__/ [ nick ] on Sunday 07 May 2006 02:02 \__
> Mark Kent wrote:
>
>>
>> I like kstars, particularly the links to databases as Nick mentioned
>> above, it's definitely for the serious telescope gazer. It's got a
>> good night-mode, too. Stella is the best for planetarium-type displays,
>> though, I think?
>>
>
> I agree - I think Stellarium is a better planetarium program. This is
> the first app I open when I want to get a quick glance at the current
> night sky. I use KStars when I haul out my telescope(s) for more serious
> observing. Stellarium, by design, provides a 'realistic' depiction of
> the night sky for the visual observer. KStars provides a 'star chart'
> type depiction of the night sky along with additional functionality
> useful to amateur astronomers. They are both great programs and I use
> each one in turn depending on my needs. Despite EF's rantings, choice is
> a _good_ thing.
Who would ever argue against choice? Sure, the mix-and-match approach
tends to overload the brain. Take the folks in news.software.readers, for
example. Do you really think they remember all keyboard accelerators in a
dozen or so newsreaders and never get confused/disorientated? Yes, being
too whory when it comes to software leads to inefficiencies, but the
ability to easily 'dance' from one application to another (assuming data
is portable, e.g. thorough importers and exporters relying on stand
formats), is a positive think. Sometimes, application X can achieve
something that Y cannot, and vice versa. Most you double the expense by
acquiring a licence for both X and Y? Of course not. That's where Free
Open Source Software comes into play. You have many flexible application
rather than one bloated toy that promises the world to you, but often
fails. And forget about wishlist bug report being accounted for, or having
your engineers tailor an extension for you...
Best wishes,
Roy
--
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: sheep outnumber people in NZ
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX ¦ PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
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