Distribution Special Interest Groups

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This page proposes to create and promote a group of interest for GeoFOSS packaging related issues.

Distribution development, quality assurance and maintenance are often not addressed by application developers, despite distributions being a very effective way for projects to woe wider audiences and hence sponsors.

The key goals of this project are:

  • Facilitate the integration of quality, stable, GeoFOSS packages into Software Distributions.
  • Develop Live CDs for new users to trial GeoFOSS.
  • Develop baseline GeoFOSS to be used as a basis for workshops, tutorials and presentations.

To achieve these goals, we will:

  • Define and simplify the process for incorporating GeoFOSS packages into software distribution.
  • Open channels of communication between packagers and application developers.
  • Providing tools to facilitate GeoFOSS packaging.

Windows distributions

OSGeo4W

OSGeo4W is a windows based stack of GeoFOSS which is based upon cygwin.

Goal: Ease of installation of the whole GeoFOSS stack in windows.

Status: Aug '08: Actively maintained by community, Works well

  • Pros:
    • Has already packaged many of the key GeoFOSS applications.
    • Likely to release first major release at FOSS4G 2008, 29 Sep 2008.
    • Has strong developer community.
  • Con
    • Needs installation
    • Needs internet connection for installation

PortableGIS

PortableGIS is a collection of GeoFOSS applications that run from a USB stick.

Goal: Have the most important applications always with you.

Status: Actively maintained by one person, (Jo Cook)

  • Pro
    • No installation required, just run the applications
  • Con
    • Doesn't work right from CD at the moment
    • Applications need clean-up (Eg. Java is bundled more than once)
    • Only one maintainer
    • Project development infrastructure not set up yet.
    • Would benefit by alignment with similar projects.
    • PortableGIS currently needs to be run from a writable medium (like and USB stick), it won't work on a read-only medium like a CD.

Linux

Unlike the Debian-GIS SIG, which already has mailing list / code repository infrastructure, the RPM-using community does not have such infrastructure and would benefit from hosting by OSGeo.

Live CD\DVD

See the Live GIS Disc

Debian Linux

Ubuntu Linux

GeoLivre Linux

Gentoo Linux

Mandriva Linux

RPM-based distributions, such as Fedora Linux and SuSE Linux, do not have a dedicated GIS teams, but there are several parties maintaining independent RPM archives that could be persuaded to band their efforts together under the aegis of the foundation:

Fedora Linux

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