I’ve said before this Arc”Whatever” stuff is more confusing than helpful. From an email I received yesterday:
James, hello! I got spoiled with Google Earth! When I downloaded ArcExplorer today, I expected something similar to Google Earth, but instead I got this!FYM (for my information), does ArcGIS have something like Google Earth?
I’m amazed any of us can keep all this ArcExplorer, ArcWeb Explorer, ArcGIS Explorer, ArcExplorer Web stuff strait.
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Arc(.)Explorer(.)
I have been reduced to “you know, that new 3D ArcExplorer thing”. Using something other than “Explorer” would certainly be helpful.
Given past history with the ESRI marketing group, count on continued product name confusion.
Remember ArcView? (Oh yeah, I mean versions 1, 2 and 3.) A pretty tight, discrete package, with its own language and emphasis on shapefiles. Guess what, now it only refers to the licensing for the neutered version of ArcGIS. Oh, I mean the Desktop version of the ESRI GIS. Uh, that’s the GUI version for Windows. Wouldn’t want you to confuse that with your command line Arc-INFO installation, uh, Workstation ArcGIS, that hasn’t been updated in 5 or more years and can also run on a pre-Vista PC.
Not only that, but ArcGIS Server screws you up.
ArcGIS Desktop
ArcGIS Server Workgroup
Enterprise
If it wasn’t for James and his blog I would still be confused.
I think it is time for this to happen:
ArcGIS Desktop
ArcViewBasicArcEditorStandardArcInfoAdvancedShould have happened at ArcGIS 8.
I would love to see Stephen Colbert explain it to the masses, much like the way he did with AT&T and Cingular.
Priceless.
http://www.glumbert.com/media/att
Maybe they can add this to their “Answer Tree” on service.support.licensing.edn.webhelp.campus. training.esri.com?
What I’d love to know is WHY is there so much subterfuge about obtaining ArcGIS Explorer? They provide download links, then they take download links away. Then they provide them, then they disappear again. ESRI, do you NOT want this product to succeed? I’m on maintenance and I cant even get easy access to this software.
They do not ship media labeled ArcInfo Desktop but they list ArcInfo Desktop on their Software support page.
They do ship media labeled ArcInfo Workstation but don’t list it on their Software support page.
That’s beautifully sadistic and cruel.
do you think ESRI could survive the next decade
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[...] a non-ArcGIS user all the different ArcGIS editions had led to me suffering from what James calls ArcConfusion. After attending the introductory course to ArcGIS, I now have a better idea what ArcView, [...]