How to stay informed in Open Source GIS
You know, like nunchuck skills, bowhunting skills, computer hacking skills… Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills.
Napoleon Dynamite has got it right… you gotta
have skills. But how do you get them? The trick to getting good at open source GIS hacking is to do it a lot (well, that’s
the trick to getting good at anything). There are many resources available out there on the net to help you
attain those skills.
Slashdot
The nerds congregate at Slashdot. They have congregated there for years. This is the place where you
will find out the latest happenings throughout the day, serendipitous stuff that you’ve never thought or
heard of before, and the full, if slanted, gamut of opinion about political, social, and technology issues
that affect the lives of geeks.
#mapserver on IRC
You may joke about mainlining the internet from time to time, but if you really want a whiff of
high-test ether, IRC is the best way to do it. The folks on the channel #mapserver on IRC chat
about everything. We work through technical issues on MapServer,
chat about happenings, pick each other’s brains, and learn from of some of the best GIS developers (open source
or otherwise) around.
The GIS Monitor is a weekly webzine that was a dependable source
of industry gossip, happenings, and technology. The verdict is still out on whether or not Adena’s
successor will be able to maintain the high level of quality that she kept. In either case, Adena still keeps
a weblog at Directions Magazine.
More later…