Best astronomy mapping software

"Del Johnson" delastro@{right star in Orion's belt}.sdsu.edu wrote in
message ...
The downside is that nobody is going to put in a great effort to create
new
software when the competition is free. Look how development has slowed
down
on TheSky. I would rather pay and get a great product.

TheSky is ****. It has the second smallest deep sky database out of most
popular astroware, half the features and no innovation. Look at the proposed
features of version 6. They are copying other software mostly Starry Night.
Pull up TheSky and do a search for B33 or Col 399 not there is it? $250
(version 6 maybe $300) and it doesn't even plot the horsehead nebula where
as CDC does for free, SkyTools for $99, Skymap Pro $99, Guide for $99 and
Megastar $129.
If it is the most expensive it had better plot the most period no
exceptions, it had better have the most features period no exceptions and it
had better have the most innovation period no exceptions. TheSky cost the
most but fails big time at all three.

TheSky (Level IV, or whatever the highest level is) is sufficiently
expensive that I doubt that Cartes du Ciel is much competition. If
you are the sort that waited this long, and is only now downloading
CdC, I don't think you'd have bought TheSky, anyway. (Obviously, I
don't mean you personally, Del!)

Brian here is a cold hard undeniable fact. If one doesn't need Tpoint,
Orchrastrate or CCDsoft CDC's database and feature set blows TheSky out of
the water.

TheSky (Level IV, or whatever the highest level is) is sufficiently
expensive that I doubt that Cartes du Ciel is much competition. If
you are the sort that waited this long, and is only now downloading
CdC, I don't think you'd have bought TheSky, anyway. (Obviously, I
don't mean you personally, Del!)

Brian here is a cold hard undeniable fact. If one doesn't need Tpoint,
Orchrastrate or CCDsoft CDC's database and feature set blows TheSky out of
the water.

Your contention is that V6 is a very minor upgrade? I wasn't aware of
that.

V6 isn't out yet and all they are doing with version 6 is keeping up with
other far superior lower cost software.

Your contention is that V6 is a very minor upgrade? I wasn't aware of
that.

V6 isn't out yet and all they are doing with version 6 is keeping up with
other far superior lower cost software.

I have to admit, I'm more than just a little puzzled about the logic
that says a free state-of-the-art piece of software is a problem.
Sure, it may be a problem for those people that produce competing
products, but for the astronomy community as a whole it is, as a
certain high-profile defendant right now would say, A GOOD THING.

Chris Nicholl

I agree. Is Cartes du Ciel really that good that the people behind "The Sky"
just decided to give up? I don't really think so. But if so, it is not the
fault of Patrick Chevalley who has provided good Astronomy software for anyone
interested.

The big picture though is that a quaility free program like Cartes du Ciel
helps bring new people into the community. CdC gives us a tool to give to
people interested rather than having to point them to some store where they
need to spend a substantial amount of money and they still may not get a useful
product.

And by bringing new folks into the community, it makes for a bigger marketplace
for those vendors who are willing to make the effort to provide a product
superior to CdC.

IMHO, if someone ain't writing new software, it is not anyone's fault but their
own.

Jon

I have to admit, I'm more than just a little puzzled about the logic
that says a free state-of-the-art piece of software is a problem.
Sure, it may be a problem for those people that produce competing
products, but for the astronomy community as a whole it is, as a
certain high-profile defendant right now would say, A GOOD THING.

Chris Nicholl

I agree. Is Cartes du Ciel really that good that the people behind "The Sky"
just decided to give up? I don't really think so. But if so, it is not the
fault of Patrick Chevalley who has provided good Astronomy software for anyone
interested.

The big picture though is that a quaility free program like Cartes du Ciel
helps bring new people into the community. CdC gives us a tool to give to
people interested rather than having to point them to some store where they
need to spend a substantial amount of money and they still may not get a useful
product.

And by bringing new folks into the community, it makes for a bigger marketplace
for those vendors who are willing to make the effort to provide a product
superior to CdC.

IMHO, if someone ain't writing new software, it is not anyone's fault but their
own.

Jon

Del Johnson wrote:
Brian,

Not sure if that was a joke or what. TheSky was upgraded to version
5.00.102 last August. I considered that to be a very minor upgrade.
Version 6 is forthcoming and of course is a major upgrade.

Del Johnson



"Brian Tung" wrote in message
...

Del Johnson wrote:

Yes, I am sure. Software Bisque hasn't released a major upgrade to

TheSky

in years and the previous (very) minor upgrade was last August. The

pocket

PC edition has been at version 1.10 for about a year.

Your contention is that V6 is a very minor upgrade? I wasn't aware of
that.

Brian Tung




1. There must be a reason why someone would pay money for a product!
Software is a somewhat special case. A person or group can spend
their "free time" to make a program. Then put it on a server somewhere
for "free" and send "free" email to the world and tell them where it is.
That is hard to do with say a new 20" telescope.
There is no "free" support for
your problems. This is really no problem if your use of the program
has effect only on your night life. What would happen if your use
of that free program meet you were putting the success of your family
and maybe 100's of other people on the line.

2. Where is the line between a "minor release" and a "major upgrade"?
It could be they added 20 new functions that maybe 3 people in a
hundred years could or would use. It would more likely (in this age)
that the complete user interface (GUI) would change. So now it does not
look or act like the previous version. They could have made it more
stable and error free. In the commercial world, I think you will find
that the difference between a "minor" and "major" release is $$$$$.
Thus, for a current owner, the step from ver. 3.1 to 3.2 may be free.
The step from ver. 3.x to ver. 4 is $$$$.

3. I use CDC, the reason is/was that I did not know what I needed or
wanted in such a program with a GUI.

Steve

Del Johnson wrote:
Brian,

Not sure if that was a joke or what. TheSky was upgraded to version
5.00.102 last August. I considered that to be a very minor upgrade.
Version 6 is forthcoming and of course is a major upgrade.

Del Johnson



"Brian Tung" wrote in message
...

Del Johnson wrote:

Yes, I am sure. Software Bisque hasn't released a major upgrade to

TheSky

in years and the previous (very) minor upgrade was last August. The

pocket

PC edition has been at version 1.10 for about a year.

Your contention is that V6 is a very minor upgrade? I wasn't aware of
that.

Brian Tung




1. There must be a reason why someone would pay money for a product!
Software is a somewhat special case. A person or group can spend
their "free time" to make a program. Then put it on a server somewhere
for "free" and send "free" email to the world and tell them where it is.
That is hard to do with say a new 20" telescope.
There is no "free" support for
your problems. This is really no problem if your use of the program
has effect only on your night life. What would happen if your use
of that free program meet you were putting the success of your family
and maybe 100's of other people on the line.

2. Where is the line between a "minor release" and a "major upgrade"?
It could be they added 20 new functions that maybe 3 people in a
hundred years could or would use. It would more likely (in this age)
that the complete user interface (GUI) would change. So now it does not
look or act like the previous version. They could have made it more
stable and error free. In the commercial world, I think you will find
that the difference between a "minor" and "major" release is $$$$$.
Thus, for a current owner, the step from ver. 3.1 to 3.2 may be free.
The step from ver. 3.x to ver. 4 is $$$$.

3. I use CDC, the reason is/was that I did not know what I needed or
wanted in such a program with a GUI.

Steve