
Google Is Forcing Routebuilder to Shut Down - bootload
https://medium.com/@andrewcmartin/google-maps-is-forcing-routebuilder-to-shutdown-615ce42f413a
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bootload
_" I’m hoping that if a few people post this on social media, Google will
reconsider its decision to cut off Maps API access to RouteBuilder."_

Probably won't. OpenStreetMap might be the future.

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Piskvorrr
As the original developer writes, porting the whole thing to a different API
would be too demanding for his schedule. Perhaps someone else might want to
pick up the project/create an OSM fork?

(as a side note, that's exactly why we have avoided Google's semi-walled
garden on a recent project: "it works, until someone Just Decides that it
shouldn't work for your project specifically, and there's nothing you could do
about that.")

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bootload
_" As the original developer writes, porting the whole thing to a different
API would be too demanding for his schedule. Perhaps someone else might want
to pick up the project/create an OSM fork?"_

Yes, a fork of some sort would be good. Future cartographic software tools
should look to OpenStreetMap before google.

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Piskvorrr
They are - but note that useful routing in OSM is a very recent (few years)
feature, and still depends on data coverage (which varies wildly from one
country to another).

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dragonsh
Don't trust for profit organizations. Google might project itself as champion
of open source but the reality is their revenue is a result of standing on
open source. Without gnu and Linux they will not even exist.

WHen they needed google maps user they opened up. But given their profit
motive they will have to shut down others which conflict with their profit.

Its better to port service to something open source like openstreetmap. Google
is turning into do every evil to generate value for shareholders.

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bootload
_" Don't trust for profit organizations."_

I'd qualify that. If you are a for-profit or there is no alternative (as in
the case of this tool). There's nothing wrong with using commercial systems,
just don't expect their interest to align with yours.

