MapServer Foundation - Open Letter

[Bill Binko]

Hello, everyone

I'm very sorry to be in this situation twice in one month (HylaFAX is 
another project I'm involved in, and recently had a possible-fork/naming 
clash), but I thouht I would add one more perspective and perhaps a 
request.

When I first read the announcement about the foundation, I had two
distinct reactions.  First, I sent a note to Frank, who I have found best
represent the "soul" of the OpenGIS community.  I asked him why I so many
people I respected (including danmo, and hobu, among others) were going
along with what looked like a land-grab by a company that has historically
been less-than-friendly to open source and open standards.  (I haven't 
gotten a response, but he's been busy and I feel its appropriate that I 
not wait any longer to put in my two cents.)

My second reaction was empowerment.  You see, I have been discussing 
working with another firm to help them upgrade their online mapping 
systems.  I've pushed open-source GIS solutions (Mapserver and PostGIS in 
particular), and the response I've gotten is that it's "still in its 
infancy and has no major players like IBM/Novell in the Linux space."  
Autodesk (for all of their faults) has given me a winning hand in this 
game, and I've already setup the meeting to discuss it with my 
counterpart.

These reactions seem to map directly to something said earlier: Autodesk's
involvment and the foundation are major benefits to this community, and
the poor choice of naming and lack of community involvement prior to the
launch are major mistakes.  

The lack of involvement cannot be fixed: it can only be acknowledged and
learned from.  I think Gary has acknowledged it from Autodesk's
standpoint, and I'm sure others will admit that Ed's approach ("the third
option") would have been better.  

As an aside, I think this community is to be congratulated that nobody has
yet suggested "OpenMapserver" or setting up a fork on sf.net or any of the
other threats that I've seen in other contexts: it shows that it is not
the code or even the Man-Years that are of value to this group, but the
community that builds, supports, and uses this great tool suite.

I was surprised to read that Frank and Dan were both involved in moving 
_towards_ the Mapserver Enterprise naming.  It is one of very few mistakes 
I've seen from them, and I suppose they were due: however, it is a 
mistake, nonetheless.  The good news is that it is a fixable mistake.

Frank, you have one of the most authoritative voices in this community,
and I'm sure Autodesk has considered your position in choosing this naming
path.  I think they would do so again, if you were to suggest that the
damage being done to the community by this error will outwiegh any
branding benefits they may gain.

It might be useful to remember that many of the best Open Source software 
out there has been through naming conflicts: Phoenix/FireBird/FireFox, 
FlexFAX/HylaFAX, etc.  They are painful, but not deadly.

Autodesk, welcome aboard: I'm sorry you're initiation has been painful, 
but if you stick with it, this really will be a rewarding experience for 
you.

Bill