[OSM-talk] "OSM mapping is difficult" (was: privacy policy)

Laurence Penney lorp at lorp.org
Fri Jul 28 15:25:27 BST 2006


I think one huge usability improvement to JOSM (and one that isn't too much work 
for Imi) is for JOSM to use Wiki pages as sources for texts to show in various 
places.

e.g.

* some text that appears when you first start JOSM
* explanations of how to tag
* descriptions of how to use particular tag keys such as 'highway'

All such pages can be named e.g. "JOSM: Introduction", "JOSM: Adding nodes", 
etc. and be part of Category:JOSM or Category:Keys on the Wiki. We can all 
maintain these pages, while Imi just has to get JOSM to refresh its cache of 
such pages from time to time, perhaps by RSS feed.

-- Laurence

Andy Robinson wrote:
> Imi, I don't think we have aimed too high and I find JOSM very intuitive.
> However its not easy to make a start with even JOSM if you are presented
> with a blank screen at the start. There would be benefit in integrating some
> geocoder or other location ability so that a new user can get started at the
> right location straight away. Really cool if on the OSM main map page there
> was a link to JOSM that downloaded JOSM, opened it and loaded the area you
> are viewing much in the same way as the applet does. But then maybe you
> think JOSM should be for only the power user. I personally think it can be
> good for non power users too.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Andy
> 
> Andy Robinson
> Andy_J_Robinson at blueyonder.co.uk 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: talk-bounces at openstreetmap.org [mailto:talk-
>> bounces at openstreetmap.org] On Behalf Of Immanuel Scholz
>> Sent: 28 July 2006 13:59
>> To: talk at openstreetmap.org
>> Subject: [OSM-talk] "OSM mapping is difficult" (was: privacy policy)
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>>> OSM mapping is difficult - I suggest we should be raising the bar to
>>> participate, rather than lowering it, at least in the early stages.
>> If this is the case, then we failed misserably.
>>
>> If OSM if something other than an approach to make mapping and using the
>> stuff easy for all, then it is time to start another project with the goal
>> to "make mapping and using the maps easy for all", maybe with lower
>> secondary goals (e.g. loosing applications that require tighty
>> structures).
>>
>>
>> Or maybe I am in the wrong community?
>>
>>
>> Ciao, Imi






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