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Do You Recommend Google Maps API or Microsoft Live Maps?
Posted by
Zonk
on Fri Sep 28, 2007 03:41 PM
from the two-options-many-permutations dept.
from the two-options-many-permutations dept.
KSobby writes "The organization that I work for is going to be redoing our website in .Net/AJAX. On the site, our members will have profile pages listing where their organizations are located (our members are scattered throughout the world) as well as other pertinent information for the general public. It is a non-profit organization, so funds are tight. My question to you: If we include maps, which API do we go with: Google or Microsoft? We're in a Microsoft environment (we're non-profit and Microsoft basically gives us everything for free) but the ubiquity of Google may be enough to sway us. Has anyone used either extensively? Used them in conjunction with .Net?"
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I let google answer (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I let google answer (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Hrmm.. not for me. Check out screenshot [lfi.net]
In my experience (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
For Google Maps, I've found a simple wrapper class that cuts down immensely on the code,
and similar projects are bound to exist for
maps work in pretty much any browser.
Compatibility (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
They are not the same product and it sounds like you haven't even used Live before.
No, they're not the same. Live Maps is not as feature-mature as google maps. Live maps has a larger download footprint due to extra css and js files that most map developers will not need. Live Maps lacks good sat imagery for a very large portion of the globe.
Gotta suck to always have a computer that is handicap in the experience they get to see and use.
I wouldn't know, I use linux which has had an accelerated 3d desktop and a fully indexed filesystem for a few years now, has several really sweet development environments
Re:Compatibility (Score:5, Interesting)
I think that people should seriously consider using both depending on their needs. If you're looking to do international mapping Google is probably the way to go but if you're going to be centered in large metro areas in the US and you're looking to use SWEET aerial photos, Microsoft's Live Maps kick ass (75m, far more recent than Google Maps, and better resolution).
I live and die by Google Maps API for what I need at work (plotting interest and applicant levels by zip code) because it's easy for people to use and many are already familiar with it. That just works for what I need but that doesn't mean that it's the best option for every application.
*shrug*
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Open in what sense? Source code? No - neither.
Platform agnostic? Google
go with google (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:go with google (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:go with google (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Google Maps (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Microsoft. It took me 4 hours to port our software to Vista, and that mostly had to do with a (nonMS) driver and a (MS) dll issue. The trick to MS backwards compatibility is to not use the undocumented shit. SimCity broke when they went to 95 (they actually installed a patch in the OS for it for compatibility reasons), because of undocumented "features". Case in point, the permissions that they set up in XP were
Re:Google Maps (Score:4, Insightful)
The issue isn't Microsoft's desktop backwards compatibility issues (which is debatable in itself). Thing is, Windows and MSN/Live/etc. just happen to exist in the same company, otherwise, nothing is really shared between them. When you compare Microsoft to Google with respect to maps APIs, you need to compare Google to MSN/Live/etc., which has seen many name and strategy changes and is far less mature than Google's offerings. Google APIs are consequently more stable and less likely to change.
A conservative approach will therefore recommend Google APIs. They are more seasoned, more tested, work on more browsers, and used successfully by far more organizations and businesses.
Parent
Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)
Google... With the caveat that their 'backwards compatibility' will actually be 'have not upgraded/updated in two years'.
Stick with MS (Score:2, Insightful)
Microsoft API experience (Score:3, Informative)
Documentation was key for me (Score:3, Informative)
Personally, I wrote a local API for it in the language I'm working in, Water [waterlanguage.org], and let Water deal with all the Google stuff for me. By mixing Water's AJAX features with Google's map API, I was able to create a fully AJAX enabled map API which notifies the server about every user action on the map, including clicking, dragging, etc, and deals with user initiated actions in an object oriented manner (for exa
OpenStreetMap? (Score:2)
Even though it is not complete in most regions, it sounds very promising imho. And it is free! [wikipedia.org] (as in freedom AND beer)
Re:OpenStreetMap? (Score:4, Informative)
I'll say. The entire city of Philadelphia is missing, and it's not exactly a small city. In fact, looking at the eastern US, it's pretty much useless at this point. Alas.
Parent
OpenStreetMap uses OpenLayers.org (Score:3, Informative)
About to make the switch (Score:3, Informative)
Go with Microsoft, get MapCruncher (Score:5, Informative)
MapCruncher rocks!
Checkout refin.com's comparison (Score:5, Informative)
Use Mapquest Posts (Score:2, Interesting)
Public Class clsMapQuest
Public Function getURI(ByVal sAddress As String, ByVal sCity As String, ByVal sState As String, ByVal sZip As String, _
ByVal eAddress As String, ByVal eCity As String, ByVal eState As String, ByVal eZip As String) As System.Uri
Dim url = N
Re:Use Mapquest Posts (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Try this (sorry, no capital letters, typing out of my head):
dim sb as new stringbuilder
sb.append("http://your_long_url_but_possibly_broken_down_into_logical_parts_like_below")
sb.append("&1g=&1pl=&1v=&1n=&1pn=")
sb.append("&2y=US&2ffi=&2l=&2g=&2pl=&2v=&2n=&2pn=")
sb.append("&panelbtn=2")
sb.appendformat("&1a={0}&1c={1}&1s={2}&1z={3}", sAddress, sCity, sState, sZip)
sb.appendformat("&2a={0}&2c={1}&2s={2}&2z={3}", eAddress
OpenLayers.org API ! (Score:5, Informative)
Do both. Seriously. (Score:5, Informative)
Do both. Seriously.
One of the oldest rules a downstream manufacturer (that's you) should follow is "avoid supplier lock-in". If you code with only one of these software titans in mind, you're subject to their terms. If you code for both, you can tell one vendor to zark off and/or play one rep against the other at pricing/ad-rev negotiation time.
Oh wait - you're a small non-profit with free Microsoft software? In that case there's no reason not to go with Microsoft. Development in 100% Microsoft tools is better than anything Google has...
Google maps == Google earth (Score:4, Informative)
So you can easily do pretty-ultra-eyecandy that also works well when viewed just through the web.
Google Maps...but. (Score:3, Informative)
But I would look around for an asp.net control that wraps the api. There was one on the code project that doesn't work anymore.
Microsoft Live Maps might have a wrapped api for you that could reduce the development time.
It's simple. (Score:2, Funny)
Data (Score:4, Informative)
For example [live.com], when I-74 was built, McKinney Road was re-routed to Hwy 601. The map has the correct positioning for I-74, but it still shows the old path of McKinney Road, even though the new path is visible in the image.
On the other hand [google.com], Google shows the roads correctly, but you can't zoom in the imagery nearly as close.
So its a matter of priorities. Do you want accurate or pretty?
Maps, maps, maps.... (Score:2, Offtopic)
Actually niether (Score:4, Informative)
I set up a website for a brick-and-mortar store about seven months ago on my Mac. I then went to Google's maps and provided a link for directions. Then Google quit working with Safari browsers. Now, I know Apple's browser has its problems and has so many that many Mac users are not using the Apple-supplied beta browser because of problems with their release version but I cannot afford for anyone to not be able to load a map due to a problem with someone's map API. So I switched the website to use Mapquest. [mapquest.com]
Yes, I know that Mapquest is a slag-heap of a company since AO-Hell purchased it. I also know they're not innovating, they're just resting on their laurels and being used to provide AO-Hell with cash. But it works with all browsers I tested on Windows and Macintosh platforms, including some pretty obscure ones like iCab and Netscape's Navigator 2.0. Unless of until I get absolute assurances from Google that they'll never roll out new code again unless they test it first, I'm not using Google Maps for anything.
Haven't tried Microsoft's. Probably won't either as they won't work well with Macs or Linux or Unix and I cannot afford to disenfranchise anyone.
Google works with Safari... (Score:2)
Google (Score:2, Insightful)
"Doing your website" in a programming language (Score:3, Insightful)
This is sooooo 1999.
You should be using a CMS/framework where such issues have been resolved, [drupal.org] and focus your time/energy on the (few) places where you can create unique value.
Who will be using what you develop? (Score:3, Informative)
Google endeavors to support a much broader range of browsers than any of the Microsoft websites support. Give the users of what you are developing a choice, don't force them to use Microsoft's IE in order to take advantage of the functionality of your website.
Redfin dev blog (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Google will spy on your members (Score:5, Informative)
You mean the link that says "Privacy Policy" at the bottom of the Google Maps API page [google.com] which links to, maybe, the google privacy policy [google.com] doesn't actually exist?
Dang. My mind is more powerful than I thought!
(for reference, the MS Maps privacy policy is here [microsoft.com]).
Parent
How about this then? (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Err... (Score:4, Interesting)
In the mean time, didn't Microsoft & Yahoo turn over dissidents to China? And didn't Google refuse the subpoena of user data from the US government when Microsoft & Yahoo gave it over without question?
I understand paranoia about your identity perfectly well. It just seems stupid to focus on the smaller threats when there are larger ones nearby, you know?
Actually, maybe I understand the paranoia better than you. I mean, you posted that while logged in...
Parent
Re:How about this then? (Score:5, Interesting)
Did you actually read that report? In my humble opinion, it was basically some guys opinion dressed up as a scientific study. There was no repeatable methodology and the author didn't even bother to fully fill out the matrix. Go read the comments on the story you linked to, if you want to get more detailed commentary.
Incidentally, I say this as a very biased person. I work for Google, on Google Maps. As per usual, what's written here is my own opinion and not that of my employers. I won't comment on the Google vs Microsoft debate - it's not my place to do so - but I'd like to say that I've seen first hand (and participated in) the very strict procedures we have in place to protect peoples privacy.
For instance, I'm one of the very few people who have Maps logs access (ie, I can see cookies and IP addresses), and that's only because I work directly with the servers on a day-to-day basis and do abuse handling as part of my job. The vast majority of Maps developers have no logs access at all. I have to periodically rejustify my access, I'm not allowed to track any individual cookie or IP address for longer than 24 hours, my own usage of the logs is recorded and audited, I'm not allowed to take the logs out of their secure holding area and am not allowed to give logs in non-scrubbed form to anybody else. Violating these rules is grounds for instant termination. Contrast this with ISPs which sell clickstream data [seekingalpha.com] on the open market.
I'm not trying to make any statement of policy or anything, because that's not my job, but if end-user privacy is going to be a deciding factor in which maps product to use, hopefully now you have more insight into how seriously we treat end user data (what I described applies to all Google products by the way).
Parent
Re:How about this then? (Score:4, Interesting)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
But trolling became an addiction to me... soon I was doing everything I could to get a rise out of fellow netizens. I basically spent all my time trolling Slashot and other various forums. Of course Slashot was my favorite trolling ven
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