[Liblas-devel] LAS File Header Editor

[Martin Rodriguez]

Hi:

> My observation is that most power users in GIS and not only, need to be 
> able to execute processing chains from command line, with scripting 
> involved, in batches, etc. Customization of processing chains is very 
> limited with GUI. For me, ideal solution is GUI with ability to run from 
> command line, see GRASS for example.

My job is Customization of processing chains using privative software
(microstation, autocad, arc gis, geomedia, etc...).

I am sure we can get good customization with gui tools.
- inside consoles (like Linux consoles)
- inside APIS (mdl, autolisp, etc)
- COM inside (vba)
- Managed internal .NET applications.
- COM APIs (like the new dbus in linux ). I can have full access from ruby,
perl, python or c# to the 100% of the API of the windows applications.

Privative applications are complex tools. I believe is according to the
taste. There people like console tools and other GUI tools, but I think both
can be really efficient in their jobs.


> Just to give a proof, see this thread in which Qi Chen is announcing his 
> GUI application for LIDAR data processing and Martin Flood is asking an 
> obvious question: "is TIFFS scriptable via a command line?"

I build GUI apps which can be used by command line and you can add a
scripting language to the gui app.
http://www.lua.org/
http://www.mozilla.org/js/spidermonkey/

Microstation and other apps, can be used by command line and have thousand
of batch utilities scriptables. If you know the arccatalog from ESRI you
know what i am talking about.

> Building usable GUI software is really time consuming and final solution 
> is usually more limited than scriptable and CLI utilities. So, IMHO, 
> it's hardly feasible to get done by single developer in her free time.

Yes. That`s totally true, but I hope in some years we can have full GUI
apps.

> Nowadays, GIS power users are not supposed anymore to know how to point 
> & click  with mouse. They are required to know basics of programming in 
> scripting languages (Shell, Perl, Python and Avenue in ArcGIS, not to 
> mention C#/VB.NET), so they can speed up their processes.

I totally agree.


> Anyway, discussion about GUI vs CLI may easily lead to a flame war, what 

We are only talking. I don´t like wars hehe.

> ...! I just can't agree that 
> libLAS command line tools is a wrong way to go.


I didn´t say that. I only say I can not find useful for *me* that tools, but
I am sure other people can use it.



Regards.