Information:1997

[David Mandel]

I use Arc/Info, ArcView, and GRASS.  They all have some advantages and
other disadvantages.

Many people list price as a large advantage of GRASS and especially GRASS
on Linux; but I'm not sure.  Yes, this is an advantage, but this advantage
understates the other advantages of GRASS/Linux.

I like GRASS/Linux, because

    (1)  It uses Linux which I prefer to most of the other OSs
         I use, mostly because of it's superior open development
         enviroment.
    (2)  GRASS is open.
         One can add functionality to GRASS and obtain super preformance.
         Scripting languages like AML and AVENUE are slow and limited.
    (3)  Support
         Many of us live in situations where the support we get for
         commercial products is third hand and not very good.  The
         cooperative support one gets with mailing list is often 
         pretty good.
    (4)  It has a low startup cost which makes it easy to justify
         to management.
    (5)  GRASS based solutions are freely redistributable without 
         forcing one's clients to buy a many thousand dollar system.

On the other hand, Arc/Info is more comprehensive and more commonly used.
It is easy to obtain data, and trained users.  It is also easier to use,
and commercial support and training are more readily available.

                                                 Dave

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 David Mandel, Linux Activist             dmandel at transport.com
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