ArcView，ArcEditor和ArcInfo的区别
Desktop GIS包含诸如ArcMap，ArcCatalog，ArcToobox以及ArcGlobe等在内的用户界面组件，其功能可分为三个级别：ArcView，ArcEditor和ArcInfo，而ArcReader则是一个免费地图浏览器组件。其中，ArcView、ArcEdior、ArcInfo是三级不同的桌面软件系统，共用通用的结构、通用的编码基数、通用的扩展模块和统一的开发环境，功能由简单到复杂。其相互关系如图示例。
Desktop和workstation的区别
1、Workstation是ArcGIS的跨平台工作方式，拥有包括Windows，Linux ，Unix等多种版本。而Desktop是基于组件模型的桌面版，部分功能是间接调用Workstation，只能在Windows应用。
2、通俗的说就是一个是WINDOWS，一个DOS。
3、桌面产品中的ArcToolBox中很多工具只有在安装了workstation时才有。
4、各有所长，桌面版Desktop便于操作及学习，workstation支持多平台运算速度快。
数字化和矢量化两者之间的区别
1、矢量化就是照着底图来描图(描出来的线具有方向性的)，数字化就是把纸质的东西通过矢量化形成电子数据(即赋有属性)。矢量化是手段，数字化是目的。
2、我认为数字化也可以将地图数字化成栅格的。
3、数字化是个比矢量化广阔的概念,把纸张产品扫描也是数字化的感念。
4、我以为把模拟产品经扫描仪扫描的这一过程，就称为数字化的。
sbn ，sbx,shx三者有什么区别
The shapefile format defines the geometry and attributes of geographically referenced features in three or more files with specific file extensions that should be stored in the same project workspace. They are:
.shp—The main file that stores the feature geometry. Required.
.shx—The index file that stores the index of the feature geometry. Required.
.dbf—The dBASE table that stores the attribute information of features. Required.
There is a one-to-one relationship between geometry and attributes, which is based on record number. Attribute records in the dBASE file must be in the same order as records in the main file.
.sbn and .sbx—The files that store the spatial index of the features.
.fbn and .fbx—The files that store the spatial index of the features for shapefiles that are read-only.
.ain and .aih—The files that store the attribute index of the active fields in a table or a theme's attribute table.
.atx—An .atx file is created for each shapefile or dBASE attribute index created in ArcCatalog. ArcView GIS 3.x attribute indexes for shapefiles and dBASE files are not used by ArcGIS. A new attribute indexing model has been developed for shapefiles and dBASE files.
.ixs—Geocoding index for read-write shapefiles.
.mxs—Geocoding index for read-write shapefiles (ODB format).
.prj—The file that stores the coordinate system information. Used by ArcGIS.
.xml—Metadata for ArcGIS—stores information about the shapefile.
Each file must have the same prefix. For example: roads.shp, roads.shx, and roads.dbf.
不断整理中......