Survey of Desktop Mapping Software - Desktop GIS: Mapping the Planet with Open Source Tools - page 258

should survey the world.
George Santayana

Appendix A

Survey of

Desktop Mapping Software

There are a lot of applications in the OSGIS desktop world. In this chap-
ter, we'll explore some of the major choices available. In our survey, we'll
classify applications based on both capability and the underlying lan-
guage. The programming language behind an application is important
because it affects how the application is distributed, is installed, and
how easy it is for us to customize.

Sometimes we open source enthusiasts are a bit odd. Many of us choose
our software based on the language in which it is written. When you
begin to look into OSGIS applications, you will find them divided into
what have been termed tribes based on the programming language.
While we mention the programming language, our focus will center
around the features of each application. For reference, in Figure A.1 ,
on the following page, you can see the language behind each of the
applications in our survey, including the potential for using a scripting
language with each. If you are a programmer, you'll be interested in

Bindings consist of
interface code (stored in
a shared library or DLL)
that allow you to access
the features of an
application or library
from a scripting
language.

the underlying language since it will give you an idea of how easily you
might customize or extend the application. After all, that's a big part of
what open source is all about.

For most people, the words Desktop GIS generally conjure up visions
of a GUI interface. Although that's largely true, it's clear there are
command-line applications that deserve a place in our toolkit. In the
survey, we'll divide the applications into two primary groups—those
with a GUI and those that are command line only.