MI Where is MapInfo (Friday lack of humour)

[Jeroen Wagendorp]

"GIS users and vendors are invited to join the National Geographic Society, the Association of American Geographers, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, the United States Geological Survey, The Library of Congress, and ESRI (but not MapInfo) in opening their doors for GIS Day 2000."   Why isn't MapInfo as pro active as ESRI. How many truly functional GIS software packages are there? Is ERSI the only one interacting with URISA, AAG, APA, etc.   In Michigan GIS=ESRI. All universities use ESRI, all state agencies with very one exception exclusively use ESRI. The perception is now that ESRI products is GIS, anything else is used by GIS "imitators". Places are switching to ESRI purely as part of a herd mentality fostered aggressive sales persons preying on GIS insecurity.   Software grants to institutions of higher education is a no brainer to train future users. Cur. Vita of untenured assistant professors are loaded with ESRI software grants as major accomplishments. Guess where their loyalty lies if nothing else for pure leverage in vita building   If I write two identical letters one to MapInfo and one to ESRI about wanting to start a GIS curriculum at my 4 year institution guess what happens.   I once was able to get 20 "old" versions of Mapinfo for my local highschool Vocational Training Center, and similarly about that many copies for local university two years ago through what I believe to be a nolonger in existence 3rd party non-profit organization. It could not be done again today.   The ESRI cult status as the only GIS show in town is gaining momentum and it is in all honesty to their marketing credit. The bottom line of MapInfo might be in good shape today but why promote or support a product without corporate backing. The MapInfo line of products can speak for itself only if it has an opportunity by used early on.   I guess I am getting tired of constantly exporting to *.shp and *.E00 formats for no good reason other than to provide GIS "theme" layers to others.   Jeroen Wagendorp