My question is pretty simple - Why?

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07-20-2016 05:15 AM
PaulJordan
New Contributor III


Why ArcGIS Pro?  I can't find anything to like about this application.  The flat GUI makes everything look like background.  The app crashes with alarming regularity.  The interface is worlds away from that of ArcGIS.  Why?   And as with previous major releases it almost seems that the development team had no contact with the developers of ArcGIS desktop.  One might think that the radical changes are a deliberate attempt to force users into ESRI training programs for a hefty fee.

Bottom line - not at all happy with Pro.

49 Replies
DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

It has happened before .... ArcView 3.x to ArcMap 8.x    esri forums... geonet

People adapt or they don't based on their experience.

hmmm I have never had a crash, love the 3D, find the ability to use way more memory and significant upgrades to python and its associates a significant move forward.

Hope this is a temporary setback, your GIS alternatives are limited... everyone hates Windows but...everyone has to adapt at some stage

Good luck

LeightonWedderburn
New Contributor II

Dan,

Can you describe what type of system you are running(specs, ram, cpu, etc) and do you or anyone else have any idea why some including myself have issues running ArcGIS Pro on Workstations that have more than the minimum requirements.

From my experience I have been able to work with Pro with minimal issues at times and crashing constantly at other time (More so with versions prior to Pro 1.2) . I believe this has something to do with memory (resource allocation, not certain) so I try to work in Pro with as much free/available memory(and other dedicate resources) as possible.

I have just installed Pro 1.3 so I have not been able to give it a good test drive yet.

It will soon be time for a new workstation and wanted to get a better idea of what to get moving forward. In my organization I am the test pilot and help other transition to the latest and greatest (in this case Pro). I know ESRI has posted recommendation for hardware,I have reviewed it well.

But I also want to know, are their specific peripheral hardware brands/speed/size/etc more desirable for Pro to run without crashing and perform optimally? Is there some documented/undocumented tuning possible, to give priorities to Pro?

Why do you suppose you have less issues than others? Are you running a dedicated machine tuned for Pro? Any additional insights are appreciated.

DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

I am not near that machine now, but it is your typical 'gaming' machine with a high-end, video card, 32 Gig of ram, high end cpu... running windows 10.  I get my machines pieced together from components at a computer shop that does this type of thing.  It is nothing special in most regards.

I often wonder why people have all these crashes myself.  I think it must have something to do with what people are working with and how their data is sourced.  For example, SDE... the mere mention of network served/sourced data seems to increase the reporting of problems by many magnitudes.  People on geonet often fail to mention this when trying to narrow down issues.  I only used local data in my work and usually data I create myself.  I don't do the fancy gdb stuff, for which it was designed.  The only crash I had was when I was trying to edit a toolbox that I brought in from 10.4.  My solution, I created a new one from scratch instead of patching up an existing import.  I do everything fresh in PRO or I do something in parallel in *map and pro.

I doubt, it is a memory issue, I can't see it being machine specs, I really think it is trying to recycle old stuff into PRO and non-local data sources.  It would be hard for anyone I suspect to replicate my environment given their work requirements.

RebeccaStrauch__GISP
MVP Emeritus

Main reason I think they came up with pro is they had to start from the ground up to make it fully 64-bit compatible, which many users were calling for.  The other complain about Desktop was not allowing multiple layouts in on doc/project....Pro allows that although still a bit clunky to learn, but I think once you get the hang of it, its good.  That, and (in my opinion) they were wanting to change the licensing (thru Online only, which they have backed down and allowing LM/concurrent licensing due to user demand) and trying to make a more "modern" (office-type) interface with the ribbons.

Personally, I don't like the ribbon look, but slowing getting used to it.  One complaint I have about the ribbons is python-addins can not be used as toolbars at this time since there is no simple way to add them (hoping this will change at some point, vote up...  https://community.esri.com/ideas/12257 )

I haven't gone to Pro yet either, and really have no need for the cool 3D aspect of it, but there are some that do need it and have done some very nice things with it.  As Dan mentioned, things will evolve, but from all talk so far from esri, ArcGIS Desktop is not going away anytime soon.  Still too many things missing from Pro (although the list of ported items is growing).

So, even though Pro is the big push, I wouldn't feel pressure to change if you don't want to. 

AndrewQuee
Occasional Contributor III

You can install the 64-bit geoprocessing extension for ArcGIS Desktop, which is nice but a bit of a pain to configure, especially in a mix of 32/64 bit applications, particularly with Python (and 32-bit-only libraries) and Oracle client.  We found a slight improvement in processing time which we hope will offset the R&D and support resources invested to make it work.

My organisation has several hundred thousand lines worth of active customisations for Desktop, so we have no plans to ever move from Desktop to Pro until we have No Other Choice™.

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AlexanderGray
Occasional Contributor III

I think you would need to ask someone that has basic gis knowledge but no experience with either ArcMap nor Pro to compare the two fairly.  ArcMap is familiar, I know where the tools I need are, I understand the concepts well enough to find the tools that I don't know where they are..  Pro is the new thing...  The asynch is interesting but I find pro (at least 1.2) quite slow.  I have a decent laptop, not top range but not bottom either.  I don't do 3D stuff.  The hiding of the edit session to make it look always on is kind neat but when you have a lot of layers loaded in different maps, clicking on the edit tab to edit a small feature in one layer can take 10 minutes to complete asynch because it is opening a session on everything.  64 bit is long long overdue and so is Python 3.  I am surprised it is a windows only product, my understanding was the new graphic engine would work on other platforms...  Ribbons are ok, sure beats the 30+ toolbars in ArcMap...  Turn them all on and fill the screen.  Some key pieces missing, like annotation on the map not just the layout.  The ability to create graphic elements in python.  Also integration with ArcGIS server.   I would like to run pro specific scripts (with arcpy.mp) through ArcGIS Server published toolboxes to publish pdfs with a server license on a linux platform...

HectorBorro1
Occasional Contributor

As a newcomer to the GIS arena, I tried and tested ArcGIS desktop 10 , ArcGIS pro 1.2 and Mapinfo. I found ArcGIS Pro to be the most intuitive and familiar to work with.

It feels more modern, aesthetic and the ribbon simply follows the logic of producing maps and geoanalysis.

I understand that being used to a certain software and workflow, one could be biased not to move to the next version. As I'm sticking to MS Office 2007.... 

Dan and Darwin mentioned, one needs to adapt.  I think it was natural for ArcGIS to evolve in this direction. (and I need to evolve and switch to Office 2016)

good luck with the switch if you decide to make it!

HectorBorro1
Occasional Contributor

I forgot to mention that the introduction of ArcGIS PRO caused great confusion for me as both ArcGIS "traditional" and PRO coexist....

Which one is better? Why 2 versions of the same thing? Certification only exists for v10.3 now... will there be for Pro 1.3?

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DanPatterson_Retired
MVP Emeritus

Pro 1.3 is already out... check with your administrator if you don't manage it yourself.

pro_version.png

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