google maps

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes. Sometimes they cover
the left half of the page, but they almost always cover the very thing
I'm looking for. I know they know about this, because it has been in
the checklist of things people might want to complain about for months.

How could they release such a monstrosity? The only thought that
occurs to me is that it works better on Win7 or 8, and works badly on
XP.

Is that true? Any of you guys have a later OS also? Is there a
difference?


Do you have a better map page you use? I've looked at several
alternatives and they don't seem as good as they once did.

Thanks

micky wrote:

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes. Sometimes they cover
the left half of the page, but they almost always cover the very thing
I'm looking for. I know they know about this, because it has been in
the checklist of things people might want to complain about for months.

How could they release such a monstrosity? The only thought that
occurs to me is that it works better on Win7 or 8, and works badly on
XP.

Is that true? Any of you guys have a later OS also? Is there a
difference?


Do you have a better map page you use? I've looked at several
alternatives and they don't seem as good as they once did.

Thanks
I just went there and my whole screen was a large map. I have no boxes anywhere.

Henry

micky wrote:
Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes. Sometimes they cover
the left half of the page, but they almost always cover the very thing
I'm looking for. I know they know about this, because it has been in
the checklist of things people might want to complain about for months.

How could they release such a monstrosity? The only thought that
occurs to me is that it works better on Win7 or 8, and works badly on
XP.

Is that true? Any of you guys have a later OS also? Is there a
difference?


Do you have a better map page you use? I've looked at several
alternatives and they don't seem as good as they once did.

Thanks

You "just" have to click on the map outside of the box to get it to shrink,
but it never goes away.

Alas, this seems to be the trend with most things these days.

To me, it's basically "let's load up and dumb down the interface until
people can't stand it anymore."

And preferably add more eye candy along the way, since we don't have barkers
anymore.

micky wrote:
Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes. Sometimes they cover
the left half of the page, but they almost always cover the very thing
I'm looking for. I know they know about this, because it has been in
the checklist of things people might want to complain about for months.

How could they release such a monstrosity? The only thought that
occurs to me is that it works better on Win7 or 8, and works badly on
XP.

Is that true? Any of you guys have a later OS also? Is there a
difference?

Do you have a better map page you use? I've looked at several
alternatives and they don't seem as good as they once did.

Thanks

I use xp3, 7-32, 7-64, and Mint Linux.
The Google map boxes can get smaller but still occupy a good portion of the screen.
I and many others have complained via user feedback to no avail.
Google has made maps useable with cell phones and no longer cares
about pc users. I use Google maps for work but have been using Bing
maps more. Bing is ok but does not zoom as good as Google.
Mapquest is garbage. There are no others.

On Mon, 08 Jun 2015 00:08:10 -0500, Paul in Houston TX
wrote:

micky wrote:
Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes. Sometimes they cover
the left half of the page, but they almost always cover the very thing
I'm looking for. I know they know about this, because it has been in
the checklist of things people might want to complain about for months.

How could they release such a monstrosity? The only thought that
occurs to me is that it works better on Win7 or 8, and works badly on
XP.

Is that true? Any of you guys have a later OS also? Is there a
difference?

Do you have a better map page you use? I've looked at several
alternatives and they don't seem as good as they once did.

Thanks

I use xp3, 7-32, 7-64, and Mint Linux.

So it's the same in all of them. Ugh. (at least there's no rush to
upgrade.)

The Google map boxes can get smaller but still occupy a good portion of the screen.

I forgot to mention a screen view that sat right in the middle of the
map yesterday and woudln't go away. I don't want street view unless I
want it.

And just now the map was darkened in its lower 20 or 25% and a street
view was in that too, along with something else. It wouldn't go away
either, not with clicking elsewhere, or escap

I and many others have complained via user feedback to no avail.
Google has made maps useable with cell phones and no longer cares
about pc users.

Incredible, but I believe you!

I use Google maps for work but have been using Bing
maps more. Bing is ok but does not zoom as good as Google.

I'll try Bing some more.

Mapquest is garbage. There are no others.

How depressing.

Even if I happily used my smart phone, I wouldn't use it for maps. I
look at maps before I leave the house, and I remember them. So I don't
have to look while I'm driving. I don't use no stinkin' GPS either.
I do intend to put a compass in the car, for cloudy days.

Now I'm going to have to go back to paper maps.

This might be useful:

http://www.jsware.net/jsware/gmapkit.php5

I found Google maps frustrating because they always
seemed to be changing them, they required javascript,
and the different versions were in different places.

Then I found out that Google makes their "maps API"
available to the public for free. What that means is that
anyone who knows how to code can use Google's
documentation to access their maps, satellite, streetview
and directions directly. So I wrote a simple program to
do just that. It will load a map; allows zooming; move
the position via right click; draw on the map via left
click; switch to satellite, hybrid or streetview; save
the map image as a file; get directions.

The program is very small and simple (about 1/2 MB
installed), runs on all Windows versions and requires no
extra support files. It just calls the Google server, using
their instructions, and receives back the data as text
or image. The image is then rendered in any size desired,
from 640x640 to 1280x1280.

On Sun, 07 Jun 2015 22:38:17 -0500, Henry wrote:

micky wrote:

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes.

I just went there and my whole screen was a large map. I have no boxes anywhere.


Ditto.

I have seen this before too.

Many virus scanners do not like to see a developer put out
applications.
They do this because they have nothing better to do.

They probably are hoping that in the future they can extract payment
from developers to NOT dis- their work.

And just why are you using Norton? Dump it!

wrote:
On Mon, 8 Jun 2015 10:03:23 -0400, "Mayayana"
wrote:

This might be useful:

http://www.jsware.net/jsware/gmapkit.php5

I found Google maps frustrating because they always
seemed to be changing them, they required javascript,
and the different versions were in different places.

Then I found out that Google makes their "maps API"
available to the public for free. What that means is that
anyone who knows how to code can use Google's
documentation to access their maps, satellite, streetview
and directions directly. So I wrote a simple program to
do just that. It will load a map; allows zooming; move
the position via right click; draw on the map via left
click; switch to satellite, hybrid or streetview; save
the map image as a file; get directions.

The program is very small and simple (about 1/2 MB
installed), runs on all Windows versions and requires no
extra support files. It just calls the Google server, using
their instructions, and receives back the data as text
or image. The image is then rendered in any size desired,
from 640x640 to 1280x1280.


What did you do to **** off Norton?

I get this


Updated:
February 15, 2012 3:15:47 PM
Type:
Other
Risk Impact:
High
Systems Affected:
Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server
2008, Windows Vista, Windows XP

Behavior
WS.Reputation.1 is a detection for files that have a low reputation
score based on analyzing data from Symantec’s community of users and
therefore are likely to be security risks. Detections of this type are
based on Symantec’s reputation-based security technology. Because this
detection is based on a reputation score, it does not represent a
specific class of threat like adware or spyware, but instead applies
to all threat categories.

Here's your answer.

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/06/25/how...tion-1-system/

Paul

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:
On Sun, 07 Jun 2015 22:38:17 -0500, Henry wrote:

micky wrote:

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes.

I just went there and my whole screen was a large map. I have no
boxes anywhere.


Ditto.

What browser (including version) are you (micky and Ken) using? Any
plugins that block things (ad.s, flash, etc.)?
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Film: The Mackintosh Man, starring Paul Newman. Contains flashing images."
- quoted on TNQ 2014-12-12.

|
| What did you do to **** off Norton?
|
| I get this...
|

That's interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I
guess I'll have to put an explanation on my site and
add Paul's link.

I'm guessing the issue is probably
that I'm a small operation, so I have no discernible
reputation from Norton's point of view. Apparently
Norton is taking an approach of guilty-until-proven
-innocent. Sort of "suburban xenophobia" as a
security protocol.

There's been a general trend in recent years to
discourage people from using non-corporate anything --
from software to webpages. It's all part of the move
toward corporate software-as-a-service, but it
conveniently dovetails with increased security worries.
Mainstream people are typically running *at least*
one security scanner and typically going from Facebook
to Amazon to Google... never really leaving the corporate
shopping mall. So for most people Norton's design
probably isn't a problem. It just keeps them from
straying off into "gamey" territory.

I've also run into problems with Avira. In that case
it was a generic false positive. I tried to contact
them to fix it. It turned out that no one is home at
Avira. I have to just recompile my EXEs until Avira
stops yapping.

I'd kind of like to accomodate these problems and do
what I can to solve them, but it's getting worse, and
most of my software is free, used mainly by IT people
and others who are tech-handy. With Avira I was able
to stop the alarms
by making minor changes to the program executable,
but there's not much I can do about the Norton
nonsense. It might help if I buy a digital certificate
and then "sign" my files, but then again it might not
help. In the meantime I'd be investing money to
reassure people about my software, which I'm not
getting paid for.

| Updated:
| February 15, 2012 3:15:47 PM

That's rather quirky. The GMap Kit program isn't even
that old. I guess that fits with the evil-unless-known
approach.

| Risk Impact:
| High

Oh, well. The license does say you use it at your
own risk. I guess I wouldn't recommend it for people
who wear a helmet and safety belt at their computer.

Ironically, one of the reasons I wrote the program
was so that I can avoid being tracked and enabling
risky javascript online. GMap Kit has to give Google
your IP address, but aside from that it's the most
private possible way to get Google maps, because
it doesn't use any browser libraries or components
to do its job. It just talks directly to Google's map
server via Windows "sockets". No cookies. No cache.
No script.

Mayayana wrote:
|
| What did you do to **** off Norton?
|
| I get this...
|

That's interesting. Thanks for letting me know. I
guess I'll have to put an explanation on my site and
add Paul's link.

I'm guessing the issue is probably
that I'm a small operation, so I have no discernible
reputation from Norton's point of view. Apparently
Norton is taking an approach of guilty-until-proven
-innocent. Sort of "suburban xenophobia" as a
security protocol.

There's been a general trend in recent years to
discourage people from using non-corporate anything --
from software to webpages. It's all part of the move
toward corporate software-as-a-service, but it
conveniently dovetails with increased security worries.
Mainstream people are typically running *at least*
one security scanner and typically going from Facebook
to Amazon to Google... never really leaving the corporate
shopping mall. So for most people Norton's design
probably isn't a problem. It just keeps them from
straying off into "gamey" territory.

I've also run into problems with Avira. In that case
it was a generic false positive. I tried to contact
them to fix it. It turned out that no one is home at
Avira. I have to just recompile my EXEs until Avira
stops yapping.

I'd kind of like to accomodate these problems and do
what I can to solve them, but it's getting worse, and
most of my software is free, used mainly by IT people
and others who are tech-handy. With Avira I was able
to stop the alarms
by making minor changes to the program executable,
but there's not much I can do about the Norton
nonsense. It might help if I buy a digital certificate
and then "sign" my files, but then again it might not
help. In the meantime I'd be investing money to
reassure people about my software, which I'm not
getting paid for.

| Updated:
| February 15, 2012 3:15:47 PM

That's rather quirky. The GMap Kit program isn't even
that old. I guess that fits with the evil-unless-known
approach.

| Risk Impact:
| High

Oh, well. The license does say you use it at your
own risk. I guess I wouldn't recommend it for people
who wear a helmet and safety belt at their computer.

Ironically, one of the reasons I wrote the program
was so that I can avoid being tracked and enabling
risky javascript online. GMap Kit has to give Google
your IP address, but aside from that it's the most
private possible way to get Google maps, because
it doesn't use any browser libraries or components
to do its job. It just talks directly to Google's map
server via Windows "sockets". No cookies. No cache.
No script.

Interesting synopsis.
I have never used any virus shields and probably never will.
Then again I am computer literate and avoid teenie sites.
I do scan _some_ downloads and scan the computers once a week using Sophos,
MWB, etc. Have never found any bad stuff.
Norton and McAfee have been banned by my employer on the corp. machines.

On Mon, 8 Jun 2015 23:42:00 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:
On Sun, 07 Jun 2015 22:38:17 -0500, Henry wrote:

micky wrote:

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes.

I just went there and my whole screen was a large map. I have no
boxes anywhere.


Ditto.

What browser (including version) are you (micky and Ken) using? Any
plugins that block things (ad.s, flash, etc.)?


Firefox. Plugins that matter? I don't know.

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:
On Mon, 8 Jun 2015 23:42:00 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:
On Sun, 07 Jun 2015 22:38:17 -0500, Henry wrote:

micky wrote:

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes.

I just went there and my whole screen was a large map. I have no
boxes anywhere.


Ditto.

What browser (including version) are you (micky and Ken) using? Any
plugins that block things (ad.s, flash, etc.)?


Firefox. Plugins that matter? I don't know.

Hmm. With my Firefox 25 or 26 (but I think for several earlier too),
Google Maps hasn't worked for me for ages. I have flashblock and a few
other blockers, but I don't get the flashblock play symbols, so it isn't
that: if I go to Google maps, I get something that obviously thinks it's
working, but the space where the actual maps should be (most of the
screen) is just graph paper (very light grey with white grid). (If I
click "Satellite", I get dark grey with a white or light grey grid; if I
then click "Map", it switches back. Oh, and the + and - zoom symbols are
next to each other, rather than having a string with a slider on it
between them.)

Mayayana's Gmap Kit works fine! (The zoom and camera angles are a bit
clunky, but I shouldn't complain - it's free and works!)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

.... we, the inter/in/actives of this world, need to unite and do nothing.
That'll teach them. Let telly make its own programmes.
- Alison Graham, RT 23-29 April 2011

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:
On Mon, 8 Jun 2015 23:42:00 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
wrote:

In message , "Ken Blake,
MVP" writes:
On Sun, 07 Jun 2015 22:38:17 -0500, Henry wrote:

micky wrote:

Google's new map.google.com, which redirects to
https://www.google.com/,maps , has more than one problem, but the
biggest is that the page is covered with boxes.

I just went there and my whole screen was a large map. I have no
boxes anywhere.


Ditto.

What browser (including version) are you (micky and Ken) using? Any
plugins that block things (ad.s, flash, etc.)?


Firefox. Plugins that matter? I don't know.

Hmm. With my Firefox 25 or 26 (but I think for several earlier too),
Google Maps hasn't worked for me for ages. I have flashblock and a few
other blockers, but I don't get the flashblock play symbols, so it isn't
that: if I go to Google maps, I get something that obviously thinks it's
working, but the space where the actual maps should be (most of the
screen) is just graph paper (very light grey with white grid). (If I
click "Satellite", I get dark grey with a white or light grey grid; if I
then click "Map", it switches back. Oh, and the + and - zoom symbols are
next to each other, rather than having a string with a slider on it
between them.)

But that's not a problem with Firefox, per se. There's got to be something
else unique about your setup. One suggestion would be to disable your
plug-ins and/or ad blockers one by one, and see what happens.

And just because you don't see the flashblock play symbols doesn't
necessarily guarantee it's not working in the background. But then again,
I've got Flashblock installed, and the maps still work for me, so I don't
think that's it, but it might be worth a try (disabling and checking).