There will be no ArcGIS 9.4

In one of My crazy predictions for this year 2010, I mentioned that I doubted that ESRI dared to make a version with the name 9.4, and in fact, it has been commented that the next version will be called ArcGIS 10, and that it will be available in the second semester of 2010.

In several spaces it has been Commented, and is that according to ESRI, this would be a significant change not only in functionality (name) but in the user interface (face). We think some of them are very good, although surely the friends of the competition, the Open world and predisposed users (both) will scoff saying:  And do not we do that already?

Then the users accustomed to its use will say Finally!, Those of us who promote their popularity will have to make a milestone (before and after), aware that the change that resembles step 3x to 8x will be until they ensure 64 bits; sure, many of the existing manuals will go down in history in no time. But with ESRI's global positioning, there will be massive happiness, although the innovation (which) we will attribute to its sagacity to sniff out user dissatisfaction.

-Better access to tools. It is very likely that, as we have seen in ArcExplorer, AutoCAD And Office, integrate a ribbon known as Ribbon to contextualize the tools, get rid of the tyranny of loose toolboxes and the little intuitive shelf of farm implements.

-Integration with ArcCatalog.  That this tool runs separately for many has been a drag, sometimes it takes time to open and when it loads we no longer need it. Now it will be loaded within the same work interface, perhaps like being in AutoCAD Civil 3D and switching to AutoCAD Map interface; It would also be necessary to see if that annoying single-user access to the data can be improved, so that changes can be made in the gedoatabase without having to close the loaded layers (even if they are not with editing activated, which should not require ArcSDE) .

-To improve the search of maps.  A better way to search spatial or tabular data is expected, with preview and better loading capabilities. Perhaps for this they cast their eye on ways to do it with tools such as UDig With its wonderful catalog and drag wildly.

-Separation of processes.  So far it's kind of annoying, that while the console is running a process you have to go get coffee because it can't be done in the background. To do this, perhaps take into account how he does this Qgis And uDig, then you could make automating routines easier without interfering with desktop work.

-We would all hope that the editing tools would improve, although little has been said about this, only that they would be based on conventional button palettes and not the menus of now. These would be common for ArcMap, ArcScene, and ArcGlobe.  GvSIG please!

Regarding output products, improvements have been mentioned in the conformation of multipage Layouts and dynamic texts. The possibility of generating animations that reflect changes over time has also been considered, something like things that Manifold GIS does.

-In the management of licenses, that it is possible to checkout and checkin licenses, implies that the license could be transferred from the desktop to the laptop to use it in the field. Like what Bentley Map does.

Then they talk about other improvements so that some processes are used not only by the extremely smoked ones: simplifying the API and geocoding procedures, more intuitive (Easy to use), support for 64 bits and other things. But there has been no talk of prioritization.

It is definitely not ArcGIS 9.4. They all seem to be very good changes, as coming from users who use other tools and who are consulted:  What does your little program do that we do not?, with the variant that instead of justifying superiority, the user's point of view has been listened to. Obviously, it's not just copying what someone else does well, surely there are two floors of a building breaking the coconut to see if the speech of its annual operating plan was not changed in the Podcast.

... in good time, expect two arduous years of testing before reaching the psalmist's contentment.

And you waiting?