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Testing and criticizing gvSIG 1.9

It was recently announced version 1.9 of gvSIG in alpha version, after testing it I clip_image002have decided to leave some impression before forgetting them:

Download

It is possible to either download a version with prerequisites, which weighs 103 MB for Windows and 116 MB for Linux. This is a good alternative if you do not have a 1.3 installation or, in case you have an install version working, it can be downloaded a version with no prerequisites that goes by 80 MB.

It’s also available version 1.9 of the code.

Installation

I downloaded the version without prerequisites and it has happened to me that the installation left me hanging with the message:

java.io.FileNotFoundException: C:Documents and settings…

Apparently this is because some properties must be assigned to Java; these could be from duties until the signing of the letter of death, so to not complicate me I uninstalled the existing versions. Then when running Setup again urge you to review if requirements are needed and this installed the appropriate Java version … then everything has gone smoothly.

When installed, it has not created me the desktop icon or in Start menu (although I think that it asked me if I want it, and I said yes), so I had to create the shortcut from where it is installed.

C: Program Files gvSIG_1.9_alpha bin gvsig.exe

For this it is done “copy” to the file, then “paste shortcut”

Execution

When you open an existing project it has launched to me a profane message, apparently by the projection’s type… but I do not think that is a permanent error.

Coordinate operation error: +proj=tmerc +lat_0=0.0 +lon_0=-3.0 +k=0.9996 +x_0=500000.0 +y_0=0.0 +ellps=intl +units=m  to +proj=tmerc +lat_0=0.0 +lon_0=-87.0 +k=0.9996 +x_0=500000.0 +y_0=0.0 +ellps=WGS84 +datum=WGS84 +units=m :

I also think that now consumes more resources, it feels a little slow the process, in this regard they have announced there will be improvements in a matter of architecture … and they must considered it.

We can assume that this version will give much of itself, as more functionalities are being integrated gradually and will take maturity.

It is understood that this is a trial version, and soon we will have the gvSIG 2stable version, then the doubts that are coming to the mailing lists will be resolved… by the way, some simple banality like this character misplaced there.

clip_image004Among the best features, of which I mentioned earlier something is the inclusion of the sextant in one click. Inside it there is much, since raster data conversion to vector until to hydrologic analysis.

But in addition to this is:

-Inclusion of TIN to create triangular meshes … I guess you can work contours (3D analysis …)

Tools for network analysis

Tools to convert raster to vector (arc scan …)

Topology inclusion

… Among many others, that we’ll have time to talk

clip_image006Appearance … much to do

A good step forward is what they have done, but I particularly think that a course of iconography would come well to graphic designers because we must remember what “icons” are and how such of them must lead to something, keeping graphic cleaning and corporate identity.

To make icons required criteria beyond making highly complex drawings in Corel Draw and then use Gimp to convert them into figures of 64 × 64. The use of shadows, glows and gradients must be questioned in buttons that just take one click, simplifying and invest more time on icons for “on mouse over” might be a good bet.

clip_image008

Again, nor is the designer shines with great works of art turned into figurines, we must recognize that we have gradually been having better graphics capabilities from the archaic created by paint brush with an 8x zoom but we should not misuse and pervert the original concept of “icon”

Here I leave some examples

clip_image012It’s a plane, no, a bird, no; it is … the command line

… F *, how couldn’t I imagine it … if it seems … seems … what does it seem?

clip_image014A printer, a war tank … failed, is the history

What happened … don’t you see that it looks like the symbol of the microfilm stored in a cryptographer.

clip_image010In general, the icons seem to be very dark, very strong linear edges and lack uniformity, see the spline with respect to the other creation objects. Neither is intended how will be seen as a screen with higher resolution and therefore smaller is used.

clip_image016There are times when it is better to resemble the accepted conventions, such as “undo” and “redo” than to make these navigation arrows … * xtrax, and with an orange border …

As well as software development, in which features are being added to a general design, iconography must take into account an identity… if not, it will look like a Christmas tree to which you have been hanging figurines without criteria such as harmony, symmetry or movement.

But well, welcome to the good things that this version promises.

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