Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by aib 1040 days ago
"Google Maps" is a misnomer. Call it "Google Business Search" or something similar, and the perceived problems disappear.

Google Maps provides a small fraction of the functions of a real map. And this fraction does not even cover the fundamentals: Street names, landmarks/points of interest, being able to draw or create marks on the map, and perhaps making basic measurements. Its main view has marginally more information than the "share location" screen of a messenger app.

It's a car-driving always-online consumer's guide to spending money. Extremely useful, but not a map.
3 comments
goguy 1040 days ago
That's not really true though is it. I use it countless times a week to navigate from my current location to point x l, generally a postal code or POI.

At no point during this do I have to interact with alternative businesses or way points.

link
aix1 1040 days ago
I agree that Google Maps does work as a navigation aid in certain environments (e.g. dense urban) and certain transportation modalities (definitely cars, to a lesser extent public transport, bike and pedestrian).

In my experience it's also useable as a general street/road map. It's clearly not a topographical map; I think it would be foolish and potentially dangerous to rely on Google Maps to, say, hike in the Alps. A standard topographical map would fit that use case much better.

P.S. I don't quite follow some of the complaints on this thread about the UX. For example, I always see the map scale in the bottom-right corner of the app. It is true that street names are not always written onto the map; however, clicking on a street gives me a popup with the name (not the most ergonomic UX, but it's not like the app is trying to hide the info, as some commenters are claiming).

link
pepa65 1040 days ago
Another gem I never knew about: "clicking on a street gives me a popup with the name". You have to really click precisely, but that worked..!
link
sznio 1040 days ago
>perhaps making basic measurements

Can be done. Right-click on PC, drop a pin and then choose "Measure distance" on mobile.

>being able to draw or create marks on the map

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/. Seems like they forgot to shut it down - it's design wasn't updated since 2013.

link
okdood64 1030 days ago
Incredible how out of touch HNers are. It's just a fucking maps app.
link