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Google Maps has become an eyesore

fastcompany.com

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Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#561

Post by coding123 »

JSavageOne wrote: post #521

Criticize Google Maps all you want, but it is easily one of the most useful apps to me, especially as someone who's been been living nomadically the last 5 years. It's kind of scary how dependent I am on this app. Anytime I need to find a restaurant, dentist, electronics store, etc. - I'm looking first on Google Maps and my life is basically dictated by the results. I have lists like "Places to Work" which is a list…

Same here. I complain a lot about google, I mean a LOT. I use Firefox, I tried DDG for a while and now am trying to mostly use ChatGPT (which actually is typically immediately helpful in code questions which is my number one google search activity.

However Maps and Gmail. I don't have and probably don't need a replacement.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#562

Post by vehementi »

wredue wrote: post #558
Contusion3532 wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe it, but do you have a source? I have a few friends I'd like to inform of this.

Funny, because I was wrong. Here’s the Nvidia privacy policy: https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/about-nvidia/privacy-policy/ How I was wrong is was in the “valuable debugging information”. Because you can actually disable the sending of debug and crash statistics, but you cannot disable the collection of tracking everything you do except for password boxes! The original source on the telemetry was a print magazine, Canard…

Where do you opt out if you don't have GeForce experience at all?

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#563

Post by wredue »

behringer wrote: post #504
wredue wrote: post #429

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GeForce experience tracks every single window you have open, sending the title and window information, along with every single spot that you click on your screen to Nvidia, tied to your now mandatory account. That was a couple years back. Who knows how much more invasive it’s gotten since. Oh. And this data is considered to be “valuable debugging information”, so is not prevented by opting out of analytics.

I use glasswire firewall and I just checked nvidia's activity and it doesn't even amount to a megabyte (uploaded) in the last week. I'm thinking this is tinfoil hat stuff.

I think you’re being misled by insane JavaScript bundles re how much information can be conveyed in small compressed text files.

Capturing window titles and how long they have focus over a weeks logging takes a couple bytes of text…

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#564

Post by runeks »

titzer wrote: post #464
runeks wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. And not just that, but also the fact that people use Google Maps for car navigation means Google can derive the location of traffic jams by comparing current speed with the speed limit. This is hugely useful for navigation since it means these bottlenecks can be avoided, some thing which is not possible unless this data is available.

Google maps doesn't do this, it's done by lower levels of software, specifically Google Location Service which is built into Google Play Services. You can tinker with maps settings all you want, but the data is coming from the rootkit they bundle on nearly all devices. Many android apps use GLS APIs and won't work without it.

That may be the case on Android, but I have an iPhone that runs Google Maps.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#565

Post by tradewinds »

This article is mainly about ads popping up, but I think their whole UI is also worth shitting on. Really as an organization, Google doesn't seem to have any good-looking UIs. They're all ugly, awkward and inefficient. Clicking on a pin on Google Maps takes up an enormous portion of the screen for no reason. My Gmail page uses the top half to list pages of emails and the bottom half for absolutely nothing, and there is a huge space at the top outlined by an ugly 1-pixel rounded border that says something I won't ever care to read. The Google Search results page looks like it was just what they used for testing and then never created the actual UI.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#566

Post by runiq »

ce4 wrote: post #382
runiq wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do that too (in Germany), and I just… ask them if I may enter their opening hours into OSM. I've never been refused. Sometimes an employee takes an interest and then I take the chance to explain a bit. It's a win-win for both sides, after all—the map users and the shop owners.

Why ask the owner in the first place. Its public information anyway. Google does not ask either.

Because I'm nice that way.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#567

Post by pasc1878 »

phiresky wrote: post #313
nielsole wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google Maps design is becoming less detailed over the years. It's really apparent when compared to OSM. It is necessary to search for a lot of things in Google maps as they are otherwise not visible. You can't really navigate off Google maps without turn-by-turn navigation. I wonder whether this is a strategic drive from Google to make maps more like search to enable advertising or whether they truly think this is th…

There was some articles on here about how maps have been changing over the years (also other map apps). The gist is that why would you need to show street names anymore? On printed maps that's the only thing you have, but that's not how most people navigate anymore. They search for a place or POIs and then use navigation. So the things most people care about have changed, streets are less important now and things lik…

You need street names as I see the name on a map on iPhone plan in my head a route and see the street name so as to know where I turn - or how far you are along a road. GPS is not that accurate.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#568

Post by izacus »

blincoln wrote: post #532
dietr1ch wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If google can't make money with maps, why isn't Maps taken out of google into a charity/non-profit backed thing. There's OpenStreetMap, and Wikipedia wouldn't mind having a Map I guess. That way it'd help a bit with the monopoly heat and maintaining it could be slightly cheaper. I don't know the legal stuff, but I'd rather have a company supporting a non-profit than burning money internally, so I hope the incentives…

But is Maps actually a net loss for Google, or are they using Hollywood-style accounting techniques to make it appear unprofitable as an additional disincentive to the lawsuits that AlbertCory mentioned?

It's a massive net loss for Google, where do you think there revenue there would come from? A few API users don't pay for a massive amount of people working on keeping the map data up to date.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#569

Post by smortaz »

AlbertCory wrote: post #34

I worked on Google Maps monetization, and then on Maps itself. Monetization was a dismal failure. I don't know how well they're doing now, but Maps was a gigantic money-loser, forever. I'd be a little surprised if it didn't still lose money, but maybe less. I don't what those "pin ads" cost, but I'd bet it's way less than a search ad. If you don't believe that, that's fine. "What about indirect revenue?" you ask? Goo…

speaking of monetization, i’d happily pay a $10 monthly fee for these features as a biker:

- weather along route

Google knows the weather, it knows the route… Just add a layer! better yet suggest a reroute. i pay for a separate app for this currently.

- motorcycle friendly features

bigger buttons for usage with gloves; selection of straight, curvy, unpaved etc roads; right now it’s just Highway or non Highway

- ability to create a group and show their live locations on the map.

Something better than WhatsApp live location. The current approach that Google maps uses is cumbersome and non-intuitive. also if a route is updated, an option to update everyone else’s shared route.

- local info, POI, etc

you know my location and interests, tell me some interesting stuff over Bluetooth about the city or POI’s i’m passing by.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#570

Post by anigbrowl »

scrollaway wrote: post #258
anigbrowl wrote: post #165

All of these criticisms are very valid, especially the street name one, which is a great example of core functionality being sacrificed to...whatever this is. But then the end: And as annoyed as I am by all those unwanted pins on my screen, I still often need some of those points of interest, such as popular times, live foot traffic data, reviews, photos, and other useful data that help me plan an outing. It’s nice t…

You really can’t conceive that this stuff might be useful information to someone who isn’t exactly you? Seriously, how arrogant is that?

Maps worked great for their primary purpose of finding your way to some designated location for hundreds of years without built-in analytics and marketing info. When the latter is getting in the way of the core function (eg finding out what street you're on), something has gone badly wrong. Lately Google maps won't show your own location if you have Google location services disabled, even though pretty much every phone has a GPS built in. The map is no longer the product, data about what you're doing is the product.
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