ESRI DevSummit – The Gift That Keeps Giving
ArcGIS Code Challenge Winners Announced
Looks like Alper Dincer and Matthew Petre are the big winners. The mobile code challenge results are posted as well. I suppose they announce this after the DevSummit so the winners don’t have to buy everyone beer.
VBA and VB6 with ArcGIS: What’s the Story?
First off I bet you didn’t even know there was an ArcObjects blog. Second, please move off of VBA or VB6. Last year I said the writing was on the wall, this year the wall is falling down upon you. Python, Java or .NET; take your pick and enjoy. There is nothing you can’t do with those choices and in fact gives you much more freedom.
Silverlight API
Vish is taking it for a spin and he’s reporting back on its use. Bookmark or subscribe to Vish.
Virtual Earth and ESRI ArcGIS
This seems to be getting a ton of play. One thing to remember folks, yes VE is free with ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Explorer 900, but you need a valid license. If you download AGX 900 and don’t have a valid ArcGIS Desktop license, you won’t be seeing VE imagery. Yea that sucks for the world, but every ESRI user should buy Jack a drink at the UC in San Diego for paying for this.
“yes VE is free with ArcGIS Desktop”
Does that mean I can use VE imagery/maps on my commercial projects with no copyright issues? Or is it just for reference or part of the ArcGIS Online subscription?
Yes, ESRI is picking up the bill.
ArcGIS Server still requires different licensing of VE.
I suspect we’re about to find out how many old timers, myself included, still love our legacy VBA code. Maybe it’s me, but I hear more tales of the frustrations of getting the “old stuff” to work with each succeeding release more than the glowing reviews of the great new features.
Sure, the cool kids are slinging Python: but there’s a huge part of the user base that are no longer kids and, truth be told, not really that cool either.
Brian
Anyone wants a beer should wait until next year or come to Ankara, Turkey to get one. The choose is yours
Hope to meet at next devsummit.
Alper.
James, maybe you should provide a link to the “What’s New in ArcGIS Online 9.3.1″ or at least spell out the limitations on VE with ArcDesktop.
It looks like there will be a limit on how much you can use for free but is not spelled out in the announcement. There will be an unlimited package available for purchase. (Go figure)
Is ESRI really doing us a favor or giving us just enough to like it then pushing another bill at us?
James, maybe you should provide a link to the “What’s New in ArcGIS Online 9.3.1″ or at least spell out the limitations on VE with ArcDesktop.
http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/arcgisonline/whats_new.html
It looks like there will be a limit on how much you can use for free but is not spelled out in the announcement. There will be an unlimited package available for purchase. (Go figure)
Is ESRI really doing us a favor or giving us just enough to like it then pushing another bill at us?
Well of course there is a limit. There has to be or ESRI will be on the hook for everything. We talked a little at the BPC about this, but nothing concrete came out. I’d say if you really are getting up to the limit, the service is worth the $200ish for the premium service and everyone will be happy.
I’m assuming this all still comes with the Bird’s Eye View line of death for government employees?
Python, Java or .NET
Of those, Java is probably the one to avoid. Its future updates are scetchy. Sun is gaining a reputation for killing open source stuff with this and problems with Open Office.
Python might be the strongest – Google’s dogfood, MS with IronPython, ESRI with 9.4 integration. .NET for heavy lifting, larger projects, more online space with MVC.
Some of our clients are heavily invested in Java. I just can’t see that changing in the next 5 years, even in a worst case scenario.
Java is really niche though…
We love our VBA. An MXD can be a self-contained application, store it on the network, and give users a shortcut. I’m assuming that if I need a user interface, Python is out. So it looks like the simplicity of VBA’s deployment will need to be traded for VB.NET.
I’m all about moving past VBA, but the simplicity and convenience of single file “application” deployment is going to be sorely missed by more than a few. Many (not all) devs will have VBA effigy burning parties, but for really small workgroups, its still often the best tool for the job. An easily deployed UI solution aimed at the power-user level (or aspiring dev) would still be wildly popular, even for years to come. The very reason why MS Access had been so popular for all those years. I know, these “apps” are a nightmare, but that can apply equally to “overkill” tech as well (I’ve certainly seen good & bad both ways). At least it enables clients to sketch out and live with their workflow (often for years), letting those who know the real estate fix many of the glitches. I’d rather be guided by that type of template (if not completely botched), than starting from an always incomplete instruction doc and some shapefiles or spreadsheets. It would be great to see a python (or some other) solution along these lines. But maybe I’m turning into a VBA paleo, guess I know how the AML crowd feels now.
You can link a python script to a toolbox tool and link the tool to a UI button. (Or if you need no parameters from the user, just link the script to the UI button.)
How would you create that “link” without VBA? Unless the VB Editor in ArcMap, with built-in access to the UIButtons, is replaced by a Python editor with the same built-in access to the UIButtons, then the link doesn’t seem to exist yet.
Hey Guys,
I am excited about being able to use java for the desktop widgets – now I can also create custom objects that I can deploy for geoprocessing to ArcGIS Server also using java. That is awesome. I work in a java centric shop though, so I could be a bit biased…
-OC
I like the simplicity of my VBA applications. Not to mention that I’ve learned ArcObjects from texts written from a VBA point of view. In fact I don’t think there are any books to learn ArcObjects that aren’t centered around VBA. Does ESRI have any plans to create any news ArcObjects books? It’s really hard to learn to use ArcObjects using a different language, in my opinion. Anyone know of any good ArcObjects .Net books?
I agree, ESRI do need to publish an up-to-date version of a book, similar to “GTK ArcObjects” but for .NET. I guess the ESRI website is the best bet for now?