderful array of greys we have available'</i>'<br><br>By excluding we would be going against the grain of the very thing we are trying to promote<br><br>Cheers<br>
<br>Simon<br><br><br><pre><br></pre> <br></div>