[GRASS-user] Using r.out.kml and scripts in Windows Binary- error

[Markus Neteler]

On Fri, Sep 14, 2012 at 5:57 AM, Hamish <hamish_b at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Markus N:
>> I wonder if the command line bash shell g.extension could be redicted
>> *on Windows* to the Python based g.extension to avoid these problems?
>
> I purposely left the g.extension(.sh) installed in the Windows build as
> theoretically & fundamentally it should work if the user has a full compiler
> and build environment for grass set up. For those people, and in the hope
> that someone might be able to make it work better someday, it remains.

I tend to disagree - most (99%?) of our Windows users will not have
a compiler environment installed. Just browse the archives how many
failed into the trap of using g.extension on Windows on command line...
It will not work for most of them ever.
Hence we tell them to use the wxGUI and voilà it works for most.

> I get really frustrated by software that assumes it knows better and locks
> out otherwise possible things, so I try not to replicate that behaviour...

Most winGRASS users get frustrated to be mislead here.

> As it is anecdotally quite rare for Windows users to have that full
> build-from-source environment (most download the pre-built .exe installer)
> if it does remain, I would think it good to add a WARNING for Windows
> command line users to try it from the GUI instead.

Yes, this is the minimum we can do.
Or just get it done automatically: if no gcc present, switch to the
Python script.

This should be urgently fixed.

Markus