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Re: Which like command for IDL?



David Fanning wrote:
> 
> David Fanning (davidf@dfanning.com) writes:
> 
> > How about this WHICH program. *Very* quick and dirty.
> > I'll leave it to others to make perfect. (I can already
> > think of a couple of ways it can be greatly improved.)
> 
> Oh, bother! :-(
> 
> Those guys at RSI have gone and done it again. They
> have already improved on my wonderful Which wesult.
> See the FILE_WHICH routine in the IDL 5.4 library,
> which finds the right file *without* collapsing
> the wave function.
> 
> Those guys really take all the fun out of it, don't
> they. :-(

Hi David,

    this brings up an interesting legal/buisiness question: If
file_which is an IDL file (.pro) distributed with 5.4 is it then
permitted to use this routine with earlier versions of IDL (provided
it works)? Legally, I would think this should be doable at least as
long as you are under a maintenance contract, i.e. you could
theoretically run 5.4 but haven't installed it for whatever reason.
Without a current maintenance contract, there would be the question if
such a new library routine belongs to IDL5.4 or to IDL in general.
Buisineswise, it might be a smart move of RSI to put their library
routines under the open source license and post them own their web
site. Nobody without a licensed IDL program can use these routines
anyway, and it could be regarded as a nice service to the users if
they can profit from new developments in the library routines.

Just a thought,

Martin


-- 
[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[
[[ Dr. Martin Schultz   Max-Planck-Institut fuer Meteorologie    [[
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