I would use Organic Maps if OSM supported entering UK postcodes in the search box. Can’t wait to stop using Google Maps.
Try mapy.cz app. You can use UK postcodes in there and it uses OSM data.
Organic Maps
321–330 of 493 posts
Re: Organic Maps
#322Earlier quoted context omitted.
The ex-Googler is most likely talking about the product as a whole, across the globe. It would be hard to justify features dedicated to a small group of users overall (with different goals/expectations), especially while keeping privacy (and data sharing). That being said, Google maps works great for cyclists in the US ...
It's maddening that tens of millions of users is "give up and do something else" territory for Google.
Yes, it’s also maddening for most Googlers who are passionate about the work they want to do that would affect just tens of millions (or less).
But at least it leaves room for other companies in some situations. What’s really sad is when there’s something that could only be done by Apple or Google, but it’s too small for either of them to actually do it.
Re: Organic Maps
#323Earlier quoted context omitted.
Maybe I'm a little jaded by how the app economy works nowadays, but I find it almost suspicious how fast development seems and how well supported Organic Maps is. At least the high level of quality is explained by the fact that the lead developers seem to be the founders of the original maps.me.
We're not alone, our community and contributors are helping us!
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Re: Organic Maps
#324Organic Maps is super awesome. The routing feature is really good, too. It even works on Apple CarPlay! There are some glitches to be aware of though: Routing across region borders is often broken. Also, a warning about OSM in general: Do not blindly trust it. Map data can be very out of date in some places, especially on remote-ish hiking trails.
> Do not blindly trust it. Map data can be very out of date in some places, especially on remote-ish hiking trails. Also, for the love of everything that's holy, do the same with Apple/Google Maps. They can be horribly wrong to the point of being actively dangerous.
Can't trust Apple/Google, can't trust OSM, can't trust paper maps...
What's the right answer here?
Re: Organic Maps
#325Earlier quoted context omitted.
I’m an ex-Googler and I tried to fix cycling routing. I’m honestly sorry I wasn’t successful. We had a really nice solution but privacy considerations made it extremely difficult and limited. And then I and the other main driver both left Google so it withered and died I believe. I really hope someone else can fix it one day. This is a throwaway obviously since this basically 50% doxes me.
Google maps is still terrible for pedestrian / cycling use. OSM is much, much better but I guess Google refuses to pull OSM data because it would require them to open up their own maps.
For cycling, yeah, that’s why I said I’m very sorry I wasn’t successful.
For pedestrian, I’d disagree. At least in places I go, I find Google’s walking directions to be top notch.
Re: Organic Maps
#326mapsme had the conch in its hand
Re: Organic Maps
#327Earlier quoted context omitted.
This lowbrow criticism is really old. Google doesn’t do much offline for the same reason almost no one does offline anymore; it’s hard and the number of users affected is very small. Do you honestly think Google is looking at the number of maps users that go offline and saying, “We absolutely need their data!” rather than “Eh, not worth rearchitecting everything for.” Not to mention they have done a lot for it even i…
This post is about an offline maps app which is maintained by volunteers, so it can't be that hard for the likes of Google.
Google could certainly design a basic offline mapping app. They even have offline mapping in their app today.
I’m actually not even sure what the complaint is actually about since I don’t use offline myself, but I know that Google Maps is a massive app with tons of teams all working on a myriad of features in parallel and a huge dependency tree. So I’m not surprised at all if there are a bunch of features with online assumptions baked in.
Re: Organic Maps
#328I've been using maps.me for a long time for offline map use while hiking and traveling off the grid, but recently switched to organic maps due to their superior interface. They both use openstreetmaps, which I have found to be outstanding. Even the most obscure trails and overgrown overlanding tracks are almost always on openstreetmaps. The file sizes are quite small, and being able to download specific areas, or states, or entire countries at a time is perfect. I prefer organic maps to alltrails, gaia maps, etc. It's become an indispensable tool for me while hiking and traveling.
Re: Organic Maps
#329Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Do not blindly trust it. Map data can be very out of date in some places, especially on remote-ish hiking trails. Also, for the love of everything that's holy, do the same with Apple/Google Maps. They can be horribly wrong to the point of being actively dangerous.
Can't trust Apple/Google, can't trust OSM, can't trust paper maps... What's the right answer here?
Be aware that all maps be untrustworthy. Be aware of your environment. Don't blindly follow instructions. Have a backup plan.
Re: Organic Maps
#330Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think they probably mean empathy for users on slow Internet connections rather than for fellow staff. Basically making you test your software on a slow connection once a week.
While it's a good initiative, I don't think it works as this kind of throttling almost never simulates a real spotty and crap connection.
More tech companies should do this, and they should do more of it. On Empathy Days, iOS/Android software engineers should have to "live on" 6 year old phones, and desktop software developers should have to use laptops with 8GB RAM and 15" screens as their daily drivers. And Internet throttling should both reduce bandwidth and introduce random latencies and connection drops.
Too many developers just assume their users are on this year's phones and supercomputer specced desktops with three 4K 27 inch monitors and write their software to perform well on those systems.