Open source creeps into mapping software
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| Licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), MapGuide Open
| Source enables organizations to develop and distribute spatial and design
| data over the Web.
|
| [...]
|
| "We think there is a direct analogy between what's happening in Web
| mapping [software market], and what happened with Web servers in the
| beginning," Zeiss said, noting that the trend toward commoditization
| had convinced Autodesk to contribute MapGuide Open Source to the OSGF.
|
| "This was a strategic way of creating a much bigger market than we could
| have ever created with a closed-source product," he added.
|
| With an open source product on its cards, Zeiss said Autodesk is also
| following the footsteps of other open-source software vendors--that is,
| to charge for premium services and support.
|
| [...]
|
| "To open-source AutoCAD will be giving away valuable trade secrets to
| competitors. There's no prospect for doing that at all," he explained.
|
| IDC noted in a June 2006 report that it is too early to assess the
| long-term impact of Autodesk's open source strategy. "But initial
| indications are that geospatial users and the open source community are
| responding positively, perhaps to the point of shifting Web-based
| geospatial interfaces to a predominantly open source model," the
| analyst company said.
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http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,61952140,00.htm
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