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<title>Commercial vs. Open Source Functionality</title>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks Jason good answers. Let me just
confirm (with my Autodesk hat on). When we launched mapguide.osgeo.org we moved
all of the core source code for MapGuide into open source (you can see our
daily development by subscribing to the commits e-mail list). Both the open
source and commercial versions of the product are built from this one code
base. We actually deleted our internal source tree, so any changes to open
source will appear in commercial and vice versa. Now that said, we are a
business and need to make money in order to keep producing software. So the
commercial version will have additional functionality, but these will be more
like add-ons that come with the commercial distribution (the core code will be
the same).<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>1. Studio is a commercial product. There
is an open source web-based variation in the works that we plan to have
available later this spring. It will not be as functional as the commercial
version, but it will be a full open source project.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>2. The Open Source release will eventually
contain providers for SDF, SHP, ArcSDE, MySQL, ODBC, WMS, and WFS. As Jason
points out, Frank W is working on a Raster provider based on GDAL and we would
really like to get a PostGIS provider developed. These same providers (with the
exception of GDAL) are shipping with the upcoming release of Autodesk Map. Getting
them ready for that release has taken priority over getting them ready for open
source. Again we are a business and need to fund all of this somehow.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>As for investment, we have put over two
years of development into this product. We have big plans for it and absolutely
no intention of abandoning it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Bob<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Jason Birch
[mailto:Jason.Birch@nanaimo.ca] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, March 23, 2006
10:05 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> users@mapguide.osgeo.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> RE: [mapguide-users]
Commercial vs. Open Source Functionality</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>Your questions are shared by many.
This is just my interpretation, but the information that Autodesk has revealed
so far indicates that:</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>1. Studio will be strictly commercial (it
contains AutoCAD components) but Autodesk will be creating an open source
"Studio Lite" application for authoring maps.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>2. ArcSDE and WMS providers will be
in the Open Source edition, as will ODBC which you can use to access aspatial
data in SQL Server. The Essential FDO guide provides more information on
this: <a href="https://fdo.osgeo.org/docs/FET_TheEssentialFDO.pdf">https://fdo.osgeo.org/docs/FET_TheEssentialFDO.pdf</a>
Currently the providers not slated for OS release are Oracle, SQL Server
(spatial) and Raster. This last one is a bit of a sticking point, but I
believe that Frank W is working on a GDAL Raster provider.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>3. The OS version of the MapGuide code is
the only version. The <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Enterprise</st1:place></st1:City> package
that Autodesk is selling will of course have additional applications and
plugins provided with it, but the entire community will benefit from
enhancements to the core, which is on its own pretty impressive. As a
commercial entity, Autodesk is in this to make money, and will be doing so with
a combination of services and software sales, similar to the Red Hat model.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=blue face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:blue'>Jason</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> Buscher,
Shane [mailto:Shane.Buscher@nngco.com] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Thursday, March 23, 2006
05:45<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> users@mapguide.osgeo.org<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [mapguide-users]
Commercial vs. Open Source Functionality</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'><!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->All
right, I'm a little frustrated at this point trying to figure out the current
direction of MapGuide OS and MapGuide Commercial. I'm trying to choose
between several competing technologies in the web mapping arena, including
ArcIMS, MapGuide OS, MapGuide Commercial, and MapServer. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>1.
Is the MapGuide Studio product going to become strictly a commercial
product? I see it expires in October. If so, what authoring tool is
going to be made available for the OS users, if any?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>2.
There's a lot of vaporware advertising going on, especially in the data
provider category. I have SQL Server, ArcSDE, and WMS consumption
requirements. These are documented as being supported, but you quickly
realize they are not post-install. Are these functionalities only going
to be made available in the Commercial product? This is what it seems. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>What
is the general direction for both OS and Commercial? Are they going to be
one in the same, with only support being the difference between the two?
Or, will Autodesk just add functionality independently of the OS project,
leaving the open source community to catch up? </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Maybe
this is not the right forum to ask these questions, but I don't know where else
to ask. It's important to know the direction of these products, as I'm looking
for a long term solution.</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Thanks
in advance.</span></font> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Shane
Buscher</span></font> <br>
<font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>GIS/Compliance
Systems</span></font> <br>
<font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Northern
Natural Gas</span></font> <br>
<font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>402.398.7841</span></font>
<o:p></o:p></p>
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