3 ms·

If they can't keep a cache of your recent locations, it would be difficult for them to apply optimization of your location, prediction of your car's path, etc.

If they can't keep a cache of your recent locations, it would be difficult for them to apply optimization of your location, prediction of your car's path, etc. and Google Maps would be a much more jarring experience, akin to a GPS device. I think they do need the client to send recent locations per request if they want to deliver an optimal experience. For example, what if I wanted to implement loading automatic nearby locations? Naively, I could fetch the results within a radius R of the current received location. However, that's not good if I'm on the highway. The smarter algorithm would take into account the car's position, velocity, and angular velocity to calculate a better spot to query around, or perhaps a different shape to query in other than a circle with radius R.

bambax 7y ago
> if they want to deliver an optimal experience I should be able to decide what "experience" I want. I don't want "more", I'm happy with "good enough". Anyway, I'm very fine with how it works now, except for the nagging. I allow the app to know my location, of course, just not to store any history.
- ryanmercer 7y ago
  >I should be able to decide what "experience" I want. You can. You can use their 'free' app that you pay for with your location data or you can pay a one time fee for a road atlas with no updates.
  - zentiggr 7y ago
    Or you can use the Navigator app by someone else, that has a free option, nothing feeds to the Google monster, and behaves pretty much exactly like an old style GPS device with some modern additions. Good enough indeed.
- anonytrary 7y ago
  Nobody wants to use a maps app that feel like it's from 2004. There's a reason people put up with giving their data away -- because data drives machine intelligence, which makes your maps app smoother, more responsive, more useful, and overall a much better experience. I, too, don't want to give my data away. But when I'm in my car, the most important thing is that I get to my destination safely and on time. That acute need vastly outweighs my own philosophy on who I think should have my data. I'm just being honest with myself. I can't deny that I make heavy use of products that make heavy use of my personal data. People in this community seem to think of personal data collection as a form of parasitism, but in reality, it is far closer to mutualism.

bambax 7y ago

> if they want to deliver an optimal experience I should be able to decide what "experience" I want. I don't want "more", I'm happy with "good enough". Anyway, I'm very fine with how it works now, except for the nagging. I allow the app to know my location, of course, just not to store any history.

ryanmercer 7y ago
>I should be able to decide what "experience" I want. You can. You can use their 'free' app that you pay for with your location data or you can pay a one time fee for a road atlas with no updates.
- zentiggr 7y ago
  Or you can use the Navigator app by someone else, that has a free option, nothing feeds to the Google monster, and behaves pretty much exactly like an old style GPS device with some modern additions. Good enough indeed.
anonytrary 7y ago
Nobody wants to use a maps app that feel like it's from 2004. There's a reason people put up with giving their data away -- because data drives machine intelligence, which makes your maps app smoother, more responsive, more useful, and overall a much better experience. I, too, don't want to give my data away. But when I'm in my car, the most important thing is that I get to my destination safely and on time. That acute need vastly outweighs my own philosophy on who I think should have my data. I'm just being honest with myself. I can't deny that I make heavy use of products that make heavy use of my personal data. People in this community seem to think of personal data collection as a form of parasitism, but in reality, it is far closer to mutualism.