[OSM-talk] STFU

[Johan C]

On 3 Feb 2013 00:31, "Tom Taylor" <tom.taylor.stds at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> ...They don't contribute to the mapping that is presumably our primary
interest.
>

@ Robin
> ...where was the option for "i don't want a board, we don't need
representing?"

Our main page states:
the project that creates and distributes
free<http://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright> geographic
data for the world.

Nice to have lots of data, with lots of different quality levels, but what
the hack if it's not being used and improved due to interaction with humans
using navigation apps, search engines, and other applications aimed at user
experience? I'm very interested in the motives of people contributing to
Google Map Maker. Why won't they use Openstreetmap? Why voluntarily choose
for a closed system instead of an open system? The answer so far: because
Google Maps is being used by a lot of people, you can help much more people
by contributing through GMM than through OSM.

And maybe they are right. The goal of OSM is indeed not to have a benefit
for people. The goal is to create data. And following that goal, it's not
important to be big. It's not important to ask yourself why only 30.000 of
the 1.030.000 registered OSM'ers are active contributors. It's not
important to ask yourself what can be done to encourage the other 1.000.000
to become an active contributor. Just let me do my own thing. And don't
have some people think of these things because they are interested in the
future of OSM. It's too political. It's too (dirty word) strategic. That
doesn't help mapping.....

My sentences above are not cynical. It's just what the community wants
(oops, how do 'we' measure that actually?). 'We' didn't encourage 1.000.000
registered but inactive users yet to become active. 'We' didn't wonder why
GMM succesfully created a large community. 'We' didn't ask ourself the
question why businesses rush to get their geolocation in Google Maps, and
refuse (personal experience with big corporations like McDonalds) to have
their geolocation in OSM. So, it's good to have a lot of mappers doing
their thing using great hardware and software (created by centralized
decisions by people with a vision to create OSM, get help from a university
to host hardware, create Potlatch, JOSM, Mapnik etc etc). It's also good to
have a sort of centralized thinking about the future of OSM, not only by
OSMF, but by anyone who is interested in thinking about 'our' future. Where
do we want OSM to be in a few years?

But, that's my opinion. If I'm the only one in the community asking myself
these questions, than I'll shut up. Pulling on a dead horse is heavy....

Cheers, Johan

An addicted mapper
http://hdyc.neis-one.org/?It%27s%20so%20funny


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