Best astronomy mapping software

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
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.txt

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

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

Del Johnson wrote:
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.

Not a joke. I thought V6 was already out. If not, my mistake.

Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.txt

Del Johnson wrote:
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.

Not a joke. I thought V6 was already out. If not, my mistake.

Brian Tung
The Astronomy Corner at http://astro.isi.edu/
Unofficial C5+ Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/c5plus/
The PleiadAtlas Home Page at http://astro.isi.edu/pleiadatlas/
My Own Personal FAQ (SAA) at http://astro.isi.edu/reference/faq.txt

The downside is that nobody is going to put in a great effort to create new
software when the competition is free.

Seems to me that there are other companies that haven't lost their drive,
Starry Night, Deepsky2003, Skymap.

Good freeware ought to provide some motivation for the commercial developers to
get their asses in gear and get moving.


When was the last major upgrade to the Sky?

jon

The downside is that nobody is going to put in a great effort to create new
software when the competition is free.

Seems to me that there are other companies that haven't lost their drive,
Starry Night, Deepsky2003, Skymap.

Good freeware ought to provide some motivation for the commercial developers to
get their asses in gear and get moving.


When was the last major upgrade to the Sky?

jon

Del Johnson wrote in message news:
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.

If Version 6 is a major upgrade, then it seems as if the freeware CdC
*hasn't* taken all the profit out of astronomy software. Maybe I
inferred incorrectly, but your prior posts had made it sound as though
the fact that TheSky hadn't had a major upgrade was the fault of the
freeware CdC; if that was the case, it would be logical to assume that
as long as CdC was still around, that TheSky wouldn't find it
profitable to release a major upgrade. Now you're telling us that
TheSky *is* coming in with a major upgrade.

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

Del Johnson wrote in message news:
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.

If Version 6 is a major upgrade, then it seems as if the freeware CdC
*hasn't* taken all the profit out of astronomy software. Maybe I
inferred incorrectly, but your prior posts had made it sound as though
the fact that TheSky hadn't had a major upgrade was the fault of the
freeware CdC; if that was the case, it would be logical to assume that
as long as CdC was still around, that TheSky wouldn't find it
profitable to release a major upgrade. Now you're telling us that
TheSky *is* coming in with a major upgrade.

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

"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.