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Google Maps has become an eyesore

fastcompany.com

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Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#601

Post by flyinghamster »

wredue wrote: post #429
yankput wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not directly related but last time I was this creeped out is when a antivirus company wanted to sell us crazy amount of data on our customers. Apparently AV companies lose money on the customer endpoint protection (it’s basically for free!) but make it up on selling users data. Also on the business licenses though

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.

We've reached the point where, even when you are paying for it, you are the product.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#602

Post by marcosdumay »

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.

In a practical way (instead of just, why not be polite?), the information for permanently displaying to the public may be different than the information relevant to you at a single moment.

If you just ask it without context, "today we'll close at 16:00" is a perfectly reasonable response.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#603

Post by gkfasdfasdf »

At least twice in the past 6 months, Google Maps navigation has taken me down a road or exit or that is closed. And not just temporarily closed for an event or something, but closed construction for multiple weeks or months. And there is no obvious way to report the closure in the app (I'm using the Android version).

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#604

Post by flyinghamster »

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…

One of my biggest peeves with Google Maps is its lack of respect for my zoom level. When I tap the centering button, NO, I don't want to zoom in. If I wanted to zoom in, I'd zoom in!

Couple that with the roughly decade-old removal of the +/- zoom buttons, and I basically don't bother with Google Maps any more except for turn-by-turn navigation.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#605

Post by WorldMaker »

commonlisp94 wrote: post #475
phiresky wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

Unlike a physical map, we can't go back and access old google maps, so those changing preferences in style leave a memory hole.

On the flipside digital maps can progressively show layers on user demand. You can pull up the OSM map with all the street names. If you've got a bit of patience to learn tools like QGIS (or ArcGIS) you have more power than ever to build personal maps that work best for how you personally navigate spaces beyond the lowest-common denominator that used to be print maps.

It's maybe a bit of a shame that the raw tools (like OSM, QGIS, ArcGIS, even what is left of Google Earth) aren't easy to learn and equally accessible to everyone and the incentives of the big maps (Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc) is its own drive to a different lowest common denominator, but digital maps have such tools in the first place. (It was far more expensive to get custom printed maps. AAA triptychs are interesting thing to compare here.)

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#606

Post by maremp »

dmix wrote: post #545
lopkeny12ko wrote: post #540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're not using an adblocker in this day and age in 2023, you're doing it wrong.

Mobile doesn't have ad blocking, at least on iOS. Which is why I pay for Youtube premium.

AdGuard works in Safari, and can block ads on youtube. I’ve been using this setup for years now and it’s been without problems. The experience is obviously not as good as the app, but it does what it’s supposed to, and I think the worse UX a plus because I do not spend as much time on the platform.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#607

Post by ChrisMarshallNY »

tiberious726 wrote: post #525
ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wrote a system that incorporates Google Maps. It’s an open-source system that is used worldwide, by a few thousand loosely-organized nonprofits. When Google Maps suddenly required associated credit cards, it caused a great deal of trouble. It still causes problems. That’s because most of these entities are not 501(c)(3) orgs, with bank accounts and debit/credit cards. In fact, the organization enforces deliberate p…

> In fact, the organization enforces deliberate poverty, amongst its chapters. You mean a cult. This isn't a real issue for properly run 501c3, it's a tax registration for a reason.

> You mean a cult.

Well, isn't that special?

Have a great day!

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#608

Post by WorldMaker »

datavirtue wrote: post #471
aembleton wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Worth adding that information to open street maps so that it available for other maps too.

OSM should be scraping Google maps.

OSM has a two-way data sharing agreements directly with (among others) Apple and Bing/Microsoft. Additionally, the "Overture Foundation" with members including AWS/Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and TomTom have a complicated indirect two-way data sharing agreement with OSM. (Overture Maps are a "curated" subset of OSM data and members are encouraged but not required to make contributions and updates to the maps directly upstream to OSM.)

Google probably sees their data as a moat and likely aren't interested in two-way data sharing. (Given how many of their competitors are now involved directly or indirectly with OSM or Overture, they may be correct.) OSM probably can't legally scrape it without an agreement in place.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#609

Post by kulahan »

dmix wrote: post #545
lopkeny12ko wrote: post #540

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're not using an adblocker in this day and age in 2023, you're doing it wrong.

Mobile doesn't have ad blocking, at least on iOS. Which is why I pay for Youtube premium.

Brave browser has it built in, and there is a way to download an app to use specifically as an adblocker, though I forget how. I remember it not working very well, which is why I just gave up and use Brave instead.

Re: Google Maps has become an eyesore

#610

Post by gdprrrr »

lost_tourist wrote: post #423
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…

I'm not sure why they could add "personalities" or "modes" like simple, tourist, night-life, etc. Seems rather obvious to just about anyone who thinks more than 30 seconds about it

Implemented in OsmAnd, called profiles :)
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