Google Earth Redesigned • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#11

Post by hoektoe » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:35 AM UTC

Got a bit of vertigo there

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#12

Post by Kurtz79 » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:35 AM UTC

asymmetric wrote: post #3

Why the hard requirement on Google Chrome?

Maybe they made it so it can run on ChromeOS also ?

It's not so different than downloading a Windows application that requires JVM or some .NET distributable, or a Linux package with additional dependencies, IMHO.

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#13

Post by piratebroadcast » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:36 AM UTC

I have Chrome but my computer doesnt support WebGL apparently.

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#14

Post by ageofwant » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:37 AM UTC

This is where the aluminium in your Coke can comes from: https://earth.google.com/web/@-32.55733803,116.19955541,310....

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#15

Post by 4ad » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:41 AM UTC

"Google Chrome is required to run the new Google Earth. Please try this link in Chrome."

Get fucked.

Embrace, extend, and extinguish. It's ActiveX all over again.

PS: I have a 4 Ghz, quad core, i7-6700K CPU, 64GB RAM, 250Mbps internet and this is both poorly working to the point of being impossible to use, and bringing my computer to a halt.

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#16

Post by Aaargh20318 » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:42 AM UTC

espes wrote: post #7

asymmetric wrote: post #3

Why the hard requirement on Google Chrome?

Because it uses PNaCl

AKA Google ActiveX.

This was a bad idea when Microsoft did it and it's still a horrible idea now.

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#17

Post by therealmarv » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:43 AM UTC

watbe wrote: post #5

Looks like the Google Earth Flight Simulator[0] didn't make the cut. Many features are missing from the original desktop app and it's not immediately clear what this offers over using "Earth" within Google Maps. The "auto-rotate around the landmark" feature is also a pain for people who are used to maps being north-facing by default. [0] https://googlesystem.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/google-earth-eas...

It seems this is the Google way. They kill one product (especially a desktop product) and it takes years till the new one is on every feature on the same level as the old one... look at Picasa vs. Google Photos. Even today Picasa can do many more things that Google Photos cannot do today. I'm sure the native/old Google Earth has a ton of stuff which is not ported to the web version.

Good they cannot convert Chrome itself as a web app :D

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#18

Post by psyc » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:45 AM UTC

Off-topic from the update, but sometime in the past 2 years the quality of their universal photogrammetry became jaw-dropping.

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#19

Post by blowski » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:47 AM UTC

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #16

espes wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because it uses PNaCl

AKA Google ActiveX. This was a bad idea when Microsoft did it and it's still a horrible idea now.

Bad idea for whom? Developers, users, shareholders?

Re: Google Earth Redesigned

#20

Post by staz » Tue, Apr 18, 2017, 10:47 AM UTC

discordianfish wrote: post #6

Doesn't do anything on my ubuntu / chromium system.

idem