

For The Love Of Open Mapping Data - dalek2point3
http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/09/for-the-love-of-open-mapping-data/?ncid=rss

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lucb1e
> At what point did you know this was going to take off?

> Ha. I’m not sure I do. I look at it really as a series of milestones, right?
> We are still not quite there. I mean, OpenStreetMap is a great display map,
> but there is still not a whole lot of navigation data and address
> information

Like, seriously? The founder condemns his product like this? Sure you have to
be critical, but not outwardly. I use OsmAnd for to-address navigation all the
time. Since the government data import in the Netherlands I never have to
resort to proprietary sources. Germany and France too, I hit in some address
in Hamburg and it routes me across the country.

Not sure if where he lives it's "still not quite there", but as a founder
aren't you supposed to highlight the good parts?

Perhaps this rant also comes a bit from the unprofessionality that we, as
mappers, are used to get from the self-proclaimed project admins. Threatening
to revert our data import (which was a _huge_ quality improvement in the
Netherlands and also a huge effort by dozens of mappers), then stop responding
when we ask additional questions.

~~~
untog
_Sure you have to be critical, but not outwardly._

Boy am I grateful that OpenStreetMap isn't a VC-funded startup, because they'd
have to deal with logic like this. It's an open source project. I'm happy for
him to be honest about what needs improvement.

~~~
mkal_tsr
The worst is when there is a 'Show HN' or article about a product/service and
then someone else comes in from HN with their similar product/service trying
to sound all cheerful and how they're not worried and so on. It's so blatantly
obvious and yet sad at the same time.

Edit: to those downvoting me, I can only assume you've had your thunder stolen
from you, since you're not explaining your downvotes. Sorry someone else
launched a similar product as yours.

~~~
wlesieutre
I can't speak for everyone, but you're probably getting downvoted for being so
condescending.

~~~
mkal_tsr
Fair enough.

Related: Do you agree or disagree that the "good for them! btw, _our_
product..." is not an issue on HN?

~~~
wlesieutre
I don't think it's _specific_ to HN, no. People have always been optimistic
about their own products. You pour a big chunk of your life into something,
and it's tough to imagine it failing, even if you know the competition has a
leg up on you in some respects. One example that comes to mind is from Panic,
makers of Audion, a shareware MP3 player that was killed by iTunes. From a
conversation with Steve Jobs after iTunes was introduced at MacWorld Expo
2001:

"Well, Steve, I really think it'll still find an audience. We've got a lot of
higher-end features that you guys probably won't ever add." [1]

That from someone going up against a free program that would be preinstalled
on every single potential customer's computer. I can't speak from much
experience, but I imagine that most people have trouble seeing the markets
around their own software/customers 100% clearly.

So I wouldn't be too quick to blame it on the startup echo chamber of people
wanting to keep image positive for VC fundraising. Nor do I think there's much
anyone can do to change it. When people talk about their own products and how
they stack up against the competition, you just have to take everything with a
grain of salt and form your own opinions.

[1] The Audion Story, it's a good read
[https://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/](https://www.panic.com/extras/audionstory/)

