HikeArizona.COM

Google Earth Pro, which use to cost $399.00 is now FREE of charge from the Google Earth website.

I don't work for Google, BTW.

Just curious, what would be the added things we would experience.

@Alston Neal
https://support.google.com/earth/answer/189188?hl=en

Ingest up to 2500 addresses at a time

Yum, I'll have to hike more to work that off.

FREE!!!! That's my motto as in, "If it's FREE, gimme some (unless it's surgery)". That said, have any of my HAZ peeps experimented with this FREE version of GE? I checked out the web site, and the features of the FREE version of GE Professional are very impressive, but are any of these features of value for recreational user?

@SAMBA
I have it loaded and have experimented with the Track Tour Movie creator.

I believe it is being made free because it's slowly going away.


http://www.networkworld.com/article/285 ... h-api.html

@The Eagle Yo Eagle,

I just had another epiphany, or something that might be so construed. If memory serves me correctly, there are some on this distinguished forum who are consumed with worthless desire to digitally capture pictures of all the dive bars in Arizona. Have you stumbled on any GE Professional features which might make their (his?) endeavors more meaningful?

@big_load
I hope it is replaced with something with similar features. I absolutely hate the Google Maps version of things when it comes to satellite views and aerial research. GE is a much more powerful and useful application.

Google Earth is a standalone program.

API = application program interface

If you see Facebook comments on a site that isn't FB that site is using what is called an API.

The networkworld article is in reference to the API not the standalone most are familiar using.

@joe bartels Yes, but I think the events are bound by a common intent. Investment in Google Earth has been waning for ages, and rumors have floated for the last couple years that they would step away from it altogether except for some existing contractual obligations that will eventually expire. It will probably remain useful for many purposes for a long time, but their days in the drivers seat appear to be over. We're already looking at alternatives.

big_load wrote:We're already looking at alternatives.

Can you share some other one's you're looking at?

@joe bartels tech idiot here. Question. Isnt the api integral to how the standalone app works too (not just the other stuff that uses it). If they're not supporting the Api doesn't the standalone program lose functionality too? (Presumably over time)

@The Eagle
There are plenty of contenders. Cesium seems to be a popular open-source alternative.

@big_load
Yo Eagle,

If you're so smart, can you interpret this
Cesium is a JavaScript library for creating 3D globes and 2D maps in a web browser without a plugin. It uses WebGL for hardware-accelerated graphics, and is cross-platform, cross-browser, and tuned for dynamic-data visualization. Cesium is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It is free for commercial and non-commercial use." for me??

SAMBA wrote:If you're so smart, can you interpret this
Cesium is a JavaScript library for creating 3D globes and 2D maps in a web browser without a plugin. It uses WebGL for hardware-accelerated graphics, and is cross-platform, cross-browser, and tuned for dynamic-data visualization. Cesium is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. It is free for commercial and non-commercial use."

It says it all right there, what more do you need.... It's even spelled out. ;)

@chumley The article is talking about the developer API not the internals of the standalone.

HAZ Tracks for instance imports/exports to HikeArizona.COM the website. While it is an api it is not a "developers api" open to the public.

The API in the article is used by what is called a browser plugin. For reference the map on the homepage of HAZ is powered by a FLASH plugin. Apple has never supported plugins stating they are bulky, slow and a security risk. In the near future all major browsers are dropping plugin support hence why the article surfaced. Yet as Alex pointed out there are multiple alternatives ( many free ) now so I don't doubt Google dropping GE.

BTW, the Adobe Flash player is one of my pet peeves. I have Flash blocked on most sites, except for HAZ and a couple of others where it's necessary to do important tasks.

@Jason Cleghorn
after reading your post yesterday, I went ahead and downloaded Google Pro. plugged in my brothers address in Candia N.H. when it was snowing. They have over 4' of snow on the ground already this year. I was expecting to see lots of snow, but when Google earth pro showed the area it was a picture of summer.
I'm not a computer savvy person, so very possible I did something wrong along the way. Thought it was strange the image was not in real time.

Bob Lacourse wrote:@Jason Cleghorn
after reading your post yesterday, I went ahead and downloaded Google Pro. plugged in my brothers address in Candia N.H. when it was snowing. They have over 4' of snow on the ground already this year. I was expecting to see lots of snow, but when Google earth pro showed the area it was a picture of summer.
I'm not a computer savvy person, so very possible I did something wrong along the way. Thought it was strange the image was not in real time.

Sarcasm? You'd have to work in the Pentagon to get that... =D>