Google to start charging for Google Maps

The BBC reports that from January 1, heavy users of the Google Maps API service will be slugged.

Charges will kick in when websites exceed a limit of more than 25,000 map "hits" a day.

The change is aimed at travel firms and real estate agents, which use Google Maps to show customers a view of locations they are interested in.

Google says the limit "will only affect 0.35 per cent of users".

Thor Mitchell, product manager of Maps API at Google, said: "We need to secure its long-term future by ensuring that even when used by the highest-volume for-profit sites, the service remains viable." The BBC said Google is expected to charge $4 every 1000 views over the limit

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15523050

One would think that after all the things google has stolen from others and all the opensource projects they have activley killed that maybe they would give something back to be nice.

[dragonbite]

$4 every 1000 views over the limit

Depending on the location, if a site (like a convention center) has a map on their site for giving people directions and they have a particularly popular event going on could they get their applet either blocked or starting to cost them money?

If this were to happen, I could see Bing getting a little bump up in usership.

[fedvasu]

Originally Posted by birdwatcher

One would think that after all the things google has stolen from others and all the opensource projects they have activley killed that maybe they would give something back to be nice.

yes Google is evil but Micro$oft is the Evil empire as in "Empire strikes back". so no Bing only DuckDuckGo.

Originally Posted by fedvasu

yes Google is evil but Micro$oft is the Evil empire as in "Empire strikes back". so no Bing only DuckDuckGo.

You seems to like that duckduck thing. I tried it and the results isn't as bad as I expected, are it using its own search algoritm or is it powerd by Google?

[DBelton]

Originally Posted by birdwatcher

You seems to like that duckduck thing. I tried it and the results isn't as bad as I expected, are it using its own search algoritm or is it powerd by Google?

According to Duckduckgo:

Where do you get your results?

From over 30 sources, including DuckDuckBot (our own crawler), crowd-sourced sites (in our own index), Yahoo! "BOSS", "embed.ly", "WolframAlpha", "EntireWeb", "Bing" & "Blekko". For any given search, there is usually a vertical search engine out there that does a better job at answering it than a general search engine. Our long-term goal is to get you information from that best source, ideally in instant answer form.

[fedvasu]

Originally Posted by birdwatcher

You seems to like that duckduck thing. I tried it and the results isn't as bad as I expected, are it using its own search algoritm or is it powerd by Google?

as Dbelton broadly elaborates , it's basically built using Yahoo! API's ,i guess from 2012 all yahoo queries will go through bing. when search fails they let you use, Google,Bing or Yahoo!.

[trigpoint]

How about OpenStreetMap as an alternative?

I hate bing, I used to use multimap, but since it has become bing they have removed a lot of the useful functionality that multimap had. The big one being removing the support for grid references in the url.

[fedvasu]

Originally Posted by trigpoint

How about OpenStreetMap as an alternative?

I hate bing, I used to use multimap, but since it has become bing they have removed a lot of the useful functionality that multimap had. The big one being removing the support for grid references in the url.

not much of development in openstreetMap , read phoronix article on pathetic state of "high-proprity" FSF projects , I disagree with phoronix about many issues but i completely agree with the lead(only?) editor on this.

[trigpoint]

Originally Posted by fedvasu

not much of development in openstreetMap , read phoronix article on pathetic state of "high-proprity" FSF projects , I disagree with phoronix about many issues but i completely agree with the lead(only?) editor on this.

I did read the article, but must admit its not my experience of OpenStreetMap, whilst there is detail to add and minor changes, its been a long time since I have come across a clean area to play with. If you need a map to put on your site to show where your business is, them its not hard to go out and update OpenStreetMap.

Was a bit suprised by the comments on tax software, its just not something normal people use. The self employed have accountants and on the rare occasion you need it you get an interest statement from the bank, a few share dividend slips and your Annual earnings statement from your employer, what else would you need?

[DBelton]

You must not be in the United States where the Infernal Revenue Service and the esteemed congress have teamed up to make the tax code a undecipherable code that takes numerous politicians and lawyers many years just to read it, and even then there is no way that they could ever even hope to understand it.

I would have to say that it has gotten to where over 90% of the individual taxpayers use some form of tax software, and the self-employed hire an accountant that uses pretty much the same tax software.

The only winners in our hieroglyphic tax code are the large corporations and they end up paying little or no tax due to the many loopholes that their millions of dollars bought congress critters to include.

[dragonbite]

Originally Posted by DBelton

The only winners in our hieroglyphic tax code are the large corporations and they end up paying little or no tax due to the many loopholes that their millions of dollars bought congress critters to include.

And Accountants!

[DBelton]

Yep! and they are forcing even more to go to accountants versus the "other" tax preparers, too.

According to the newly revised Circular 230 rules, those individuals who are not Circular 230 Practitioners (Licensed CPAs, Attorneys, Enrolled Agents, Enrolled Actuaries and Enrolled Retirement Plan Agents) are considered unenrolled preparers and, as such, have limited practice rights.

Unenrolled preparers have been currently issued what is called a “provisional PTIN”. These individuals will have to pass a test by 2013, complete a minimum level of CPE annually and pass background checks (including fingerprinting). Licensed CPAs are exempt from this testing and already meet stricter CPE requirements to maintain their license.

What a crock of #$#%@%!

[dragonbite]

Oh, I thought it said

“provisional PITN”

meaning provisional Pain In The Neck!

[friTTe]

This sucks..i usually use it on my Android device as a GPS