ArcView 3.x

ArcView 3.x is a geographic information system software product produced by Esri.

History
ArcView started as a graphical program for spatial data and maps made using Esri's other software products. Its functionality was greatly expanded at version 2.0 to include a new GIS file format, the shapefile, and a powerful object-oriented scripting language, Avenue. ArcView 2.x and 3.x became a fully functional GIS program and featured extensions similar to those available in ArcInfo Workstation, including Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst. Its simple GUI was preferred by many over the less user-friendly, more powerful ARC/INFO.

ArcView GIS 3.3
ArcView GIS 3.3 is still currently available, but a retired product, and many users still use the older version. ArcView GIS 3.3 is offered for both Unix and Windows variants. Version 3.3 was released May 22, 2002 and is currently sold and has "mature support" for multiple platforms.

All Esri produced extensions for ArcView are currently supported in 3.x with the exception of ArcView IMS2. ArcView IMS was discontinued on 1 June 2004, and replaced with ArcIMS. An older version of ArcView was available for Macintosh, version 3.0a, however this version was retired in 1997. ArcView 3.3 is compatible with Windows XP, however, does require the user to apply a patch to work properly. This patch is available for download from Esri's product support website. ArcView GIS 3.3 is not supported in Windows 64-bit, since it is a 16-bit application.

Connect to MS Access
One of the basics of GIS is providing a connection between data and imagery. All 3.x versions work with an underlying DBF database (dBase III, IV). Many users prefer a connection to an MS Access database, because of its widespread use. For users that still have Access 97 or earlier, this can be done with a free practical script called AccessConnect. Users who have a more recent version of Access will encounter problems with this script. For the ArcView 3.x users with more recent MS Access versions, there is a free bypass program available.