It doesn’t look like ESRI will support Arc products for Mac OS X, but there is some hope for a Java application that would run on our favorite computing platform.
As we reported last October, ESRI, which makes ArcView 3.0 for the Mac, is phasing out Mac support and has no plans to support Mac OS X. ArcView GIS is a desktop geographic information system. With ArcView GIS you can create dynamic maps using data from virtually any source and across many computing platforms. ArcView GIS provides the tools for working with maps, database tables, charts and graphics all at once. Users can also use multimedia links to add pictures, sound and video to maps.
“ESRI selected Windows for its desktop environment because it offers many advantages, including advanced user interfaces and development environments that are simply not available in the UNIX environment,” the company said last year in announcing its lack of Mac OS plans. However, according to a summary post from the ESRI mailing list for ArcView, a Java version is possible which would run under the Mac operating system.
“I would like to see a show of support for a Mac tested Java version,” John MacNaughton GIS team leader, Wardrop Engineering, told MacCentral. “It stands the most chance of getting attention, and it would be available on all Unix variants, including Mac OS X.”
If you agree with MacNaughton and would like to encourage ESRI to develop a Java version, you can find contact info at the company’s support Web page.