The Manifold Thread

April 18th, 2007 · 22 Comments · GIS, Manifold

Since there seems to be a huge need for people to debate Manifold vs ESRI vs Open Source vs Autodesk vs ________, I’m opening this thread for you folks to get your anger out. To get you started, I leave you with a picture of Doc Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Mike Tyson.

This picture makes me sad. These guys could have all been the best every, but got dragged down by sex and drugs

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22 responses so far ↓

1 KoS // Apr 18, 2007 at 4:55 pm

First…..woot…. I spelled it right. I blame all spelling errors on microsoft.

On a serious note, is there any way to install a edit option? Have no clue if it’s feasible or not.

KoS
2 oprah11 // Apr 18, 2007 at 5:52 pm

this might be the funniest picture ever put on this blog!
3 KoS // Apr 19, 2007 at 2:06 am

It may be funny, in a innocent, non-pc way.

Just hope the PC crowd, leftists nut-jobs who see 2+2=5, don’t see this post. There might be calls for a boycott or shutdown of this blog and planetgs.

Using a picture only showing black athletes. Which is associate with a previous discussion including talk about gramma(e)r, logic and spelling.

I’m not saying there is any link, but in our society today with too many people with too much time on their hands. And always looking to be offended. I wouldn’t be too surprised if someone would think those thoughts.

Just pointing it out, not making any claims or accusations. It was a thought which came to mind after not being able to sleep a wink tonight. So maybe I’m being delusional, not that it doesn’t happen even when I get a good nights rest.

KoS
4 Mohammed Thabet // Apr 19, 2007 at 2:54 am

In fact, 3 persons in this funny picture express to the competition between the GIS companys
but I have a comical question , each person at pisture faces to what company??????????????
as e.g Mike Tayson faces Esri ……..
5 Sigbjorn // Apr 19, 2007 at 4:09 am

Don`t know if Miguel Calvo Basque is someone you are familiar with, but I think I have to mention him. The best information online I could find was this.

I am a student and we had one guest- lecture from Mr. Basque here in Norway at NTNU, and he taught very well about teaching and learning GIS and how to decide which software to choose from in certain projects. As you can see from the webpage he knows quite a few of the GIS available (AutoCAD ,MicroStation, MapInfo, Surfer,Geomedia Professional, ASCODES, Manifold). My impression is that he is a good man to ask on questions like “Which software should I use for this project” and “will the software be capable of doing this and that”.
6 brian // Apr 19, 2007 at 5:35 am

My new autoCAD 2008 won’t install. did anyone even get 2007 to work??
7 Chris C. // Apr 19, 2007 at 6:26 am

After getting ArcGIS 9.2, I’m now to e presented with AutoCAD 2008 and Civil 3D - my brain can’t take it any more.

Can’t I just do GIS, preferably in Manifold.
8 Lefty // Apr 19, 2007 at 6:36 am

Incredible picture James. So much wasted talent there. Are you saying that ESRI, Manifold and Autodesk could be headed for the same collapse?
9 James Fee // Apr 19, 2007 at 6:39 am

Actually Lefty, a friend sent me that picture yesterday. It actually makes me sad to think how in a parallel universe things could have worked out so much differently for those three athletes.

It has nothing to do with the discussion, just an amazing picture that needed to be posted.
10 Toño // Apr 19, 2007 at 8:48 am

Hi.

I don’t know if you want to keep this thread as a “thong in cheek” thread or not. But I would argue that the best way to compare GIS produts in a forum would be develop an RFP for a hypothetical GIS-RS-Web project and see what experts come up with as proposals.

Now what would the general specs for the RFP should be?

Here are some ideas for the hypothetical project.

It should be environmental in nature.
It should include field work for data gathering.
It should include Sat Imagery Integration.
It shoud include a very large vector dataset over 10 GBs.
It should include a web component for both data sharing and data publication (IMS).
It should include raster to vector and vector to raster conversion.
It should include the prices of all the software used.
It should include the time to do the project at a set $ per hour.

And the end digital products should be open so nothing end up being propietary.

Note that NO single GIS does all this. That i know.

I cant think of anything else at the moment. Ot we can keep it “thong in cheek”

Regards
Toño
11 scrappy // Apr 19, 2007 at 8:58 am

Tono,

that is a great idea. The real trick will be to desire the tasks in an independent way. That is, without an ESRI or Manifold or Intergraph bias.

I wonder how something like this gets initiated. Perhaps an NSF grant to compare software products.
12 KoS // Apr 19, 2007 at 11:04 am

James F. I forgot, Tyson is living in your neck of the woods. Lucky y’all. We got rid of him years ago, finally.

Also, I thought Gooden’s first name was Dwight? Doc a nickname?

And this is a little pet-peeve of mine. Why does it seem someone always mention grants in order to accomplish anything. Why can’t people pony up to the bar and do it themselves. I don’t pay taxes so govt. can spend the money anyway they chose. I expect them to spend money on necessary govt. functions.

I would volunteer to assist in the effort. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough knowledge/skills in IMS and enterprise apps. Cartography, data creation and manipulation, some analysis, and some scripting/programming are my cup of tea in my daily working life. I hope to be exposed more to the other “stuff” here in the near future, probably next year if everything goes according to plan.

It also leads me back to my not too impressed comments about Maptitude and Manifold(again, my opinion) in the other thread. Right now, given what I have to do and produce as an end product. ArcInfo workstation does it the best with Erdas picking up a close second. ArcInfo > Erdas Imagine > the rest picking up the distant third (arcview, arcgis, manifold, maptitude and in-house custom software). And yes I tried to recreate the work in manifold and maptitude with various degrees of success and failure. In the end the printed product was no where near the quality I need. Nor was the creation of data as fluid as I like.

Also, the interactions with the various software. I prefer/really like ArcInfo and Erdas. I’m ready any day to get the ok to chuck arcgis(piece of crap) out the window. At the same time I’m tolerating arcview. Manifold, I could never jell with the interface. Sorta like James F, he mentioned in starting off one of those Manifold threads, felt like I didn’t know jack and was starting all over. I have similar feelings about Maptitude too. I could never jell with the program. Let alone, every time I started the program I felt like I was viewing a $5 piece of software from the bins in Best Buy or Compusa. Those GUI buttons seemed to take a lot of wind out of the product.

It’s not to say, Manifold and Maptitude doesn’t kick ass in other aspects. I really don’t know enough to form an opinion about those other aspects. I have to go on what others have said about the two. But, for what I need currently, they are sub-par. I could change my mind if there are suitable improvements in cartographic output, data creation and manipulation. Until that time, arcinfo produces a superior product.

Again, it’s my opinion. Not to say it’s perfect. It’s like people arguing over cars. People have their own personal preferences based on a variety of factors after determining their basic needs in a car. There really isn’t much of a difference in cars once you get past the outward appearances. Step on the gas and it goes.

KoS
13 James Fee // Apr 19, 2007 at 11:14 am

@KoS

Doc came from Doctor K which was Doc’s nickname early in his career. (Doctor K as in Doctor J). It ended up being shortened to Doc eventually. You are right that his “real” name is Dwight.
14 mike taysen // Jun 6, 2007 at 12:35 pm

nazdar čůrácí už jste viděli pořádnýho čecha asi né co ?? vi kurva jedny americký stejně ta amerika je na píču vy ste ty nejzkurvenější kriplové na celym světě prostě ty nej buzny čurácí jedny s čůrákama vykouřenejma děte do prdele
15 KoS // Jun 6, 2007 at 12:58 pm

Translation? I see something about picture and america. What the rest say??

KoS
16 mike taysen // Jun 6, 2007 at 1:17 pm

že si kokot
17 mike taysen // Jun 6, 2007 at 1:19 pm

that me cocott
18 tutu // Jun 7, 2007 at 5:29 pm

WTFBBQ??????????
19 tutu // Jun 7, 2007 at 5:33 pm

Also, Dr. K, as James points out was Gooden’s nickname. Why K? Because a K in baseball is a strikeout
20 b // Aug 14, 2007 at 10:26 am

Wow, lots of insults in the Czech section. So much anger… Not much reg. GIS
21 Maptitude // Feb 13, 2008 at 9:37 am

In response to KoS // Apr 19, 2007 :

Maptitude 5.0 has a completely redesigned interface, and new and inproved wizards for seamless mapping. Please see the following for more information:
http://www.caliper.com/Maptitude/NewFeatures.htm
http://www.caliper.com
22 KoS // Feb 13, 2008 at 11:10 am

@maptitude

Thanks for the update. I’ll have to check on the new “stuff”, hopefully. All depends on whether or not we are allotted a enough share of the money pie for upgrades.

Currently running 4.8 at the lab.

KoS