= GRASS GIS =

Version: 6.4.0RC3 (as of Feb 2009)

== User Notes ==

 * A desktop raster/vector GIS system (command line and graphical user interface)
 * Main site: http://grass.osgeo.org/
 * Current packaging should be considered a preliminary proof-of-concept.
 * The default interface is the Tcl/Tk GUI GIS manager. Both a plain text curses DOS box command prompt, and a shiny new wxPython GUI interface are also available.
 * '''First time users should explore the [http://grass.bologna.enea.it/tutorial/ first steps tutorial]''' after installing.

=== Installation === 
 * Get the [http://download.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/osgeo4w-setup.exe OSGeo4W Installer]. (''400k net-installer, full download is approx 60-80mb'')
  * Generic installer help can be found on the main [WikiStart OSGeo4W] wiki page.
 * For the moment '''GRASS is available in the "advanced" install'''. After a period of testing it may be moved to the "express" section. All other required packages are auto-selected during the installation.

The application can be run through:
 * a desktop shortcut
 * a menu shortcut
 * its executable ''osgeo4w''\apps\grass-6.4.X\bin\grass64.bat
 * on the osgeo4w shell through the grass64.bat

How to get command line:
 * Start the osgeo4w shell. Then type:
{{{
   grass64 -text
}}}

How to start GRASS with the new wxPython GUI:
 * Start the osgeo4w shell. Then type:
{{{
   grass64 -wxpython
}}}

Alternatively from the Tcl/Tk GUI go to Config -> GRASS working environment -> Change settings -> GRASS variable to set -> "GRASS_GUI=wxpython"
If it doesn't work, make sure that python is in the path.

=== Installation Update === 

 * It is sufficient to re-run the installer which fetches the list of packages to then suggest available updates for the individual packages.

TODO: Yet the cmd style doesn't change, which is confusing (prompt).  <- ? please submit a tract ticket
[do you mean the C:\> command prompt?]

== Packager Notes ==

 * Compile guide used: http://www.webalice.it/marco.pasetti/grass/BuildFromSource.html (requires updates, better move here)
 * Details on WinGRASS at: http://grass.osgeo.org/wiki/WinGRASS_Current_Status
 * Steps:
  * compile GRASS in a way that it fits in the OSGeo4W directory hierarchy
  * package in a tar.bz2 file
  * write/update "setup.hint" which describes the package and defines the dependencies on other OSGeo4W packages
  * if needed, write/update "etc/postinstall/$paketname.bat"  which is executed after extraction of the package during installation to define menu stuff and link on user desktop.
 * Depends on the MSYS package for command line operations, because GRASS 6 uses unix shell scripts (GRASS 7 uses Python)
 * WinGRASS is built with MSYS/MinGW.  The libraries used to link to the VC++ built GDAL & friends is in the mingw-libs package.
 * There is also a grass-vc package, that contains the VC++ built GRASS libraries.  These are used in the Quantum GIS GRASS plugin.
 * Release tree: http://download.osgeo.org/osgeo4w/release/grass/ (the installer selects the package with highest version number)
 * Maintainer is JuergenFischer (seeking new package maintainer)