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The summary and a number of the comments may be going a wee bit overboard while lambasting the order of the court. Any court has a certain jurisdiction, dependent on the constitutions, legislative acts, treaties, and case law within that jurisdiction. How a NY state judge rules doesn't matter to me in HI unless I enter or transact business with NY. This is understood by the NY judge, and is assumed when writing the decision.

Likewise, I could sell material for the NSDAP on-line, and if a German federal judge doesn't like it, tough beans.

What would have caught my attention is if the text of Chanel, Inc v. Does had used the words like global or specifically stipulated a foreign search engine.

I hit the back button and it brought me back to your comment, not where I expected to be.

Look at what Google Maps did for online mapping and tell me AJAX is "just a fad".

• The back button can be made to work. We went to great lengths to make sure the back button takes you to the previous view in http://map.search.ch/ . Try clicking it for a zoom, then hit the back button.
• The fact that URLs don't auto-update doesn't mean that permalinks are impossible. We create a permalink every time you do a search or enter the "email this page" screen. See http://map.search.ch/zurich
• Even auto-updating URLs when navigating inside an AJAX app are possible, we have plans to implement that in the future.
• And of course, our map works just fine without javascript. http://map.search.ch/?s=1

• The back button can be made to work. We went to great lengths to make sure the back button takes you to the previous view in http://map.search.ch/ . Try clicking it for a zoom, then hit the back button.
• The fact that URLs don't auto-update doesn't mean that permalinks are impossible. We create a permalink every time you do a search or enter the "email this page" screen. See http://map.search.ch/zurich
• Even auto-updating URLs when navigating inside an AJAX app are possible, we have plans to implement that in the future.
• And of course, our map works just fine without javascript. http://map.search.ch/?s=1

• The back button can be made to work. We went to great lengths to make sure the back button takes you to the previous view in http://map.search.ch/ . Try clicking it for a zoom, then hit the back button.
• The fact that URLs don't auto-update doesn't mean that permalinks are impossible. We create a permalink every time you do a search or enter the "email this page" screen. See http://map.search.ch/zurich
• Even auto-updating URLs when navigating inside an AJAX app are possible, we have plans to implement that in the future.
• And of course, our map works just fine without javascript. http://map.search.ch/?s=1

And if you want a fancy interface map.search.ch does a much better job of it anyway (try turning on their webcam overlay, or their train station overlay, and hover over the resulting symbols, for instance)...

Wake me up when google covers Switzerland as good as http://map.search.ch/

Maps: That interface -- scrolling, markers, and all -- is done entirely in javascript. No plugins, no flash, no helpers. Nobody thought that that sort of thing was even possible.

Except http://map.search.ch/ - they did the same thing - before google. Not only that - it also loads faster via ISDN and has IMHO a better interface. Take a look at http://map.search.ch/zuerich as example.

b4n

Maps: That interface -- scrolling, markers, and all -- is done entirely in javascript. No plugins, no flash, no helpers. Nobody thought that that sort of thing was even possible.

Except http://map.search.ch/ - they did the same thing - before google. Not only that - it also loads faster via ISDN and has IMHO a better interface. Take a look at http://map.search.ch/zuerich as example.

b4n

And they copied the most innovative part of Goggle maps - tile-based pre-built raster images to assemble dynamic ... While the rest of the GIS community was happily working to make incremental improvements to the old paradigm, Google innovated a new paradigm. MSN just copied it.

I have to say that you are wrong about this being a google innovation, these ideas were developed and online well before either google maps or msn's virtual earth. map.search.ch is still in many ways better than what google or msn are offering - i really like th keyboard navigation.

map.search.ch was launched in october 2004 google maps came later in 2005.

And they copied the most innovative part of Goggle maps - tile-based pre-built raster images to assemble dynamic ... While the rest of the GIS community was happily working to make incremental improvements to the old paradigm, Google innovated a new paradigm. MSN just copied it.

I have to say that you are wrong about this being a google innovation, these ideas were developed and online well before either google maps or msn's virtual earth. map.search.ch is still in many ways better than what google or msn are offering - i really like th keyboard navigation.

map.search.ch was launched in october 2004 google maps came later in 2005.

Oops. The map link was meant to be: http://map.search.ch/

You miss the point. Even if I agreed with you that putting a ton of Ph.D. level developers together would somehow translate into great products (I don't - most CS Ph.D's I've met or talked to are generally clueless outside the narrow field they wrote their dissertation in - I'd take practical software engineering experience over a Ph.D any day - most of the good people I've hired have actually been people without degrees that went straight into the workforce because they had enough of an interest in software engineering to have picked it up before they reached college age) there is still the difference between coming up with a great product and cloning it.

Assuming that Google manages to keep cranking out these apps, the problem is that they are easy to copy - it took me less than a day to clone the basics of the Gmail interface without ever looking at the source of any of their javascript / HTML (no, I don't work on mail these days - I was experimenting on a hobby basis because I was curious). Writing the mail system itself would take longer, but is a solved problem for most of the larger portals (or can be done by a small team - I've designed and managed development of a mail system for a few million accounts before, and know from personal experience that a scalable platform can be written from scratch and deployed with 4-5 engineers in less than 6 months).

Copying the "new" parts of the Google Maps interface took me 3 hours for a proof of concept (not for work reasons, mind you, I just wanted to see how hard it was). It's getting the map and direction data and doing route planning that takes time, but that is also a "solved problem" in that the data and software can be bought off the shelves for less than it costs to headhunt a single of your precious Ph.D holders.

Now, consider that Yahoo! for instance employs significantly many more engineers than Google employs people total, and can easily afford to hire thousands more if they thought it was needed, and that Microsoft employs about 5 times as many people as Yahoo! total, and can easily afford to hire tens of thousands more if they thought it was needed, and I hope you realise that the uniqueness of Google's services is there at the mercy of Yahoo! and MSN, not because they can't be easily cloned.

The same is true for practically any Google service. The only one I can think of that is hard to duplicate is Google Groups due to the historical archives. But Google groups is miniscule compared to Google's other services.

That is the key: Yahoo! and MSN doesn't bother spending much resources on copying many of Google's "innovations" since most people couldn't care less. Geeks may drool over the technicalities of Gmail and Google Maps (which was nothing new, btw. - look at http://www.search.ch/ for a similar and older map interface), but of the Hotmail and Yahoo! Mail users I've spoken to for instance, hardly anyone that have looked at Gmail were impressed or cared enough to be interested in switching.

The difference between Yahoo!, MSN and Google, is that Google is a technology company while Yahoo! and MSN are media companies that happen to "have to" develop a lot of products because what they want to do isn't available off the shelf.

From a Yahoo! and MSN standpoint Google is throwing money out the window building features that the users that generate most of their money doesn't care about. In contrast, the Yahoo! approach is that in most cases it's better to spend far less to clone a product or buy a product after it's proven than to spend a ton of money building something that is unproven. The advantage is that you get to learn from your competitor and get far more bang for your bucks. Not least because building the product is the easy part - it is marketing and monetizing the product that is hard.

That's why - if you talk to Yahoo! engi

There is map.search.ch with this feature since a long time. In addition map.search.ch feature satellite images of higher resolution, is very intuitive to use, and has many nifty features when hovering over displayed icons (schedules on bus-stops or train stations, temperature reading of public swimming-pools, amount of free lots on parkings).

Markus

Also look at this site here.

> Netscape has supported DHTML since Netscape 2.0.

over a very limited subset of the DOM. Result: DHTML apps for NS2..4 distinctly lagged IE4 and IE5.

> And GMail was far from the first popular web app

Saying K5's commenting system is popular is the same breath as Gmail is popular is a bit like saying 'my parrot can talk' and then 'my child can talk'. Sure they both do, but the difference is in degree. Similarly http://map.search.ch/ scooped Google Maps, but how much exposure did it get? Not maps.search.ch's fault, but the point is until Gmail and Google Maps there hasn't been a widely used site that _required_ you to have an Ajax-compliant browser to use it (Note Gmail's light-mode came much later).

I don't agree that map24 is good. It's cluttered, complicated, requires Java, and you cannot copy the link in the address bar.

For Switzerland, there is map.search.ch which is great (and with a simplicity which reminds very much of Google). I don't know for other European countries.

> Google is the firs map provider to do it right.

If you don't limit yourself to the US, there have been others doing it right before Google: http://map.search.ch/ Using JavaScript (though no AJAX yet), having transparent URLs, using two display modes (with or without satellite photos), etc.

Obviously, the country in question is somewhat smaller...

While I like the features of Greasemonkey lot, I had to uninstall it because it is incompatible with some websites I use often. They jut plain don't work with Greasemonkey enabled.

Example: map.search.ch/etoy (The map does not display at all)

I've submitted a bug about it, but my submission has been completely ignored (as mozdev.org is slashdotted right now I don't have the reference handy).

Markus

The grey buildings just north from the village of Bure (http://map.search.ch/bure.en.html) are military buildings. Been there. They should blur them out.

Hey, it's google it has to be an industry first. Better believe it! In other news http://map.search.ch/ has had this for some time now and you can zoom down to street level and the street names are actually blended over the satelite picture. I can even find my own house with this thing easily. It's only for switzerland though, so it doesn't count because we all know that google covers the entire world known to our civilisation.

Another example of previous art:
http://map.search.ch/

An earlier slashdot story already linked to this very nice, interactive map of Switzerland, that has very similar controls to Google's maps, plus aerial/satellite imagery WITH a street overlay. Also, it has a nice animated effect when you zoom or unzoom!

The Swiss have it already http://map.search.ch/index.en.html Just blur out the military establishments

Here's an online map that does satellite images for ages, including the client-based UI using Script (Google's second here, too). Note that the satellite images are overlaid with transparent graphics indicating street names, railway tracks etc.

The Swiss mapping site map.search.ch does have satellite images since a long time.

Here a sample link map.search.ch/etoy of my village. Click more to zoom in !

Markus

The Swiss mapping site map.search.ch does have satellite images since a long time.

Here a sample link map.search.ch/etoy of my village. Click more to zoom in !

Markus

Sort of like http://map.search.ch/ :-)

As was pointed out in the comments of the previous Slashdot article about Google Maps, the map service map.search.ch for Switzerland already has these features, including the satellite views!

Note that you can also check the "Strasseskarte" box to switch between the satellite view and the just-the-facts-ma'am road map view.

Cheers,
-j.

Note that you can also check the "Strasseskarte" box to switch between the satellite view and the just-the-facts-ma'am road map view.

Cheers,
-j.

The "car obsessed US" IS google's target market, and they have succeeded once again in simplifying another facet of the cluttered internet app market. It it fast, sleek, and effective. And you can bet that Mapquest, Yahoo!, and Microsoft are frantically trying to come up with something similar.

If terrain maps and satelite images are what you are looking for (similar to http://map.search.ch/), try Keyhole. It's wonderful.

http://map.search.ch/ is more similar to Keyhole (on the dynamics) and and even more interesting use of dhtml than googles first attempt.

I want to point you to another example of an online map:

map.search.ch

This is Switzerland and not the US and it uses aerial photos with an overlay of vector street data. The resolution is amazingly good.

Furthermore:

• It is implemented with (D)HTML and Javascript only (like Google)
• You can move the map holding the mouse button pressed (like Google)
• You zoom in and out using mouse buttons 2 and 3

For me it's one of the most fascinating applications of web/html/javascript technique.

Check this service:
http://map.search.ch/

It has all the click to zoom & drag features, but shows you real aerial/satellite images as you go. Also Javascript+DHTML.

The same site also has business search and reverse phone lookup, with links to the map system. Route planning is missing though at this point.

It has separate boxes to enter an address, but typing its components on the URL works well (it has some flexibility) - it's great for inclusion in my Firefox shorcuts.

By the way, here's my work's address:
http://map.search.ch/morges/lausanne-45/
Watch, maybe you'll see me drive out of the building ;)

I'd say its a draw between google and search.ch - go Switzerland ;)

Check this service:
http://map.search.ch/

It has all the click to zoom & drag features, but shows you real aerial/satellite images as you go. Also Javascript+DHTML.

The same site also has business search and reverse phone lookup, with links to the map system. Route planning is missing though at this point.

It has separate boxes to enter an address, but typing its components on the URL works well (it has some flexibility) - it's great for inclusion in my Firefox shorcuts.

By the way, here's my work's address:
http://map.search.ch/morges/lausanne-45/
Watch, maybe you'll see me drive out of the building ;)

I'd say its a draw between google and search.ch - go Switzerland ;)

Have a quick look at http://map.search.ch/ , precedes Google, seems nicer to use and works in Safari and Opera. Also, since Google bought Keyhole lately this might be a preview on what you might see on Google in the future...

map.search.ch also has a very sleek, highly usable interface, built using only JavaScript. You can drag the map, zooming is animated, and you get a mix of satellite imagery and vector graphics... Very cool.

Only covers Switzerland, unfortunately.

For a nice interface, you really should try:
http://map.search.ch/

Hey, I can even put the address of my current location in the url, and maybe you'll see me:
http://map.search.ch/morges/lausanne-45/
Sorry guys, this is a Swiss-only feature :)

In case it dies under slashdotting, the site offers a choice between satellite photos and street plans, interactive zooming, etc.

(NB: if you know any equivalent for other regions of the world, I'm interested!)

For a nice interface, you really should try:
http://map.search.ch/

Hey, I can even put the address of my current location in the url, and maybe you'll see me:
http://map.search.ch/morges/lausanne-45/
Sorry guys, this is a Swiss-only feature :)

In case it dies under slashdotting, the site offers a choice between satellite photos and street plans, interactive zooming, etc.

(NB: if you know any equivalent for other regions of the world, I'm interested!)

Yes Google really are incredible, just look at all that new technology they can copy

http://map.search.ch/ is a swiss map server with aerial photos, completely web based. client side, it is pure javascript and seems to work well on non-IE browsers, too.