#OSGEO IRC Log - 2009-12-23

For logs after Feb 3, 2007, all times are GMT-8. Prior logs are GMT-9.
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03:35:27 djay: does anyone know if Arnulf Christl is on irc ?
03:35:37 djay: dos anyone know his nick ?
03:44:15 aghisla: djay: his nick is seven
03:44:28 djay: aghisla: thx
04:51:07 sigq: osgeofeed: Changeset [2789]: activated sponsorship and subscription pages. Doors are open now! <http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo/changeset/2789>
04:51:20 CIA-10: osgeo: lbecchi * r2789 /foss4g/2010/website/ ( style/style.css index.php registration.php navigation.php ): activated sponsorship and subscription pages. Doors are open now!
08:16:03 CIA-10: osgeo: lbecchi * r2790 /foss4g/2010/website/ ( img/register_button.png registration.php ): added image button to "register now!"
08:17:05 sigq: osgeofeed: Changeset [2790]: added image button to "register now!" <http://trac.osgeo.org/osgeo/changeset/2790>
08:42:50 acuster: so osgeo is killing FOSS4G eh? We'll have one in the americas and one in europe? oh well.
09:12:59 hobu: acuster: huh?
09:14:43 acuster: http://planet.osgeo.org/
09:15:24 acuster: lead story implies the north americans get their conference; which implies ...
09:18:12 JamesFee: acuster: My first thought Canada isn't "america" so meh....
09:19:03 acuster: hunh?
09:19:12 acuster: foss4g-*na*
09:19:59 JamesFee: US Federal Employees can't travel across the border
09:20:19 JamesFee: So if we are going to work on getting the Feds off ESRI and onto OSGeo....
09:20:25 JamesFee: It won't be done via FOSS4G
09:21:35 JamesFee: My great hope with FOSS4G2010 or 2011 was to introduce the Feds to some really great open source GIS. They can't get travel approval for Canada ( was the issue in Victoria ).
09:23:04 JamesFee: This this just proves my point that I made last year, FOSS4G needs to be broken up because most people can't travel the world and waiting 5 -10 years for it to cycle back to the USA is too long.
09:23:17 : * JamesFee being USA centric of course ; )
09:23:52 acuster: ever so slightly
09:25:02 JamesFee: acuster: so how do we service nuts like me who don't even think Canada is useful? Have a bi-yearly FOSS4G-USA
09:25:39 JamesFee: Or start up something not under the FOSS4G banner outside OSGeo <- which I don't want to do
09:26:03 acuster: yeah, for the Fed, get them on open standards as a first step
09:26:16 acuster: June in Bethesda at NOAA
09:26:56 acuster: then again, what foss is ready to replace ESRI?
09:27:37 JamesFee: PostGIS replaces SDE, Geoserver/Mapserver replaces ArcGIS Server, OpenLayers replaces ESRI APIs.
09:28:51 acuster: ...and the big missing piece is...
09:29:11 JamesFee: They can continue using Desktop which supports OGC standards
09:29:31 JamesFee: Waiting for desktop to be ready is just letting ESRI get more in bed.
09:30:39 JamesFee: RFPs come out "requiring" ESRI. The boat may have already sailed...
09:31:23 acuster: yeah, that's what a defacto monopoly looks like, but for most heavy lifting it's a reasonable policy today
09:32:13 JamesFee: So I think a FOSS4G where the feds can come and see some really impressive work done by GSA consultants will open eyes and be a kick that we need. But I seem to be in the minority on this...
09:32:52 JamesFee: Or at least others don't have my sense of urgency
09:35:39 acuster: yeah, I don't share your sense of urgency probably because I see all the work that needs to be done for interoperability to start to arrive
09:36:08 acuster: It would be nice, but pushing to early can be harmful too
09:36:55 JamesFee: The problem is we are going to do this, the question is do we do it with OSGeo....
09:37:01 JamesFee: I'd like to think yes...
09:39:36 acuster: but there are various approaches
09:40:09 acuster: you can mention OSGeo when you talk of free software at whatever gathering
09:40:27 acuster: or can use OSGeo to organize gatherings
09:41:01 acuster: but I don't see them organising a conference for every region every year and maintaining any coherency
09:42:18 JamesFee: so you get to the core about what FOSS4G is or what it should be
09:42:30 acuster: so it seems like some have chosen to satisfy a local demand, you point out that it doesn't even capture north america well
09:43:29 acuster: but if there is one in north america every year, those interested will go to that,
09:43:52 JamesFee: Exactly, which is why some advocate creating our own open source GIS conference that meets the needs of USA centric users which are much different than the typical user at a FOSS4G
09:44:00 acuster: cutting into the yearly conference or even the 'every six years' or fifteen I think you said
09:44:18 JamesFee: Yes, is FOSS4G sustaintable?
09:44:25 acuster: so that would *not* be a foss4g
09:44:43 acuster: squatting the name seems problematic
09:44:57 acuster: such it goes though
09:49:09 JamesFee: I agree, the conf-dev committee needs to think about what FOSS4G means and what to do about regional conferences
10:03:53 darkblue_B: hi JamesFee
10:03:59 darkblue_B: Brian in California here
10:04:06 JamesFee: hey Brian
10:04:27 darkblue_B: Tyler was just visiting for AGU 09, and I set up a meeting with a high powered consultant
10:04:47 darkblue_B: she mentioned Open Source for America - have you hear of it?
10:05:00 JamesFee: darkblue_B: no I haven't
10:05:22 darkblue_B: It appears to be something that OSGeo could align itself with
10:05:32 darkblue_B: .. to the advantage of all
10:06:39 darkblue_B: the other thing, which has to go to the board, is that OSGeo may really, really need to consider scrapping the 501( c )3 and going ( c )6 instead
10:07:03 darkblue_B: Tyler will have better notes, but those are two things that stuck out for me
10:07:56 JamesFee: interesting
10:09:00 darkblue_B: huh geospatial-wg
10:09:07 darkblue_B: hadn't seen that yet
10:10:11 JamesFee: doesn't seem like its got much going on yet. Would be good for OSGeo to be involved
10:10:19 darkblue_B: ++
11:35:00 Briggs_: anyone know of good vectorization algorithm implemented under a MIT/BSD style license?
11:35:03 Briggs_: or even LGPL...