[GRASS5] Re: [Fwd: whinging about GRASS again]

[Andrea Antonello]

Hy Mark,

> > - GRASS GIS Manager
> > - QGIS interface
> > - JAVAGRASS
> > - command line interface
> >
> > Have a look here to see them in action:
> >
> >  http://grass.itc.it/grass60/screenshots/gui.php
>
> Are all of these available in GRASS 5.7? Russell can't use 6.0 because
> it's not packaged with the Fedora distro he's got.

JGrass is not available IN GRASS whatever version. It is installed apart, 
since the gui is built on top of it. Limited features will be availbale in 
the JGrass standalone version (mainly those the developers need at the time, 
which for my part is a package of hydrologic tools for basin analyses), 
whereas we try to get all the GRASS features (that do not connect to the 
GRASS display system) working "through" JGRASS, which will need GRASS 
installed.

A GUI is a very delicate issue, as you can read between and on the lines. We 
started JGrass and had to fight against problems like the javatraps and the 
"why not python?" question. I think so many GUI projects started, that no one 
now believes that one of them will ever make it through the swamp. Time will 
show us what will be more userfriendly (because in the end that is what 
counts for the majority), support more features and be of better use across 
platforms... etc. etc. 

I think it doesn't make much sense to "whing about GRASS again", since the 
GRASS idea was born when other tecnologies were up to date, so you can push 
it push it and push it, but you always risk to break it. I think it is time 
to support a bit more GUIs built on newer tecnologies and more existing 
libraries... and I mean "fat GUIs", i.e. GUIs that start to take over some of 
the work, so that slowly, slowly, in the decades and centuries... everything 
is moved to something new, whatever it is. It took us one day to get a java 
(almost) fully working mapcalc, one day for an r.in.lidar with interpolation 
of the triplets through R inside JGrass, the tecnology is there to easyly 
create html, pdf reports, charts, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. 
I also developed for GRASS in the past and to be honest, I agree with you 
Mark:

> I'd be working about 10 times faster if I could use Java/Swing for GUI

I'm not telling anyone what to do, I'm just describing what I do and why I do 
it that way. Free speech, that's it. Amen.

Andrea




-- 
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HydroloGIS - Environmental Open Source Solutions
www.hydrologis.com

Andrea Antonello
Environmental Engineer
mobile:  +393288497722

"Let it be as much a great honour to take as to give learning,
if you want to be called wise."
Skuggsja' - The King's mirror - 1240 Reykjavik
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