[mapguide-internals] MapStudio OS

[Robert Bray]

To the best of my knowledge there are no legal issues and Autodesk will 
not pursue any action. On the flip side we have product designers that 
pour tons of effort into our UI designs, copying them blatantly just 
does not sit well with me from a personal perspective. That said this 
has been going on ever since Parc first invented the Graphical UI many 
years ago, which later appeared in the Mac, and then Windows, and so on...

MGOS needs a good Studio tool, I would prefer to have one but we now 
have two and that is something for the PSC to discuss. Kenneth I guess 
one item of curiosity I have is what your future plans are for this 
application. Knowing that may influence the PSCs thinking.

Bob

Kenneth, GEOGRAF A/S wrote:
> I would very much like to get a "certificate" that there is no problems, 
> however, I don't think that will happen soon.
> 
> As I see it, MapGuide Studio and MapStudio OS are very different, and 
> completely independant.
> 
> MapGuide Studio has the ability to use any and all of Autodesk's 
> patents, thus enabling it to support DWG and the like.
> MapStudio OS has none of that. It merely uses the API avalible from the 
> MapGuide Open Source project.
> It does not share/use any code from either the MapGuide Open Source or 
> the MapGuide Studio project.
> 
> So, the only problem I can think of is that the design of the user 
> interface might infringe on Autodesk's copyright, if it is too similar.
> If that is a problem, I am ready to change it.
> I have already rewritten most of the layer editor to use a tree 
> structure for organizing the scale range and display styles.
> I will publish that change when it becomes stable.
> 
> I don't belive that a "MapGuide Studio like" application itself violates 
> any rights, as that would also invalidate WebStudio.
> 
> I would appreciate it very much, if you could point out any potential 
> legal issues as you see them.
> 
> Regards, Kenneth, GEOGRAF A/S
> 
> 
> 
> Jackie Ng skrev:
>> Very nice job, Kenneth.
>>
>> I would _LOVE_ to contribute to this project, but I too share some 
>> concerns
>> (already expressed) about potential legal issues w/ Autodesk.
>>
>> It would be good if someone Autodesk could set the record straight on 
>> this
>> issue.
>>
>> - Jackie
>>
>>
>> Kenneth, GEOGRAF A/S wrote:
>>  
>>> Hi list.
>>>
>>> I have a feeling that the main barrier for newcomers to the MapGuide 
>>> Open Source project, is the fact that they have to start out 
>>> purchasing Autodesk MapGuide Studio.
>>> I also want to customize certain aspects in Autodesk MapGuide Studio, 
>>> such as extra "bult in" menus and the like. Autodesk has replied that 
>>> they do not currently support this.
>>> I have been looking at WebStudio, but it lacks some features, notable 
>>> the WebLayout feature. I also dislike web applications for operations 
>>> that I do more than occasionally.
>>> On top of that, browser security restrictions limits the possible 
>>> potential for the application.
>>>
>>> To remedy all of the above, I have created a standalone GUI 
>>> application, that looks a bit like MapGuide Studio, and supports some 
>>> of the things MapGuide Studio supports.
>>> I have released the application under the LGPL license, so that a 
>>> third party company (ea. Autodesk), may redistribute the binaries, 
>>> packed with proprietary extensions.
>>>
>>> The application has most of the framework ready, and has basic 
>>> editors for layer, layout, map and featuresource. Some functions are 
>>> still missing, like line width, point styling on symbol libraries, 
>>> layer draw order etc.
>>> Some things do work, like creating a featuresource, layer, map and 
>>> layout.
>>> It does not have a preview functionality yet.
>>>
>>> The code is written in managed C#, .Net 1.1. It should work on mono, 
>>> but there are some missing functionality in System.Windows.Forms, so 
>>> it might not.
>>> It contains a fully independant client library that uses only the Web 
>>> API, and fully managed code.
>>>
>>> If anyone wants to contribute to the project, I am open for questions 
>>> to the code.
>>>
>>> I have written a page with some pros and cons for the project:
>>> http://www.hexad.dk/opensource/mapstudio.html
>>>
>>> The page contains screenshots, binaries and source code.
>>>
>>> I would like this project to eventually become part of the MapGuide 
>>> Open Source project (or at least the OSGeo website).
>>> How do I apply for that?
>>>
>>> Please note that this project is my own hobby project, and is 
>>> unrelated to GEOGRAF A/S.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Regards, Kenneth, GEOGRAF A/S
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> mapguide-internals mailing list
>>> mapguide-internals at lists.osgeo.org
>>> http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-internals
>>>
>>>
>>>     
>>
>>   
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