Google Maps was revolutionary when it came out. Maps had smooth, animated panning and zooming that updated the map in real time without reloading the page. Map

Google Maps was revolutionary when it came out. Maps had smooth, animated panning and zooming that updated the map in real time without reloading the page. MapQuest and the other major competitors at the time only allowed panning and zooming by clicking buttons on the side of the map, which scrolled a predefined number of steps and reloaded, at least initially, the entire page when you did so. Google Maps was also less cluttered and used the browser's real estate much effectively. MapQuest was a small, cramped map by comparison. Screenshots: https://i2.wp.com/www.matthewhurst.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/mapquest-2005.jpg https://i2.wp.com/www.matthewhurst.com/wp-content/uploads/20... https://www.versionmuseum.com/images/websites/google-maps-website/google-maps-website%5E2005%5Emap-search.png https://www.versionmuseum.com/images/websites/google-maps-we...