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As manipulative as Google can be, we should keep in mind that Google Maps is incredibly useful and we get to use it for "free". Yes we pay with our data and pr
by aherz 8y ago
As manipulative as Google can be, we should keep in mind that Google Maps is incredibly useful and we get to use it for "free". Yes we pay with our data and privacy and Google can do a better job of making that transparent but we can only get so upset when we don't get the full version of a product when we don't want to give our data.
- OmarGonzalez 8y agoYeah no, I rather pay a fee for that
- StavrosK 8y agoOSMAND is pretty good.
- codedokode 8y agoIt uses Openstreetmap and can work offline.
- aherz 8y agoA paid version would be great but Google would have to figure out how to judge traffic levels without location data.
- _underfl0w_ 8y agoThere are other suppliers of traffic data outside Google. In fact, some of Google's traffic data is based off things like police reports.
- OmarGonzalez 8y agoYeah I'm not saying is easier for google, but would be a net gain for everyone in the long run
- ljcn 8y agoThere are plenty of paid-for satnavs. Tomtom Navigation GPS Traffic (Android)/ Tomtom GO (iOS) get good reviews for motoring. Citymapper is free and great for public transport. I'm sure there are many others.
- reaperducer 8y agoThe satnav in my car is pretty good, and doesn't violate my privacy. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find one for walking around. All the battery powered ones seem aimed at hikers, so they're loaded with great wilderness maps, but won't help me find a coffee.
- scrollaway 8y agoI wouldn't. I also would rather not pay a fee for wikipedia. I would rather not pay a fee for Google searches. I'm willing to pay a fee for many things but these three services redefined the entire world's productivity levels. Maps, Search and Wikipedia are world-changing (and miraculously, Wikipedia is a non-profit and still manages to exist and be stable. Please donate if you have the means, etc.). The reason they are world-changing is because they're free. Free: Available to everyone, everywhere, without payment or account gating. It's a huge fucking deal for the world that they are and remain free. You want to change the world? Make something massively useful to the planet. Then, make it free.
- SomeoneOnTheNet 8y agoMaps is not free - as you mentioned, you pay with data. However, there are FOSS and privacy respecting alternatives, most are based upon OpenStreetMap - wikipedia style map of the world. Some data is still lacking, but at least you yourself can fix it if you want to.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]