[OSGeo-Discuss] OSGeo Stack - was: OSGeo community Maxed out?

[Frank Warmerdam]

Jeroen Ticheler wrote:
> I am happy to provide the DVD we just released as a starting point for a 
> structure that allows individual projects to put their releases in and 
> give a brief introduction and references to it. It does not have to have 
> a GeoNetwork focus logically, it may have any focus. Someone may want to 
> generate a disk that puts emphasis on a particular project and another 
> one to make it more OSGeo centric. That would be a matter of replacing 
> the index.html file and point to another css maybe.
> 
> We could than generate an OSGeo ISO image once every so many months 
> (6!?) with a set deadline, so projects can if they want work towards 
> that. At the same time, the stack is updated on the fly.

Jeroen,

I think the GeoFOSS DVD is a great thing, but it doesn't meet a number of
the objectives *I* have for an approved OSGeo stack.

For windows I basically want a GUI installer where I pick the packages
I want, and only those packages are downloaded and installed.  Furthermore
I want everything *integrated*.  So if I install PostGIS, I want to know
that the MapServer and GDAL/OGR that I install will also support postgis.
If I install PHP/Python/Java, I want to be sure that everything is using
the same PHP/Python/Java (MapGuide, MapServer, Mapbender, etc).

The challenge then, as I see it, is in the integration.

Similar issues arise with Linux except I might settle for not having a gui
installer.  But on linux we also need to be careful not to depend on any
particular kind of linux.  Any reasonably modern (say Linux 2.2 or later)
linux on intel should be an acceptable platform.   So this means avoiding
dependency on system packages except for the very lowest levels is necessary.

Lots of folks have different ideas than mine.  Some folks want a focus
on live CDs.  Some want to focus on packaging systems for a particular
kind of linux.  Some think it is adequate to use a variety of existing binary
installers.  Some want to support more platforms, etc.

Best regards,
-- 
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I set the clouds in motion - turn up   | Frank Warmerdam, warmerdam at pobox.com
light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam
and watch the world go round - Rush    | President OSGeo, http://osgeo.org