[OSM-dev] Naming streets without applet

[Tom Carden]

On 23/05/06, Erik Johansson <erjohan at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 5/23/06, Tom Carden <tom at tom-carden.co.uk> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, it would be possible to get the slippy map interface to name
> > streets.  In an AJAX-y way, you could do mouse-over interaction for
> > each street, and highlight it using an SVG overlay (or Canvas, or
> > VML).
> [..]
> > How do you envisage laying out the interface so that it is less
> > confusing than the applet?
> [..]
> > Is there a specific problem you think Windows users will have with
> > the applet,
>
> Java is not distributed with Windows, and SVG is not supported by IE.
> This is, what? 60% of the users that might be interested in
> Openstreetmap (atm).

Java is installed on lots of new Windows machines.  The last Dell I
got had 1.4 installed, and the Sony laptops we have at work have it
too.

That said, Ben Fry at processing.org quoted the following stats last
June for his zipdecode applet:

11698 - not installed
7742 - 1.1
329 - 1.3
5154 - 1.4
7668 - 1.5

http://acg.media.mit.edu/people/fry/zipdecode/
http://processing.org/discourse/yabb_beta/YaBB.cgi?board=Collaboration;action=display;num=1119428607

That would imply that (lumping all OSs together), if we only support
1.4 and 1.5, OSM's applet editor can probably reach 40% of casual
browsers with a passing interest in geo stuff.  Obviously it will be
more of the hardcore developer/geo crowd, but only the ones who
haven't switched to macs yet, and it will be less of the ones who
refuse to install Java on principle.

For compatibility reasons alone we should either work hard at
supporting Java 1.1 or switch to a platform that is better
supported... Flash would be it, I guess, but only if enough people are
willing to support/bug-fix it.  (One is enough if they're dedicated).

T.