[postgis-users] Re: Hosting Co-op (was PostGIS hosting?)

[Juanse]

I would like to add that, on the Java side of the world, it would be lovelly
to have JUMP. Or that one goes on each "editing" machine? Upps.

juanse


----- Original Message -----
From: Frank Warmerdam <warmerdam at pobox.com>
To: PostGIS Users Discussion <postgis-users at postgis.refractions.net>
Cc: UMN MapServer <mapserver-users at lists.gis.umn.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2004 9:41 PM
Subject: [postgis-users] Re: Hosting Co-op (was PostGIS hosting?)


> Paul Ramsey wrote:
> > As a system administrator, my take is that while things would work well
> > in the beginning, in the end things would get nasty with version
> > interdependencies and the requirements of different users. If I upgrade
> > the system-wide PHP installation and break it for some of the users...
> > well, they will not like me much. Similarly for systemwide installations
> > of GEOS, PostgreSQL, mapserver, etc. While some people will simply use
> > their area for happy tinkering, others will want to deploy stable
> > applications and leave them be. The tinkerers would be happy to always
> > have the latest version of everything, but the deployers would want
> > things left well enough alone.
>
> Tyler / Paul,
>
> I would tend to agree that for this to be practical versioning would be an
> issue.  I think it might be best to support multiple versions as time
> progresses with old versions not being retired untill there are no paying
> co-op members using the version any more.
>
> More generally, I like the idea of a co-op but I am dubious about whether
it
> would make sense.  Whether it would get enough supporters to justify the
effort.
> Or alternatively, if there might be some folks interested who want a
higher
> degree professionalism than a cooperative would be able to provide.
>
> For instance, I think that network load, and disk space required would
vary
> quite radically for different users and that it would be relatively hard
to
> determine which users are using how much (of network bandwidth at least).
> Coming up with a fee structure that reasonably reflects this would be
> challenging.  In fact, one heavy user might easily heavily load the
machine
> or run up big extra bandwidth charges.
>
> Caveats aside, I think it would be very nice to have a cooperatively
managed
> hosting system available.  From my point of view, I would like *one* of
the
> available software sets to closely track the current development version
of
> some of the key packages (PostGIS, MapServer, and GDAL/OGR for instance).
>
> Hopefully the system would attract some supports as a convenient place to
do
> prototyping.   To test out MapServer and the various component
technologies
> even if the intent would be to eventually deploy their production systems
> elsewhere once they are satisfied.  The nice thing about doing some
prototyping
> on a relatively public system like this, is that alot of the starting
headaches
> getting the environment setup would be skipped.  Also, it would be easier
for
> outside developers to diagnose issues on a such a semi-public system.
>
> One question that comes to mind, is what sort of components you would want
to
> provide.  Ideally I would like to see:
>
>   o PostgreSQL/PostGIS (with GEOS, PROJ, etc).
>   o MapServer with WMS/WFS/WCS client and server, PROJ, pdf, flash, GDAL,
OGR
>   o Apache 2
>   o Python MapScript bindings, possibly Zope?
>   o Perl MapScript
>   o PHP/Mapscript
>   o the full suite of PHP MapScript based Chameleon/CWC2/MapLab
technologies
>   o GDAL/OGR with as many extras built-in as possible builtin, including
>     JPEG2000, OGDI, HDF, GML (Xerces), DODS, and Python bindings.
>   o MySQL (plus spatial extensions)
>
> I think it would also be ideal to provide a full Java environment.  I
> don't know this side of the world so well, but I assume that would include
> "Apache Tomcat", Java MapScript, GeoServer, Java classes for interfacing
> with PostGIS, other GeoTools2 related stuff.
>
> I think setting up a formal cooperative with fees might be pretty
organizationally
> challenging.  It would be easier if someone - perhaps someone who already
needs
> to setup a co-hosted server - would be willing to operate the system as a
> commercial effort even if not with the intent of earning alot of profit.
This
> might be an independent consultant or perhaps a user group.  A company
like
> DM Solutions or Refractions would also be great, but it might kind of
undermine
> their more professional support options.   For a consultant, or consulting
> company operating such a hosting platform could hopefully be a valuable
source
> of recognition/marketting even though the hosting solution itself isn't
likely
> to be be too lucrative.
>
> If someone does decide to launch such an effort, I would be willing to put
in
> time and effort to help set up many of the software packages, primarily to
> promote the various technologies, but also possibly for some free hosting
and,
> as always, for the recognition that can come from such an effort.
>
> Best regards,
> --
> ---------------------------------------+----------------------------------
----
> 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    | Geospatial Programmer for Rent
>
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