[GRASS-dev] A portible shell for GRASS 7+ ?

[David Finlayson]

Wolf, Joel:

<rant>...</rant>

OK, in retrospect proposing a new shell for GRASS 7 was provocative. I
don't want that kind pressure for a hobby project. Consider this a
proposal for an optional download.

Besides, you're preaching to the choir...search the mailing lists for
my name and command line and you will find at least several rants of
my own on this topic. I need full scripting capability for GRASS and
access to Unix and custom programs I have written for my projects. I
would never compromise that.

So, why am I proposing a Python shell for GRASS?

1. I am intrigued by the possibility of making a Matlab of GIS. GRASS
is the perfect candidate for this. Python and the IPython interpreter
have all the tools needed to make a higher-level shell. Think of this
as the exact compliment to Qgis. Where Qgis wants to make a GIS with
lowest possible barrier to entry, I want to make a GIS with the
highest possible productivity for intermediate to advanced users:

* Imagine having a command line that auto completes options, layers,
raster and vector names!

* How about a display monitor that could be controlled by the command
line or the GUI at the same time (a la Matlabs graphics figures)?

* How about having complete access to the GRASS API via Python SWIG?

* All in the same shell?

Bottom line though is that if I want some creative control over how
the GRASS CLI evolves, I need to shut up and code.

2. Windows GRASS needs this badly. The DOS shell is OK for some things
but Windows comes with no tools for working with text, or databases,
etc., etc., etc. Python provides a lot of power through its libraries
and it is very easy to extend. Using IPython as a shell would really
improve the tool set of native GRASS on Windows with no need for
emulating a Unix environment.

3. I think a lot of GUI-only people would consider the command line if
it was a little easier to learn and use. A GRASS IDE (if you will),
might be really cool. It might be powerful, too.