Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Let's look at the three main reasons to upgrade:
• A new version has been released that provides features you need,
want, or absolutely can't live without.
• Vulnerabilities in your software.
• A “higher-level” component (like your operating system) requires
an upgrade that will render your toolkit applications incompatible.
The first two are a matter of choice; the third may not be if your IT
department has any say. If you are lucky, you are master of your own
destiny and have control over all aspects of your GIS software, including
the operating system. If not, you're going to have to coordinate and
cooperate.
Here's a list of some suggestions for managing change in your OSGIS
toolkit:
• Proceed with caution. In other words, look before you leap, and
make sure you understand all the ramifications of upgrading.
• Identify changes in the latest version of the application(s) that may
require extra work on your part.
• Identify changes that remove key functionality you depend on (it
sounds strange, but I've seen it happen before).
• Identify dependencies—other packages that will break or things
you need to upgrade as part of the process.
• If at all possible, test your upgrades on a nonproduction machine.
• Don't upgrade too quickly after a new release. Monitoring the mail-
ing lists and forums can help identify potential problems that oth-
ers have already discovered (and oftentimes, solved).
You may be thinking this OSGIS approach is a minefield. In reality, it's
no different from managing change with proprietary software. All of the
suggestions mentioned here apply equally to both proprietary and open
source software, particularly in the GIS realm. Just be smart and never
put your data at risk, and you'll be fine.
2.8
Getting Support
Open source software has a unique support system, and OSGIS is no
different. Rarely when using a proprietary application can you commu-
nicate with the actual developers—with OSGIS you can, often in real
time. Most developers are willing to help, assuming you have spent a
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