[OSGeo-Discuss] Can we use a LiveDVD for workshops and labs at FOSS4G 2009?

[Chris Puttick]

----- "Christopher Schmidt" <crschmidt at crschmidt.net> wrote:
> On Mon, Oct 20, 2008 at 07:25:01AM +0100, Chris Puttick wrote:
> > 
> > ----- "Daniel P. Ames" <amesdani at isu.edu> wrote:
> > > Hi folks.  As you all know, there is a growing interest in open
> source
> > > for Windows. Especially with Microsoft's release of its developer
> > > tools in free "express" editions and the availability of such
> tools as
> > > SharpDevelop and Mono.  
> > > 
> > > MapWindow is .NET based and the bulk of our developers and users
> are
> > > strictly MS based.  I don't think this makes them any less human,
> it
> > > just says that their threshold for open source is set such that a
> $90
> > > Windows operating system is considered acceptable but a $10000 GIS
> is
> > > not.  
> > 
> > But to split hairs, if MapWindow is .NET based it is not entirely
> open
> > source as it is dependent on a closed source platform. 
> 
> That's like saying "OpenLayers is not open source when used with
> Google
> Maps" -- OpenLayers (and correspondingly, MapWindow) is (or can be)
> still Open Source, regardless of the libraries it depends on. Let's
> not
> play the "My software is more open than your software" game; Stallman
> is
> good enough at that. 

No, it isn't the same at all. Building an open source application on a bunch of proprietary libraries makes the resulting application very closed to anyone without access to those closed libraries and potentially removes the one of the key advantages of open source, i.e. the ability to fix a bug you uncover. OTOH using OpenLayers with Google Maps is just about choice of data sources. OpenLayers is not restricted to using Google Maps, that is just how you implement it.

And MapWindow is far more open than my software as I don't have any :)

> Regards,
> -- 
> Christopher Schmidt
> Web Developer
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