[OSM-newbies] open-source project & close-source tools

[Simon Ward]

On Sat, Nov 22, 2008 at 07:21:18PM +0100, Gour wrote:
> 1) is there some specific attraction to Java over other programming
> languages for OSM tools?

There’s at least Java, Ruby, ActionScript, Perl, Python, C and C++ in
use.  I think it just so happens that the more prolific tools are
written in Java.  I could be wrong.

> 2) how is it that the people are writing stuff for open-source project
> and do not open the source code? It's kind a strange thing...

OSM is an open data project, and open source software (preferrably “free
software”) is not really one of its aims.  They do go hand‐in‐hand,
however, and I’d say a majority of software for OpenStreetMap _is_ free
software (no hard numbers).

> 3) it would be nice to have the whole arsenal of tools available as
> open-source and Linux-ready without the need to fiddle with Wine
> emulator and proprietary/shareware tools...

Getting JOSM running in a free Java implementation was “fun”.  Now
OpenJDK is about it has gotten even easier.  I’m not so keen on the
fiddling either.

Simon
-- 
A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a
simple system that works.—John Gall
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 197 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
URL: <http://lists.openstreetmap.org/pipermail/newbies/attachments/20081122/851d5eca/attachment.pgp>