[OSM-talk] N00b experiences

[Lars Aronsson]

Christoph Eckert wrote:

> So my main question is: Do you agree that the editing tools need 
> improvements? If so: Are there enough hackers who are willing to 
> spend some spare time in improving (e.g.) osmeditor2?

I agree that the software needs improvement, and you should give 
it a go while you have the energy.  I would personally appreciate 
if you would improve the Java applet, or even develop a map editor 
directly in AJAX, because that would remove the need to download 
and install a separate editor program.  I want new users to be 
able to edit directly from their browsers, for example at a 
library or an Internet cafe where they cannot install programs.

When I joined OSM a year ago, the situation was even worse.  The 
software was a bit more primitive than today, but the worst was 
the complete lack of contents.  Since then much contents has been 
added, and the software has improved a little, but not a lot.  
Yes, some new applications such as JOSM and Osmarender have been 
added, but the core system is still rather primitive.

It's funny that you compare to Wikipedia because I had exactly 
this experience with Wikipedia in 2001: Crappy software and almost 
no content at all.  Their software improved at a glacial pace, and 
it was only towards the end of 2003 that it worked OK.  In between 
I started my own wiki project with my own modifications to the 
software, that grew to become in 2003 the world's 3rd biggest 
wiki, at the time having 30,000 articles -- in Swedish.

In 2005, I didn't start any alternative mapping project, but 
started to collect tracklogs for OpenStreetMap.  Drawing the maps 
can be done in different ways, perhaps even automated, but 
collecting the tracklogs means you have to be there and drive that 
road.  This is nothing that will change much in ten years time. 
Since I live in Sweden and have a good overview of the open source 
movement here, I know it's not very likely that anybody else would 
go out to collect Swedish tracklogs for me so that I could relax 
with software development.  Instead I let the Englishmen and 
Germans improve the software, while I'm out driving the streets. 
And as a result, Sweden is now one of the best mapped countries in 
OpenStreetMap (and Swedish is a top-10 language at Wikipedia).


-- 
  Lars Aronsson (lars at aronsson.se)
  Aronsson Datateknik - http://aronsson.se