> Dear Mr.Graham:

> TNTmips is a commercial software and not a shareware (like ILWIS) , so I
> couldnot appreciate the word 'shame' in this context, however to add my
> comments on "Why TNT? " my observations as a user are

> a) It doesnot have innumerable plug-ins or add-ons , hence not very
> confusing as to which to buy ?

> b) Pricing is fixed as a policy, open to public and not a variable factor
> depending upon propsect type ,as I observe with other vendors.

> c) The tech-support is an "icon", just click it and it serves your purpose
> , trust me it is one of the best in industry.

> It is unfortunate that TNTmips may not be known to many, the reason of
> which needs to be researched but as we all know in Industry, "being
> technically good" and "high market share" is not always directly
> proportional.

> Balen Basu.

> *Graham Smith <myotis...@gmail.com>* wrote:

> Jack,

> Many thanks for the detailed reply. I certainly like the completeness of
> the program and the downloadable tutorials are impressive in their
> coverage.  TNTLite is also extremely useful to fully explore the program.

> From a teaching point of view however, I am using ILWIS as I cannot
> develop any realistic ecological projects that fit in the size constraints.
> Which is a shame as it is a wonderful teaching resource.

> Any way thanks again, for the useful comments.

> Graham

> On 17/09/2007, Jack Paris <jpari...@msn.com> wrote:

> >  Graham,

> > I have been using TNTmips since 1989.

> > At that time, it was a DOS-based program called MIPS (Map and Image
> > Processing System).  I had just taken a university teaching job at Fresno
> > State after having been at JPL where a scientist like me was not allowed to
> > do his or her own processing and programming.  Eventually, it became a
> > Windows (X-Windows) based package ... called TNTmips.

> > When paired with the free TNTlite program (which is great for students
> > who need to have a GIS software package at home for doing homework), TNTmips
> > in my educational lab was a perfect way to handle teaching and learning
> > situations.  TNTmips includes ALL of the processes that are now related to
> > geospatial information handling:

> > -        Raster data
> > -        CAD data (not the same topology requirements as vector data)
> > -        Vector data (with points, polylines, polygons, and more in ONE
> > file)
> > -        Database data (stand alone or at "attached" attributes to GIS
> > elements
> > -        Hyperspectral data (a special class of raster data ...
> > hypercube format)
> > -        Surface modeling tools
> > -        Unsupervised and supervised classification tools
> > -        A scripting language (SML) (that I use daily ... many written
> > in just a few minutes for special purposes)
> > -        Direct access to many external files: Raster, CAD, vector,
> > database, text (and spreadsheets) files

> > Today, I am an independent consultant.  I use TNTmips to serve all of my
> > clients.  I give guest lectures to university students and teach them, in
> > the space of a 3-hour lab, how to use TNTlite to do a practical project ...
> > from start to finish.

> > When MicroImages, Inc., added export to TNTview, then this $500 program
> > could be used to export TNTlite-created objects to external files.

> > Other GIS software packages, which do what TNTmips does, cost much more
> > than TNTmips.  Many of them do not include all of the elements in the list
> > above.  TNTmips is a complete package.

> > TNTmips does not time out.  You can, if you wish, use the purchased
> > package for the rest of your life.  Or, you can pay a small annual
> > maintenance fee to keep it up to date.

> > And, when I call technical support at MicroImages, a live person always
> > answers and quickly addresses my need for information or for changes to the
> > software.  Some of the processes now in TNTmips are ones that I created.

> > I now work mostly for commercial ag companies.  They use TNTmips almost
> > exclusively.

> > Even though I have had almost 20 years of experience with TNTmips, I
> > don't use but a fraction of the total capabilities in it.  And, I never
> > found a GIS-processing need that could not be done with TNTmips.  The
> > extensive documentation on the MI Web site is all I need to learn how to do
> > some new process ... new to me ... as I might need to know how to do for a
> > specific new situation.

> > I have worked also in a GIS environment where many different GIS
> > software packages were being used.  TNTmips always was my "secret weapon"
> > for solving development problems that arose ... ones that other software
> > could not address.

> >  Jack

> > Jack F. Paris, Ph.D.
> > Geospatial Technology
> > 2407 Maplewood Circle East
> > Longmont , CO 80503
> > 303-775-1195 (cell)
> > jpari...@msn.com

> >  ------------------------------
> >  *From:* TNTtalk@googlegroups.com [mailto: TNTtalk@googlegroups.com] *On
> > Behalf Of *Graham Smith
> > *Sent:* Monday, September 17, 2007 4:41 AM
> > *To:* TNTtalk@googlegroups.com
> > *Subject:* [TNTtalk] Why TNT?

> > As TNT isn't that well known  I wondered if users could find the time to
> > explain why they use TNTmips.

> > Is it part of a GIS toolkit, or is as much of an "all in one" program
> > as it appears.

> > My areas of interest are natural resources and ecology, based in the UK,
> > and the GIS programs I have some familiarity with  are ArcView, Mapinfo,
> > Idrisi, ILWIS and Manifold

> > I  am beginning to make more use of GIS and reviewing my options for
> > updating my software, particularly as I am moving away from Windows towards
> > a Mac/Linux mix.

> > I know this is a rather open ended question, but would appreciate some
> > comments.

> > Many thanks,

> > Graham

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