ArcGIS Server 10.1 is 64-bit only, MSDs over MXDs, and what about ArcInfo Workstation 10.1

August 19, 2010 17 Comments

In the ArcGIS 10 depreciation document this little tidbit catches my eye.

ArcGIS Server 10.1 will no longer support 32-bit operating systems. ArcGIS 10.1 will exclusively support 64-bit operating systems. Support for 64-bit native execution across all the tiers of ArcGIS Server has been a long awaited feature by many of our customers. 64-bit hardware is the norm in today’s market and most modern ArcGIS Server deployments do in fact run on 64- bit hardware. ArcGIS Server 10.1 will run as a native 64-bit application exclusively requiring 64- bit capable hardware.

Now we are talking about Server here, not Desktop, but a total 64-bit server suite is very nice.  One more thing that for some reason seems to get people a bit riled up:

ArcGIS Server 10.1 will no longer support publishing non-optimized map documents (MXD files). ArcGIS 10.1 will only support publishing optimized maps (MSDs) as that is the best practice for map publishing. At ArcGIS Server 10.1, optimized map services (MSDs) will be enhanced to support many of the capabilities that are currently only available through MXD-based map services.

This is a total performance change now that MSDs will support just about everything you need from a cartographic standpoint.  Oh and one last little tip of the hat to the workhorse:

There are no plans to release a new version of ArcInfo Workstation at ArcGIS 10.1.

Frozen in time will ArcInfo Workstation be (hmm did I just channel Yoda there?).

I suspect there will be no fighting over any of the above…

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Depreciation plans for ArcGIS 9.3.1 with a little what’s coming in 9.4

September 14, 2009 27 Comments

ESRI has an updated FAQ which outlines depreciation plans for the 9.3.1 release and what is coming at 9.4.  Some key highlights:

ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1

  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 contains the last release of the Crystal Report Wizard in ArcGIS Desktop; we will no longer provide this technology in ArcGIS 9.4.  Much more here (http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com/2009/07/15/esri-arcgis-9-4-reports-updates/).
  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release supporting Microsoft Visual Basic 6 (VB6).  All I can say is move on guys…
  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release supporting the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system for all ArcGIS products. Please anyone tell me they are still running Win2k.  I’d love to know.
  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release supporting Microsoft Visual Studio 2005.
  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release to support Internet Explorer 6 (IE6); we will no longer support this browser with the release after ArcGIS 9.3.1.  w00t!
  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release supporting Sun Solaris 9 for ArcReader and ArcGIS Engine.  We are all running Solaris 10, right?

ArcGIS Workstation 9.3.1

  • ArcGIS 9.3 was the last release of ArcInfo Workstation on AIX; we will no longer support this platform at ArcGIS 9.4. We are dropping this platform as we no longer see demand for it.  *side note: I don’t miss AIX at all!

ArcIMS 9.3.1

  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release of the ArcMap Server Extension to ArcIMS; we will no longer provide it in ArcGIS 9.4 release.  So if you want to roll MXDs, you have to use ArcGIS Server 9.4.
  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release of ArcIMS on HP-UX; we no longer support it in ArcGIS 9.4. HP-UX is not a popular platform for ArcIMS and will be retired due to limited demand.  So you HP-UX users have no one to blame but yourselves for letting the rest of us abandon the platform.  But don’t feel too bad because ESRI will continue to support ArcSDE technology on HP-UX on the Itanium processor.

ArcGIS Server 9.3.1

  • ArcGIS 9.3.1 was the last release of ArcSDE for Oracle 9i. We no longer support it in ArcGIS 9.4 due to this platform no longer being actively supported by Oracle.  Sounds like fighting words to me…
  • Solaris 9 is dropped, but you can still roll ArcSDE on it.
  • See IE 6 note above.

The Tragic Prelude beyond ArcGIS 9.4

ArcGIS Desktop 9.4

  • ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last release of Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications (VBA); we will no longer support VBA beyond the ArcGIS 9.4 release. Microsoft no longer promotes or updates VBA.   So unless you want to be like your VB6 friends, time to move on.
  • ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last release of Solaris support for ArcReader and ArcGIS Engine; we will no longer support the Solaris platform for this functionality beyond ArcGIS 9.4 due to limited demand for this platform.  So if you migrated from Solaris 9 to run 9.4, know that it was all a wasted effort because 9.4 drops Solaris support for ArcReader and ArcGIS Engine.

ArcGIS Workstation 9.4

  • At ArcGIS 9.4, ArcInfo Workstation will be decoupled from ArcGIS Desktop 9.4, so users will be able to upgrade to newer versions of ArcGIS Desktop without impacting ArcInfo Workstation.  See any writing on that wall?
  • At ArcGIS 9.4 ArcInfo Workstation will be supported on Windows 7 (this will be the last expected Windows platform upgrade). I see the end don’t you?
  • ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last release of ArcInfo Workstation on Solaris; we will no longer support this platform after ArcGIS 9.4.  So the abandonment of Solaris by ESRI users is just about complete.
  • The next major release after ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last planned release for ArcInfo Workstation on Windows, which will be the last supported platforms. Users will continue to be able to use their existing versions, but we will not release newer versions.  Ah there it is, the end of ArcInfo Workstation is here.

ArcIMS 9.4

  • ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last release of ArcIMS on Solaris; we will no longer support it after ArcGIS 9.4.
  • The next major release after ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last planned release for ArcIMS on Windows and Linux, which are the last supported platforms.  So there you go, more writing on the wall.  ArcIMS is near the end.  Time to move on folks.

ArcGIS Server 9.4

  • ArcGIS 9.4 will be the last ArcGIS Server release with support for Solaris (with the exception of the ArcSDE technology component); we will not support this platform after ArcGIS 9.4 due to limited demand for the Solaris server platform. We will continue to support the ArcSDE component of ArcGIS Server on the Solaris platform beyond the ArcGIS 9.4 release. So essentially after 9.4, only ArcSDE will be supported on Solaris.

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ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 6 Announced

July 8, 2008 1 Comment

Those who aren’t jumping on the 9.3 upgrade bandwagon can grab the latest ArcGIS 9.2 SP6 release available later this month. I’m personally very happy to see continued improvements to 9.2 even though 9.3 is released. Many organizations don’t upgrade immediately and making sure 9.2 is still improved allows those who aren’t ready to make the jump work better. A welcome change from abandoning older releases (though I think in the past years ESRI has been more proactive about supporting versions longer).

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More ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 News

July 2, 2008 21 Comments

It looks like ESRI finally put the 9.3 help publicly and you no longer need a password to access it (HT Jithen & Mapperz).

Welcome to ArcGIS Desktop Help 9.3

The ESRI Resource Center is available as well. Unlike the disorganized ArcGIS Support pages, these are focused on the ESRI product you are working with. I’m really happy to see these resource pages, but I’m curious where they fit within the whole ESRI Support and ESRI EDN sites. I suspect that I won’t be using EDN as much as I’ll be using these new resource pages. At any rate the look great and are easy to use; a welcome change from the Support and EDN pages.

UPDATE: It looks like the resource center is still blocked for those who were not in the beta. Someone at ESRI forgot to flip the switch…

There is also a “What’s New in ArcGIS 9.3″ Podcast. The direct link to the podcast is here. Why they make it so hard to get to these podcasts are beyond me. Shouldn’t they be available on the resource pages?

Lastly, while I’m getting ready to deploy ArcSDE ArcGIS Server Enterprise with SQL Server 2008, many are very interested in what PostgreSQL brings to the ArcGIS stable at 9.3. Bill Dollins has been working on a couple blog posts about Using ArcSDE 9.3 with PostgreSQL. Just seeing ArcMap push to PostgreSQL and then using uDIG to view the data is powerful. Says Bill:

…depending on how you implement it, ArcSDE for PostgreSQL can provide interoperability between ArcGIS and an open-source stack. uDig can be leveraged in a pinch to edit data loaded into ArcSDE using the PostGIS geometry type, allowing you to expand to meet demand.

I think many organizations will look long and hard at migrating their SQL Server or Oracle implementations to Postgres.


ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 with all that great Swedish quirkiness

(Photo by dmurray)

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ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 ships tomorrow

June 25, 2008 76 Comments

GISUser.com has a news release posted that probably was meant to go out tomorrow, but “today” ArcGIS 9.3 ships. (HT Bill Dollins)

So now go bug your local ESRI rep asking them when it will show up.


Caption not needed

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Using OGR to Visualize Data

December 28, 2007 10 Comments

The biggest excuse I hear time and time again for not using open source geospatial tools is that they are too confusing to use. Take GDAL/OGR for example, the webpage probably scares off most users because of the lack of examples of how to use both toolsets. But the tools themselves are so easy to use this shouldn’t scare anyone off. In fact, if you’ve used ArcInfo to convert a coverage to a shapefile in your past, you have all the skills needed to use both GDAL and OGR.

That said Tom Kralidis has a great example of using OGR to convert a Microsoft Excel file to KML. GDAL/OGR is integral to so many GIS applications (even ESRI uses it) that any GIS professional should have at least a basic understanding to how it works. Look at Tom’s example, download FWTools and get cracking on using GDAL/OGR.


Fans of the Waffle House wait for open source geospatial tool users to create GeoRSS feed of store locations

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Open Source on the beach at Waikiki

October 1, 2007 25 Comments

I’m “stuck” in Waikiki this week at our Honolulu office helping them get back on track with their GIS after our GIS coordinator resigned to join her husband in the peace corps on Tonga. The new GIS person is really excited about GIS and that is always nice to be around. Sometimes even I need my GIS Kool-aid recharged.

Anyway I was hanging out at Duke’s Waikiki and randomly started talking to the group next to me at the bar. Turns out that they are all readers of my blog and have been migrating their GIS from an ESRI only shop to a combination ESRI/open source shop. It was interesting to hear how they were picking and choosing the best products from ESRI and open source to help them better get their work done. What was also interesting is that they didn’t decrease their maintenance costs, but reallocated. They’ve replaced most of their ArcView seats with QGIS, replaced all but one license of ArcSDE with PostGIS and in turn used those savings to buy more licenses of ArcInfo and extensions. They’ve been able to give their high end GIS analysts the tools they feel that they need to get their work done, but still increased their GIS production. Every person at their company has either an ArcInfo or QGIS license on their desk that they can connect to WMS services hosted by MapServer and PostGIS.

I wish I could have spent more time with them talking about this, but they were heading to China in the morning so they needed to get to bed. I liked how they were able to give better tools to everyone by prioritizing what they needed and picked the best tools for the job.

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