

Google Earth Pro Now Free? - chippy
http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2015/01/google-earth-pro-now-free.html

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cjensen
I love Google Earth, but it hasn't been updated since 2013. The Mac binary
isn't signed so it doesn't even run on modern OSX[1].

Has Google abandoned Google Earth?

[1] Unless you know how to work around that, which the average user doesn't.

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FreakyT
It's a shame they haven't updated it, but I guess the WebGL-based "earth" now
in Maps is the replacement.

(As an aside, I find the code-signing in OSX to be pretty crooked -- charging
$100/year just to allow people with default settings to run your executables
seems pretty sketchy. If it really _was_ about security, I would expect at
most a one-time fee, with Apple reserving the right to revoke your key if your
programs contain malware.)

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cjensen
Back when compilers cost money, I had no problem as a $40K/year programmer
paying >$200 for the latest edition annually.

It really is about security. You have to ID yourself to get in. If you write
malware, Apple has a kill switch they can enable to kill all your apps
everywhere, and law enforcement has at least the start of a trail to follow.

I really want Windows to switch to this model! I cringe every time I download
an unsigned installer. Even Free Software (Free as in Freedom) developers
manage to pay for a cert.

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TillE
I don't understand why a Microsoft-compatible code signing cert costs around
$200/year. I'd be completely in favor of a one-time identity verification fee,
or maybe even $100 for a five year cert if you want to make sure everything
stays current.

But the current structure makes zero sense.

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chippy
Official announcement [http://google-latlong.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/google-
earth-pr...](http://google-latlong.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/google-earth-pro-is-
now-free.html)

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johansch
Isn't this what CNN etc are using on a daily basis? This is now abandonware?

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themodelplumber
I love using the built-in flight sim (flying over mountains and pausing to
check out Panoramio photos is cool) but I was surprised to find how old the
binary is. Hope they don't completely drop it. :-(

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cma
For something similar check out Outerra. Only the paid version has vehicles,
but it is really nice, especially in VR.

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wldcordeiro
Google Earth and Maps seem to be running into each other's domains. What
Google should do is update Google Earth and rebrand it as Maps or vice verse
and merge the two.

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emilburzo
Google Earth Pro features:
[https://support.google.com/earth/answer/189188?hl=en](https://support.google.com/earth/answer/189188?hl=en)

available only for windows/mac

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nagrom
Note that, at the bottom of that page, it is clearly stated that Earth pro is
free for both personal and business use.

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jonah
Nice. I just installed GE a couple weeks ago to explore a piece of land I was
interested in but had to eyeball the boundaries. Pro has parcel data which is
what I'd wanted.

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Forbo
Does anyone else see this a move to try and get people "hooked on" Google
Earth over other more open options (such as TopOSM)?

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smeyer
No, not at all. They don't seem to be actively pushing Earth and seem to be
pushing aspects of it in Maps instead. It doesn't look like a heavy push to
"hook" people on Earth.

