As a current user of MapInfo (version 7.0), well technically a user – it’s installed on my machine, little used these days, I like to keep up to date with the user group, the old Directions Magazine MapInfo-L moved over to a MapInfo-L Google Group forum at the end of last year.
A bit of background to recent MapInfo developments – with the release of MapInfo 9.0 it appeared that MapInfo were trying to give the users a bit more for their money by throwing in MapBasic for free, not sure if as a previously paying customer I’d be happy that everyone else is getting it for nada, along with the usual few crumbs of improved/added features. The reason I never upgraded past version 7.0 was the lack of worthwhile new features to justify/encourage me to hand over my company’s money.
As I was perusing MapInfo-L on Google I found a very insightful thread of disgruntled MapInfo users who are not satisfied, like me, with how MapInfo has developed over the years and how the new license agreement, although bringing it into line with most software packages, is hard to swallow. Another issue is the cost for concurrent licensing, which works out at approximately 3.5x the cost of a single-user license, hardly encouraging users to go down that route.
Now unlike the stereotypical view of Manifold users I didn’t decide to chime in and add the usual Manifold can do all MapInfo can and much more, etc comment. But as I read the thread today I see a couple of posts by someone who has invested a great deal in MapInfo and still uses it, but over the last four years has also been using Manifold and sees it as better than MapInfo, with exception of map production, and as capable as ArcGIS.
Does a disgruntled userbase, lack of development of the software over the last 5- 10 years, a cheaper/better desktop GIS available signal the death of MapInfo in the destop GIS business? It won’t be all down to the current users walking away – there a lot customized MapInfo developed systems that organizations will likely not want to abandon, however a lot of these systems probably don’t need upgrading to whatever the latest version is, as they are working fine on MapInfo 5, 6 or 7. Many existing users of MapInfo will at some point stop paying for upgrades/maintenance and invest a smaller sum into purchasing Manifold.
What will hurt MapInfo the most is the drying up of potential new users who having nothing invested in the software and are looking for a desktop GIS that is designed to be used with current programming languages, has a modern GUI, integrates with Microsoft technologies, has already got in place forward looking technolgy – 64bit versions, has many new useful features that aren’t restricted to ‘Location Intelligence’ (geocoding to most people) and finally a product that users can see real development with each new release or service pack.
I still have a soft spot for MapInfo and if they came out with an all singing and dancing ‘Grande’ version of the software I’d be as happy as anyone, but in reality I think all us past and present MapInfo users know that seems more and more unlikely.
Count me among the rats jumping off the sinking ship.
I’m a Mapinfo 7.8 user and quite comfortable with it. However, it’s getting a little long in the tooth, no Vista support, etc., so I got to thinking it was time to upgrade. $800 bucks plus to upgrade? It made me start looking elsewhere.
I tried Maptitude for a while. For a seasoned Mapinfo user, Atlas GIS before that, it was an easy switch. Similar user interface, lots more capabilities, nice and fast, but my needs have changed recently. I used to do strictly business GIS–mostly demographics and analysis of voting patterns. However, in the last few months, I have had an opportunity to get back into exploration geology, my first love, what my degrees are in, and something I did for nearly 20 years before the mining industry in the US went kaput. Mapinfo, familiar as it was, didn’t hack it. Maptitude, fast and easy to learn, wasn’t designed to do the things I needed to do. It did what it was designed to do and did it very well, but I was pushing its envelope with my mapping needs.
Upgrading Mapinfo was out of the question. The cost was prohibitive for the small change in feature set between 7.8 and 9.0. ArcView was still out there, but a little spendy. My previous exposure to ArcView was years ago when it was offered as an “upgrade” to Atlas users after Strategic Mapping was sold. At the time, I found it cumbersome, counterintuitive, and limited in analytical capabilities. Admittedly, a lot has changed in 10 years, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
So I kept looking and found Manifold. A tour of their website left me nonplussed. The corporate personality seemed a little preachy and arrogant. Googling around, I found that users of other programs sometimes comment that they have a hard time making the switch to the Manifold way of doing things. But, with few choices, I bought it anyway.
It’s the real deal. It does everything I want to do at about 1/5 of the cost of the competition.
To enjoy it, an experienced user of other programs needs to forget how things used to be done and spend some time in the documentation. And I don’t mean just looking up how to do specific things. One must start at the beginning and read and work the examples until there is a “Eureka” moment–several days. When that happens, when it starts to make sense, there’s no going back.
It’s seriously good software.
‘A tour of their website left me nonplussed. The corporate personality seemed a little preachy and arrogant.’
Ralph: I had the same initial experience – the website was off-putting; I expect you agree that the new and improved website fixes this issue and others first impressions, who are like us looking for alternatives to costly legacy GIS programs, are positive.