Re: Some Basic Questions...

I'll happily relate the good experiences we've had with this project.

At 05:23 AM 10/24/2001 -0700, Keith Sheppard wrote:
>Hi All,
>
>I'm new to OpenMap, and I have some questions for
>those of you who have some experience using it. I
>apologize for the list being long, but feel free to
>just pick out a few questions if you've had experience
>in those areas. Any help is much appreciated.
>
>QUESTIONS:
>1. Can you give a description of the program you
>created with OpenMap? What did you/your company use
>the product for?

We're using the package to display many items of interest using lat/lon
coordinates. More often than not,
these items are of our own design, sometimes built using openmap base classes.

>2. Does OpenMap behave differently on different
>platforms? If so, how?

We have noticed some interesting things associated with the JDK and going
into native look and feel. This has nothing really to do with OpenMap,
rather how swing obejcts are rendered and how they behave when you go "native"

>3. Length/extent of use(of mapping product)?

We'll probably be using OpenMap and its upgrades for the foreseeable future.

>4. Ease of use? People have java backgrounds
>[beg/intermediate/advanced]? Is it necessary to have a
>knowledge of JavaBeans?

A sound knowledge of the java foundation classes I think is essential. Also
helps to know a little math, particularly coordinate transformations. We
found out out here that novice java programmers could get the canned
openmap package to run, but did not know how to extend classes for
tailoring to specific, in-house applications.

To have a responsive application, you need to know about threading.

Detailed knowledge of beans isn't that important to get going, but I'd
recommend it simply
so you know how to extend the package more efficiently.

>5. Type of support got? Quality of support/turn
>around time?

In my opinion, excellent support and fast turn around.

>6. Are you satisfied with the OpemMap product?

110%

>7. Did you use a Database? If so, how difficult was
>it to integrate the database?

No, but we may. Depends on the database. We'll no doubt use JDBC, which
means we'll write the
middle code between openmap base classes and our apps

>8. Did you take any Education/training classes?

No

>9. How did you like the documentation provided?

I've only used JavaDocs and read the source. The package is for the most
part well-commented.

>10. Anything you'd do differently (lessons learned)?

No.

>11. What if anything didn't you like about the mapping
>product?

No issues

>12. Were there any limitations with the OpenMap API
>that caused you problems?

Nothing that I couldn't get around by extending the appropriate class.

>13. How did you decide on the mapping product? Did
>you compare any others?

Someone in our organization worked with OpenMap when is was being sponsored
by the government.
Rave reviews. I don't think there is anything else out there that is of
high enough quality to rely on, free or otherwise

>Thank You,
>Keith
>
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