

Google Maps API gets usage limits - jcampbell1
http://googlegeodevelopers.blogspot.com/2011/10/introduction-of-usage-limits-to-maps.html

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skeletonjelly
Could somebody explain this more simply?

As I understand it, the site had no usage quota, it was the end user
(ultimately the browser making the map API request). The end user had a limit
but as this was in the hundreds or thousands (can't recall) it was not real
concern for your average end user.

Is this what's changing? The site is now accountable for request quota?

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intev
My understanding is that the site was always responsible for the usage quota.
The calls made (even on the client side) technically is made by the website,
so the limit applies to the website. If requests come from the end user and
not the site (as you mention), very few people would hit that limit and it
would not be a concern.

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gregsadetsky
Weird. Is Google "really" interested in (aggressively) monetizing their
mapping API (like MSFT, that has each department responsible for their own
profitability)?

Or, is this a longer term business strategy? Put up public pricing that allows
them to go back to partners and say "here's the new price -- yes it's high,
but it's the same for everyone"?

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bradleyland
I'd say it's not so much a play to monetize their mapping API so much as it is
a way to _not_ have everyone in the world sitting on their shoulders for free.
Free is the operative word there. Free is a funny thing. It creates artificial
demand. I'll give an example.

I used to do independent consulting, and in the course of consulting,
recommended Google Apps for email hosting, even if the client wasn't going to
use Google Docs or any of the other Google Apps services. It was the best free
option for email hosting around. But the fact that it was free created some
problems.

Most of the clients I transitioned did so at a time when mail hosts put limits
on the number of mailboxes you could set up. A strange concept in today's
world, but that was the status quo at the time. Clients would provide
mailboxes for users and for general purpose correspondence, but they were
reasonable. Once they figured out that mailboxes were free and unlimited on
Google Apps (once upon a time), they'd go crazy. Soon, mailbox counts
ballooned to 50 or 100 mailboxes for organizations with 15 users or less.

By making their APIs free, Google creates artificial demand, which raises
their costs. It's wise to implement reasonable limits.

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gregsadetsky
Good point regarding artificial demand.

My surprise at the announcement has also partly/mostly to do with the actual
pricing, which kicks in pretty fast (25k free map loads daily). It seems like
a lot of small-to-medium, non-profit sites would fit into that. One example
amongst many, many others: <http://www.housingmaps.com/>

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gregsadetsky
Other discussions on HN: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3163509> and
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3162352>

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Harkins
Ouch. The pricing for >25k/day maps is "contact sales".

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jammus
More detailed pricing information is available here:
<http://code.google.com/apis/maps/faq.html#tos_pricing>

~~~
Harkins
Awesome, thanks. I looked all over that Premium site and didn't see it.

