More and more users are seeing GRASS on Linux as a cost efficient way
to put together a powerful GIS system.  Often, though, people either 
don't have the disk space, time, or skill to compile the GRASS source
themselves.  Andy Burnett's GRASS binaries for Linux are very useful,
but often they are at least one patch level out of date, and they
don't include all the grass.related, grass.garden, and beta versions
of new things found in the grass/incoming directory on moon.  Several 
people all over the world are fighting with trying to get this "related"
piece or that "garden" piece or another great beta piece to compile,
without pooling their efforts and sharing their successes.

I see a demand for several things, some or most of which are available
but not necessarily easy to find:
1) some good compile notes and "patches" for compiling the GRASS source
   on Linux,
2) compiled binaries for the basic system, as Andy is providing them,
3) compiled libraries and include files, for those who want to do their
   own compiling of extra pieces, but don't want to compile everything,
4) binaries of the various extra pieces as they become available, and
5) some coordination of efforts, such that, when for example Bill Baker
   announces a wonderful package like the r.le programs, someone else
   can soon announce that they've compiled r.le for Linux and made the
   binaries available.

My modest proposal is that it should be possible to have a subdirectory
(preferably on moon) where ALL these items are available, and have someone(s) 
volunteer to take care of that subdirectory, getting the latest bits and
pieces collected and available for ftp.  That way we don't have to be
duplicating efforts, yet things will be easily available in whichever form
people want them.  

I'd be willing to put some time into this, though not for a couple weeks.
I'd much rather hear that someone else already has this kind of thing
available, already is doing it.  :)

Tim.

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 Tim Martin                     *  
 Spatial Information Systems    *     If you want peace,
 University of Alberta          *     prepare for justice.
 martin@ulysses.sis.ualberta.ca * 
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