Google Earth v4 Released - Linux Support at Last

chrisd writes "We're very happy to announce that the a new version of Google Earth has been released. It features 3D textured buildings, some neat UI updates, better internationalization and, with this release, a native Linux version is available for download as well. The Google Earth team (with the help of Ryan Gordon) worked very hard to make this possible. Please see the Earth support site and check out the BBS for more information."

Comments

Google Antifanboys Silenced

[WilliamSChips]

Now for China...

Thanks so much Google

[Anonymous Coward]

For finally making a Linux version. Downloading it right now...

Re:Thanks so much Google

[emeb2]

Has anyone actually tried it? A few observations:

* On the download page, there's no option to download the stable version 3 for Linux, even though system requirements are mentioned.

* So, I just downloaded & installed beta version 4 on my FC4 Athlon64 system and while it runs OK, the actual map data is all scrambled. As I zoom in/out it is constantly 'twinkling' with the wrong images. City names are dropping characters as well, so you can't even tell where you're looking when you get in close.

Nice try. Hope it works better in the future.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[Anonymous Coward]

If you note, the linux goes across both columns because of the simple size of the requirements.

Its a technical writer thing- the giant blob of unused space would have looked bad, so they used it.

There is no stable version of it- it is a beta release. They probably want you to report your system config to them so they can update it.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[d3matt]

For me on a Optiplex gx620 with a upgraded video card running FC5 with ati drivers from livna... (lot of information, I know) it runs as well as or better than the same system running windows.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[Elwood P Dowd]

The new overlay feature is causing twinkling (and brief lockups) for me on Windows too.

Something was tricky here. This is the feature they needed. Hopefully it includes support for webcam overlays, so we'll be able to get some Snow Crash style CIC Globe action up in here.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[LiquidCoooled]

Swithc it to DirectX mode ;)

I found it cured all my running problems.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[LiquidCoooled]

Damn, now I'm getting keyboard glitches.

*kicks computer*

Re:Thanks so much Google

[pangoo]

Yup. Same here. I installed it and ran. The first impression was very bad - only the south pole of earth was visible. Then I searched an address and it showed nice art. I completely removed it from my system.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[glitch23]

THe article summary states that only the new version provides a Linux variant, not the stable version.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[Ash-Fox]

> Swithc it to DirectX mode ;)

Windows 2003 surprisingly enough is blue screening in directx mode. Even though I have the latest Nvidia drivers.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[ZakuSage]

Google Earth, Fuck Yeah, what you gonna do when it comes to Linux?! :D:D

Re:Thanks so much Google

[Lord Flipper]

For finally making a Linux version. Downloading it right now...

Although I am happy to see the Linux version also [albeit, from a distance, since I have somehow lost the ability to get a ubuntu install recognized in OpenFirmware, on a re-install, after nearly two years of dual-boot on a Mac :( ], I am also thankful to see that they released the v 4.0 beta for the Mac at the same time as the other two versions. That's very nice,too. Yay Google!!

Re:Thanks so much Google

[shellbeach]

* So, I just downloaded & installed beta version 4 on my FC4 Athlon64 system and while it runs OK, the actual map data is all scrambled. As I zoom in/out it is constantly 'twinkling' with the wrong images. City names are dropping characters as well, so you can't even tell where you're looking when you get in close.

Actually, mine's way more scrambled than that - initial display is all screwed, with redraws not erasing properly, on my fairly generic Dapper system (ATI Radeon card, open-source drivers). Pity - it actually runs very fast and smooth, but I can't make anything else out! Turning off the side-panels works better, but the image is still corrupted.

I can't quite work Google out here - are they following a "release-early/release-often" model? I mean, I know it's beta software, but this is Google's first release of a native linux app (Picasa with WINE doesn't really count) - surely they'd try and make it an impressive one?

Re:Thanks so much Google

[Harik]

ATI X800 with the opensource drivers, running on an athlon 64 X2 in a 32-bit chroot (64bit X) on debian...

and it works.

That's got to be as unsupported as it gets, what with the R420 core, 32-bit userspace and 64bit DRI, etc.

My only issue is it flickers a lot when redrawing, must be doing something wrong with the double buffering.

Still, perfectly usable as long as I don't set it to Large detail size (it locks up, but I can ssh in and kill googleearth-bin)

Very nice indeed. Thanks, google!

Re:Thanks so much Google

[Alioth]

I found it works OK if I resize the window a bit after it loads.

Re:Thanks so much Google

[shellbeach]

Yeah, discovered this myself after a bit. Unfortunately, I have to resize whenever I hide or show the sidebar, etc, etc. Not what you'd exactly call a polished product. But, hey, it's free as in beer, at least, and it mostly works ... except for an awful lot of segfaults (five so far, and one crash which completely hung my machine - had to use the Magic SysRq keys to reboot)

Incidentally, does anyone know if it's still possible to load different mapping data with this version? I rather miss the large scale Blue Marble maps, but I can't see any place I can specify the data sets being used ...

Re:Thanks so much Google

[UncleMantis]

One more step twords being windows free! Thank you GOOGLE!

Where's the source?

[CRCulver]

What, I'm supposed to trust Google's binary?

Re:Where's the source?

[Nahooda]

Whatever you do, you can obviously never please a Linux user. First they complain about the missing support from software companies, then when some company ports their application to Linux, they complain about missing sources.

I've been using Linux for years now and I love open source software but I don't expect a software company to open their sources if it's not part of their business model.

So, thanks Google for the great job!

-DBS

Re:Where's the source?

[KiloByte]

Wrong.

For a Windows user, you provide the binary.
For Linux/BSD people, you provide the source.

Quite simple for me. And, the results are pretty clear -- if you run that random gizmo you found somewhere, you're guaranteed to get pwned in no more than several of gizmos. And even the very OS keeps sending your private data everywhere (WGA anyone)? In the opposite corner, you have sources you can review. Of course, it's really unlikely you'll look inside, but in the case of problems, someone will. And, thanks to the licenses we demand, all the phoning-home code can be disabled.

And since having Free Software spyware would give you nothing but bad press, no one ever tries that.

Re:Where's the source?

[Anonymous Coward]

Except Google released a broke-assed piece of shit. Beta you say? If beta means "completely unusable in any way shape or form" then ok, I guess.

(replied to wrong post above)

Re:Where's the source?

[blixel]

Whatever you do, you can obviously never please a Linux user. First they complain about the missing support from software companies, then when some company ports their application to Linux, they complain about missing sources.

I have a complaint. I have all this Linux kernel source code crap on my system and I can't understand a damn word of it.

Re:Where's the source?

[Pecisk]

Just don't overgeneralise everything :) Some people somehow are kind of different reality or just have stuck in some cycle. Yes, I prefer Free Software and usually use it, but it is good to see commercial software to come to Linux. It provides more choice and thought it is not free software, it is still good to have that choice.

Yes, fans and very concervative free software users usually stick with "f you won't provide source, you got nothing from me" and sometimes they are right. Sometimes they are wrong. Just take everything they say with handful of salt.

I checked out app now, installer in local envorement was nice, app itself is with libwine, but it is something at least.

Re:Where's the source?

[Dhalka226]

f you won't provide source, you got nothing from me"

To which I wish Google would reply: "Then don't download the program you pains in the asses." If you ask me, that would be the proper response. Hell, it might even be too nice.

I run linux, I like open source--but I don't have a public cry about it if somebody who puts a ton of work into giving me a native port of their already-free software doesn't feel it is in their best interests to also release the source.

They'll whine in considerable detail about security issues and how Google might be searching their entire hard drive and sending the content back for analysis or something. You know what? Could be. If you don't trust the company, DON'T INSTALL THEIR SOFTWARE. Simple.

Re:Where's the source?

[CRCulver]

I run linux, I like open source--but I don't have a public cry about it if somebody who puts a ton of work into giving me a native port of their already-free software doesn't feel it is in their best interests to also release the source.

But the software is only "free as in beer". All software must be free as in freedom as well.

Re:Where's the source?

[SEMW]

> For Linux/BSD people, you provide the source.

Yes, because that's clearly an excellent way to attract people to Linux, and not in the least eliteist.

"Switch! Linux is now a mature desktop solution! By the way, you're not allowed to download and run applications, no matter how trusted the provider; you just the raw source code, a "For Dummies" book on how programming works, a Bash prompt, a string of four-letter commands written on a scrap of paper that someone in a Linux forum gave you none of which bear the slightest resemblance to actual words, some repressed memories of using MS-DOS, and the comforting knowledge that Linux is now just as easy for the average person to use as Windows. Have fun!"

Re:Where's the source?

[Pecisk]

Let's be just realistic and replace "must be" with "should be". You know, with force you won't achieve nothing, even in proving your point.

And, ohhh, there ARE open source GIS out there, easily instalable and that stuff. Only without fancy GUI and big market name like Google behind it.

Re:Where's the source?

[Gli7ch]

Which means anyone with a software engineering degree will have wasted their time? Or is spending 20k a healthy price to pay for a hobby you can never gain employment for?

Re:Where's the source?

[Kelson]

Whatever you do, you can obviously never please a Linux user. First they complain about the missing support from software companies, then when some company ports their application to Linux, they complain about missing sources.

Sure you can. Provide the source and either maintain it, or hand it to someone who will. Problem solved.

Of course, you are oversimplifying things. There are two camps of Linux users on this issue: those who are OK with binary apps, for some purposes at least, and those for whom Free software (with a capital Free) is a philosophical choice.

Personally, I'm in the former camp. I've even paid for binary-only Linux software on occasion, particularly with a few Windows apps I used that introduced Linux releases. I figured the best way to encourage them to keep working on the Linux versions would be to show there was a market, and that's why (for example) I was one of the first to buy a license for the Linux port of Opera (back with Opera was shareware) even though I was primarily a Mozilla user at that time, and even though it took several versions before it caught up to the Windows version in quality.

Re:Where's the source?

[OzRoy]

What? You actually read the source code for every application you install on your machine?

Re:Where's the source?

[Anonymous Coward]

Are you one of those people who troll as method of employment?

Re:Where's the source?

[multi io]

Whatever you do, you can obviously never please a Linux user. [...] I've been using Linux for years now and I love open source software [...] So, thanks Google for the great job!

Thanks for making a point, and then disproving it! :-P

Re:Where's the source?

[Ash-Fox]

> "Switch! Linux is now a mature desktop solution! By the way, you're not allowed to download and run applications, no matter how trusted the provider; you just the raw source code, a "For Dummies" book on how programming works, a Bash prompt, a string of four-letter commands written on a scrap of paper that someone in a Linux forum gave you none of which bear the slightest resemblance to actual words, some repressed memories of using MS-DOS, and the comforting knowledge that Linux is now just as easy for the average person to use as Windows. Have fun!"

Your distro's package maintainers are supposed to compile the binaries for the system (If that's the distro's philosophy) and package it.

Re:Where's the source?

[jZnat]

Theo de Raadt, is that you?

Re:Where's the source?

[spitzak]

And non-Linux users are easily identified by their complete inability to detect sarcasm in a post.

Re:Where's the source?

[domc]

It hasn't been 'unstable' for me, but it certainly doesn't run correctly. The main view is always scrambled, and it can't even export an image correctly. I'm sure this will be fixed for the final release, but for now the software is pretty much unusable.

Dom

Re:Where's the source?

[Spacejock]

I bought VMWare for Linux a couple of years back and the supplier actually phoned me to make sure I hadn't selected it by mistake, and hadn't I really meant the Windows version? Nice of them to ask, but for once I knew what I was doing.

Re:Where's the source?

[babbling]

I'm in both. I don't think closed source software is evil, but I don't think it is good, either. I'd rather use Free Software if I can. So I wouldn't ever bother with Opera, since Firefox is around.

For me, software being Free means that it has certain advantages over proprietary software. I know that the software isn't spying on me or intentionally doing anything (eg. DRM, Sony rootkit, forced ads, etc) that I would obviously not be happy about.

I'm okay with using Google Earth because I trust that Google's software isn't doing anything bad to me when I run it. If there was a version of Google Earth where the source code was freely available, though, I'd prefer to use that version.

Re:Where's the source?

[CronoCloud]

And some of us are in the non x86 Linux camp and need the sources for anything we'd choose to install since there's usually no binaries for our decidedly non "standard" Linux machines. Not that Google Earth would run on my box, so I'm not really complaining.

Re:Where's the source?

[4v4l0n42]

The question is not that simple. Google earned a "(mod) +1 not evil" to the eyes of the community, or at least to a certain extend of it. See, by not releasing the code you don't actually "support Linux", or whatever OS. You support the specific OS in which you compiled the binaries, period.

It's the same problem with companies such as Skype. Yes, they do release a Linux/Windows/Mac version, but by not releasing the code people like me, who run on a powerpc are just out of the games. Just becasue we are a minority does that mean that we are not allowed to have that piece of software? Is this discrimination really justified for the sake of the "precious source code" that the company wrote?

In the end these "good companies" don't really listen to the community most of the times, only when they like to. Google summer code is cool, but what about the Skype support for powerpc, or *BSD, SPARC, why not? The answer in the forum was:

We have received quite a lot of requests for this. And even Torvalds himself runs it on G5 Wink so yes, don't hold your breath, but it might happen sometime.

Link http://forum.skype.com/viewtopic.php?t=4153&highli ght=powerpc

After two years, we are still waiting.

Google is acting the same way. Picasa rus through WINE, which only works on x86. Let us not talk about Macromedia before I beat the **** out of them...

Re:Where's the source?

[Yvanhoe]

first, the GP is humorous, but I think you saw that and made a general (and somehow insightful) answer to a common reaction in the linux community.
I would like to point out over that Google Earth, as cool as it is, is a toy, or even a tool. If we are not happy with it being closed source, we can re-program it. If you want a system without closed source, I guess you just would have to not install Google Earth.
The real point of complaining about binary realeases is with device drivers, where the company gives a software for free, has no plan in selling it and yet, doesn't publish specs nor source.

Re:Where's the source?

[ClamIAm]

Yes, because Google Earth is certainly a vital part of Google's business model. Not. Oh, and nice blanket condemnation of "Linux" users.

Re:Where's the source?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you don't trust the company, DON'T INSTALL THEIR SOFTWARE

Alternately you could set up SElinux and mark the Google files such that they can only access the files they need to to operate.

Re:Where's the source?

[James McGuigan]

Your implication being that software freedom and software profit can never co-exist. That users must be dependant and non-free before they would be willing to pay you money. The real issue is that the traditional business model of selling copies is dying - but thats not to say that there are not plenty of other business models that do work well and allow the end user to have freedom.

Re:Where's the source?

[init100]

I checked out app now, installer in local envorement was nice, app itself is with libwine, but it is something at least.

I also checked out Google Earth 4 Beta for Linux now, and I cannot find a trace of Wine or libwine. Where did you find it?

Re:Where's the source?

[cheesybagel]

I suspect replicating the functionality of the software would not be the major problem. The major problem would be getting access to recent satellite photos of that detail level. The are usually either copyrighted by companies which sell them for a bundle, or state secrets coming from the NRO.

Closest open source program is probably... NASA's World Wind.

Re:Where's the source?

[farnham]

I feel like I'm in a timewarp to six years ago.

The only difference is that this time it's all peope with UIDs over six hundred thousand arguing stuff that people with UIDs under sixty thousand once argued. Are these tha children of the first wave? Maybe they read the books the first wave wrote?

Mod me down if you like but this is amusing.

Re:Where's the source?

[Kadin2048]

I have a complaint. I have all this Linux kernel source code crap on my system and I can't understand a damn word of it.

That's because it's all written in Finnish, duh. Try running it through Babelfish first.

Re:Where's the source?

[Daath]

I know it was written in jest - But there are those OSS-people that actually use that as an argument. Suppose one of them want to use OpenOffice.org - I seriously doubt that they have audited every single line of code before compiling and installing. Hell I doubt if they even superficially breezed through the code. They are just trolls ;-)

Re:Where's the source?

[William_Lee]

Yes, they do release a Linux/Windows/Mac version, but by not releasing the code people like me, who run on a powerpc are just out of the games. Just becasue we are a minority does that mean that we are not allowed to have that piece of software? Is this discrimination really justified for the sake of the "precious source code" that the company wrote?

I don't get this mentality. Google is a corporation designed around making as much money as possible within a capitalistic framework (hopefully in an ethical manner). Why would you expect them to release source code on a product that THEY'VE paid for the resources to develop. Do you believe that there is no valid intellectual property that people have a right to protect?

It's nice when a company releases source code, but it kills me when SOME linux users expect source for every single application ported. You're running a processor that is not in widespread use in the community that this application was written for. I'd say, yeah, they were justified in discriminating, because it's not worthwhile for them to port to everything from a toaster to a Beowulf cluster, and they probably have some IP in that code that they feel like protecting.

Re:Where's the source?

[LWATCDR]

"The real point of complaining about binary releases is with device drivers, where the company gives a software for free, has no plan in selling it and yet, doesn't publish specs nor source."
The real point of complaining about binary releases is that there is no stable binary device driver interface for Linux.
Even if a company did release the device drivers as OSS it would be a pain. They couldn't offer an updated binary that fixes problems because it probably will not work with every version of the kernel you have installed.
The company may also not have the right to release the source code since it may use licensed code.
The company may not have the right to release all the specs since some of that technology may be licensed as well.
The company may not be forbidden by FCC regulations from releasing the specs for the device to prevent out of band use.

The problem is that Linux developers are trying to force hardware vendors to release open source versions of there drivers and or the specs of the board buy making it hard for them to support Linux.

It is their right to do so since it is their code. What I don't like is the false statements that they use to justify it. Things like they don't want the hold back development by locking in an interface. Which is a lie since if you can recompile the code for a new version of the kernel then the API hasn't changed. Or security which is again not true since you can use binary device drivers with the current system with enough pain, look at nVidia, so it doesn't add any security.

Re:Where's the source?

[hardaker]

I have a complaint. I have all this Linux kernel source code crap on my system and I can't understand a damn word of it.

I think that's your way of saying "I have the support. I have the binaries. I have the source. But where's the comments?"

Have you noticed you have two choices in life: Closed-Source with Documentation or Open-Source without (and no, the code doesn't count).

Re:Where's the source?

[Mark Gillespie]

And this is WHY Linux is forever doomed for backend servers. Linux will never make it to a desktop, when you have idiots like this guy, making comments like this. I would laugh my socks off, if Google decided to pull the Google Earth binary, just to shut the "not open source" crowd up..

Re:Where's the source?

[GoatPigSheep]

Nobody is asking you to use the program, you can always try and make an open-source earth mapped program. Good luck though.

Re:Where's the source?

[plague3106]

All software must be free as in freedom as well.

Sorry but, no, it doesn't. Would you claim musicians MUST perform for free? Painters MUST give away their work? Didn't think so.

Re:Where's the source?

[CRCulver]

Sorry but, no, it doesn't. Would you claim musicians MUST perform for free? Painters MUST give away their work? Didn't think so.

While musicians are free to charge for live performances, and painters can sell the physical canvas, I don't think they have any right to demand payment for reproduction of their art. For thousands of years, art was considered a public resource that anyone could have, and yet artists still created some of humanity's ensuring masterpieces without caring about people copying it once it was done. It was only in the last couple of centuries, in only Western Europe, that the concept of copyright appeared, and though international treaties imposed by the West have spread it, it is justly repulsive to much of the world. Information wants to be free, this is self-evident to rational people.

Re:Where's the source?

[plague3106]

For thousands of years, art was considered a public resource that anyone could have

No, I don't think so. For thousands of years, the aristocrats and kings or other rulers commisioned artists to create the art. It was owned by the people that financed the artist.

Going back to your first statement, why are live performances any different? In the time before recordings, this was most certainly a 'pay per play' way to hear music. I'm infering from your statement that the painter must sell his work for only the cost of the paint and canvas. Why shouldn't he be able to demand a higher price for it? Especially since thousands of years ago it was really 'one of a kind.'

It was only in the last couple of centuries, in only Western Europe, that the concept of copyright appeared, and though international treaties imposed by the West have spread it, it is justly repulsive to much of the world.

You do realize that without copyright, there'd be only a very small group of people to enjoy the work of DaVinci and Picaso, right? The painter would only be able to sell one copy, and if the buyer doesn't want to share, well, you're just SOL. Or would you rather the painter to now, instead of selling exactly one copy, to be able to sell none (since as soon as he is done, you can produce infinite copies today)? Why would someone devote the time necessary to become a great artist if they now have no way to even feed themselves?

Information wants to be free, this is self-evident to rational people.

Information is a concept, not a living being, and thus cannot want anything. This is self-evident to any sane person.

Please, stop repeating catchy but meaningless statements. You're not going to convience anyone by attempting to paint opponents to your view point as irrational. You may not think copyright is rational, but that doesn't mean you're right (or rational, for that matter). Believe me, I think current copyright goes way too far, but I don't think the answer is to just remove it either.

FWIW, the founders specifically said that congress could control copyright. Are you implying they were not rational people?

Re:Where's the source?

[CRCulver]

No, I don't think so. For thousands of years, the aristocrats and kings or other rulers commisioned artists to create the art. It was owned by the people that financed the artist.

No, the physical copy was owned by the people who financied the artist. The information within was free to be copied by anyone, and it could then be freely sold. This was how the Roman literary scene worked: people got money through patronage, and their works were sold in the marketplace without any money going back to the author. Furthermore, literacy in Rome was quite high, and authors such as Catullus and Martial were known to the general populce, and so your idea that copyright is necessary to keep art from belonging to some elite is silly.

Re:Where's the source?

[Gli7ch]

Show me this model and I'll shut my mouth.

Re:Where's the source?

[0x0000]

What, I'm supposed to trust Google's binary?

Well, there were all those little adsense messages down the right-hand side of the screen that said "Google Loves You", "Trust Google", "Google is your friend." - besides, we all know that only Terrorists Don't Trust Google - if yer no w/ us yer agin us, etc.

For my own part, I trust that Google will actually make good on a Linux version of Earth - the current v4 beta seems a cruel mockery of those of us who have been anxiously awaiting their tender attentions since Earth for Windoze came out. This stuff just looks like crap - one of the worst examples Linux graphics pretension I've seen (amongst apps that don't outright crash)...

The best description I can give for the graphics quality of Linux Earth v4 beta running on my (SuSE 9.2 [patched]) laptop that it looks a lot like an 8mm home movie when the belt on the projector broke and you're spinning the reel by hand to keep the heat from the lamp from burning holes in the celluloid film. It looks pretty damned stupid compared to e.g. watching a DVD, MPEG, or AVI under gxine, let me tell you.

Question: Why [make that: "For the Love of God, why...") didn't they write this thing in Java? At least Java mostly works [once you've suffered the agonies of the damned to get it installed], and I hear thtat it has some sort of cross-platform functionality, as well ... or perhaps the "lack of depth" shown by stupid questions like that are the reason they didn't hire me... [bastards] ...

Re:Where's the source?

[plague3106]

No, the physical copy was owned by the people who financied the artist.

Which is what I said.

The information within was free to be copied by anyone, and it could then be freely sold.

Were there laws to prevent them from keeping the books to themselves? If not, how many books were lost because they kept it to themselves?

Furthermore, literacy in Rome was quite high, and authors such as Catullus and Martial were known to the general populce, and so your idea that copyright is necessary to keep art from belonging to some elite is silly.

Again, how are you sure that every book financed was allowed to be copied?

Also, you forget that books aren't the only form of art. How well did this method work for sculptures, paintings, music, etc? Did people at the time flock to copy David? Are you even sure that all paintings were put on display for everyone to enjoy? Or did many end up hanging on someone's wall, where only their guests could see them?

I'm sure there's alot of great art that was lost because it had only one owner.

Finally, I have this point. If i work months or even years to write a great book, why should I get a one time payment, but the publisher gets revenue for every copy sold? Making copies is the easy part, yet publishers are the ones that benefit most from a good book under your model. How is that at all fair?

MS Simulator

[neonprimetime]

This reminds me of the old Microsoft Flight & Train Simulators ... but this is much cooler :-)

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Anonymous Coward]

A practical use for Google Earth?

Plotting a terrorist attack?

(I can hear the NSA knocking on my door right already...)

Hmm . . . Earth

[Nomihn0]

Does that run Linux?

Re:Hmm . . . Earth

[Kelson]

Oh, sure, you can run Linux on this Earth... but just imagine a Beowulf cluster of them!

Re:Hmm . . . Earth

[Anonymous Coward]

you can run Linux on this Earth... but just imagine a Beowulf cluster of them!

How much does it scale? I mean, if you have too many Earths, will it crash? How would the system recover from a Crisis on Infinite Earths?

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Nahooda]

Looking for secret nuclear plants in Iran?

-DBS

Not at a better time...

[kcbanner]

Just the other day I was trying to get Google Earth running under linux. I gave up after a few minutes of realizing it was never going to happen. Now this!

Yay for Google, good job being not evil :D

Re:Not at a better time...

[BiggyP]

Actually it can be done, i did it some time ago but the peculiar behaviour of the actual viewing portal and the toolbars made it pretty cumbersome, http://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?versionId=3254 had some tips.

Still, i'm very pleased that google have chosen to put the time and effort they have into their recent linux ports, this will be far more useful... ok, maybe just fun then, than picasa.

Re:Not at a better time...

[hawkeyeMI]

Me too! Just yesterday I tried running it in Wine, with very limited success. I love having it on my powerbook but my desktop (with Linux) is much more powerful, Google Earth runs nice and smoothly on it now!

Now there's progress.

[Anonymous Coward]

$ googleearth
Segmentation fault
$

Re:Now there's progress.

[Kesch]

I hear that segmentation earthquakes often occur along segmentation fault lines in the googleearth.

I would take any necessary precations.

Re:Now there's progress.

[notanatheist]

Accelerated Nvidia graphics, 3Ghz P4, 2GB RAM - GoogleEarth roxxors!!! Even better than ponies! OMG!

Re:Now there's progress.

[phsdv]

From the readme file:

If you crash on startup, you may have an outdated version of glibc, or a bad
  interaction between Nvidia's drivers and glibc's pthread support. Many of
  these cases can be resolved by exporting this environment variable before
  running Google Earth.
 
    LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.4.10
 
  Alternately, consider upgrading your video drivers, which has been known to
  fix this situation, too. We have also seen one case of the Nvidia drivers
  mistaking the type of glibc installed, which was remedied with
  LD_ASSUME_KERNEL, but in this case, a driver upgrade might be a better
  solution. Installing the Nvidia drivers with the --force-tls=new option
  may be a solution, but please don't do this unless you are sure of what
  you are doing.
 
  Similar rules may apply to ATI's drivers.

Mac Sketchup (free)

[morcheeba]

Also today - Google's free version of Sketchup for the Mac is available: Download here
More info on Sketchup - it's basically a super-intuitive CAD program for quickly getting 3D ideas down on paper.

Re:Mac Sketchup (free)

[youngerpants]

If I had karma, I'd vote informative. I had no idea Sketchup existed; you have no idea how many trees you've just saved!

Re:Mac Sketchup (free)

[Anonymous Coward]

It was originally a mac application, but it was too pricey for casual use (a few hundred dollars, IIRC). So, I've been waiting for this anxiously!

Re:Mac Sketchup (free)

[wiremind]

If I had karma, I'd vote informative. I had no idea Sketchup existed; you have no idea how many trees you've just saved!

Hell Yeah!

I never knew of Sketchup either, very cool.

Kyle

Re:Mac Sketchup (free)

[Angostura]

Also worth pointing out that the v4 Beta of Google Earth is much, much faster than v3. The previous version was virtually unusable on this 800MHz G4 iMac. The new beta is in the 'snappy' ballpark.

Re:Mac Sketchup (free)

[woolio]

it's basically a super-intuitive CAD program for quickly getting 3D ideas down on paper.

Wow! Now that's progress. A program that can write/draw on PAPER!

And all this time, I've been using a ball-point pen for that... Silly me.

Re:Mac Sketchup (free)

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah, when I wrote it I thought my phrasing was a bit funny. But, it's actually true -- almost literally: the free version does not have 3d export, so you're stuck with 2d paper output.

But, as you can imagine... it's a far greater improvement over paper than MS Paint.

One company to rule them all...

[Leomania]

Please see the Earth support site

Well, it finally happened... Google took over. But it's one thing to take the planet over, but quite another to provide support for it too. Man, I'd hate to be be at the other end of the support line... wonder if you need to run the standard Google employment gauntlet to be first-tier support?

Re:One company to rule them all...

[aztec rain god]

How long until a recall is issued?

Re:One company to rule them all...

[sharkey]

Think of the poor guy taking calls from the Oval Office.

Re:One company to rule them all...

[owlnation]

so that means that we live on a Beta?

That actually explains a lot...

Re:One company to rule them all...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Google Earth support, how can we help you?"

"M-m-m-y-y e-a-r-r-t-h-h i-s-s s-s-h-a-a-k-i-n-g-g-g!!!"

"Ok sir, I'm just going to need some information from you first."

"O-f c-c-o-u-r-s-e... I'-m-m in L-l-o-s-s A-a-a-n-g-l-e-e-s."

"That's fine sir, now what operating system are you using?"

"W-w-h-a-a-t?!?"

Native?

[spacefight]

To me, the menu looks like the linuxified windows program picasa, again via wine than really native.

Re:Native?

[Zarhan]

So they are using Winelib instead of Qt or GTK - what's the big deal?

Re:Native?

[jnik]

Actually, they aren't. Picasa and Earth are the Windows binaries shipped with a Wine binary and config. http://www.winehq.com/pipermail/wine-devel/2006-Ma y/047806.html

Re:Native?

[blixel]

So they are using Winelib instead of Qt or GTK - what's the big deal?

The term native would imply that it's a complete port to the X Window System. This clearly is not. Whether or not an individual cares about the API details isn't relevant to this thread. The point the original poster was making was simply this is not a "native" port.

Re:Native?

[Dave2 Wickham]

It's using Qt:

dave@death:~/google-earth$ ldd googleearth-bin
[...]
        libqt-mt.so.3 => /usr/lib/libqt-mt.so.3 (0xb6dc2000)

That's just what "bare" Qt looks like. Ugly, isn't it?

(I COULD be wrong, of course, but icculus is a fairly major native Linux porter, so I'd doubt that he'd be working on a wine port.)

Re:Native?

[Kopretinka]

To me, the menu looks like the linuxified windows program picasa, again via wine than really native.

And your point is?

Re:Native?

[dickeya]

Where does it say anything about Earth in that link? Everyone knows Picasa was shipped with a Wine binary. GE is a native port.

Re:Native?

[Anonymous Coward]

RE:"And your point is?"

speaking for only myself i ask the same questions because i like to know what makes it run under the hood! if you dont like the idea of poking around under the hood of your OS then by all means remain ignorant

Re:Native?

[PeterBrett]

The term native would imply that it's a complete port to the X Window System. This clearly is not. Whether or not an individual cares about the API details isn't relevant to this thread. The point the original poster was making was simply this is not a "native" port.

Which is daft. It's written using Qt and OpenGL: I really fail to understand what makes a native Linux port so difficult!

Re:Native?

[Anonymous Coward]

Can't you read? It requires wine. Hence, Linux zealots must whine about any aspect of the software.

Uses wine? Whine.
Binary only? Whine.
Makes beeping noises? Whine.
Doesn't make beeping noises? Whine.
Looks too much like a Windows app? Whine.
Doesn't look enough like a modern app? Whine.
It doesn't have a command line interface? Whine.
Won't run on the toaster I installed Linux on? Whine.

One of these days I'm going to create a Linux distro called Cheese to go with all the whine. It'll come pre-packed with every binary-only bit of software ever released for Linux. All source will be replaced with a single .doc file referring you to the source code located on my website which will run IIS and require ActiveX. The server will constantly be down for "maintenance". The desktop picture will default to a photoshopped picture of a well-groomed rms. The desktop image can only be a jpeg2000 file. Every time an app is launched, it'll be accompinied by an .aac file which plays the Comic Book Guy saying "Worst. App. Ever.". It'll be encoded at 4 kbit/s.

You can't please everyone. You can never please zealots.

Re:Native?

[Kelson]

clunky with a capital K

Given Qt's close association with KDE, and the naming conventions that have arisen for KDE apps, "clunKy" or "Klunky" sound like appropriate terminology.

Re:Native?

[advocate_one]

Google Earth on Linux is totally native... not a trace of WINE anywhere... reet teetotal...

Re:Native?

[DragonWriter]

The term native would imply that it's a complete port to the X Window System. Er, no, it doesn't. "Linux native" does not mean "X Windows native".

Whether or not an individual cares about the API details isn't relevant to this thread. The point the original poster was making was simply this is not a "native" port.

If its not a Windows binary running under a separate emulator like wine, then its a native Linux application. It may or may not use your be written against your favorite GUI library, but so what?

Re:Native?

[shutdown -p now]

This would mean you're not running it under KDE then. In this case, try running `qtconfig` first and play with the settings, you might be able to get a slightly better look.

Re:Native?

[Frogbert]

I could be way off base here, but isn't the whole point of the Wine project not to produce a windows emulator but libraries that can be substituted for the Windows libraries your program is using to allow it to easily run on linux? If so I'd say Picasa is a shining example of the Wine projects maturity

Re:Native?

[Anonymous Coward]

It uses Qt with no other enhancements (KDE, etc), which is IMHO the best choice
for developing fast AND decent looking UIs under Linux. Any other add-on like KDE
compatibility would have ruined the software. Kudos to the developers.

Re:Native?

[Anonymous Coward]

This will work, but you need to also make sure to undo the LD_LIBRARY_PATH damage that the googleearth script does so that the system Qt is found.

Or, you can rename the libqt-mt and libqui.so in the googleearth directory. Do *not* remove these files: I have heard that the system Qt crashes Google Earth for some other KDE developers. On the other hand, qt-copy (from the KDE SVN repository, /branches/qt/3.3) appears to run Google Earth just fine.

Regards,
  - Michael Pyne

Re:Native?

[Anonymous Coward]

Tried that... didn't work!

Re:Native?

[Anonymous Coward]

Welcome to DLL Hell! bwahahaha.

Re:Native?

[cortana]

I have heard that the system Qt crashes Google Earth for some other KDE developers

I guess this is the magic of C++. :)

Some day there will be a stable, final ABI for C++ applications. Until that day, vendors have to ship all the C++ libraries they depend upon themselves. :(

Re:Native?

[swv3752]

It is ported. The default QT theme looks the same on Windows and Linux. Set your KDE them to something else and you will see the difference. Besides, Ryan Gordon, nee Icculus, ported it. We are talking about the one guy who has ported about every game to Linux that was not made by Id or Bioware. If there is one guy who knows how to port OpenGL to Linux it would be him.

Re:Native?

[Frightening]

Speaking of K , does anyone know why they call their "geographic mark-up language" KML?

Re:Native?

[doti]

Actally, you don't need KDE for qtconfig to work.
(Hint: It's not kconfig.)

Re:Native?

[shutdown -p now]

This was the point. When running pure-Qt apps under KDE, it overrides and manages its settings, so any such applications will use KDE theme, font settings etc. Otherwise, qtconfig is needed to manually configure those - Qt defaults are far from perfect.

Re:Native?

[haqatak]

because, the google earth project used to be called keyhole i think, and thats why its actually keyhole markup language, not to mention the confusion gml file would have on gmail users ;)

Re:Native?

[bcmm]

Many closed-source QT apps use a default look even under KDE, notably applications which are hard-linked against an internal QT4.

Re:Native?

[ryen]

i'm a linux user (not really a zealot) and i thought this was pretty funny.
good reading material for the gentoo fanboys.

Linux support?

[also-rr]

(Mod company) +1 Not Evil

Re:Linux support?

[KiloByte]

Not really.

Running unknown Windows binary blobs -> qemu[1], or you'll get pwned.
Running unknown Linux binary blobs -> qemu, or you'll get pwned.

[1] Or vmware, if you somehow prefer them. At least, they don't have any business relationships.
So, uhm, what's the difference?

And, as Google self-admittedly _does_ send home whatever data it can find about you, I'm not really rushing to install their binary on my box. Outside of a sandbox of some kind, at least.

Specifically

[danielk1982]

"Thanks so much Google" - for finally making a Linux version .... of anything.

Re:Specifically

[ggvaidya]

*Cough*

It's a bit slow (because my poor lappie has no graphics acceleration to speak off), but between it and Flickr, I'm all set.

Re:Specifically

[filesiteguy]

Well, I haven't downloaded Google Earth yet, but Picassa isn't a native Linux client. Though it works it is a WINE applicaiton embedded in a Crossover Office wrapper. I'm curious to see if Earth is native.

Re:Specifically

[DJStealth]

I don't think it's your system that's slow. It appears that Google Earth has been slashdotted.

Re:Specifically

[Compholio]

I'm curious to see if Earth is native.

It is, I just downloaded it and it installs and runs beautifully without any Wine (even checked for them hiding it with ps).

Re:Specifically

[Ash-Fox]

> It's a bit slow (because my poor lappie has no graphics acceleration to speak off), but between it and Flickr, I'm all set.

Might want to try digiKam (a KDE application), I prefer it to Picasa, also has more working features.

Re:Specifically

[Directrix1]

It uses Qt. Gives it that nice cross-platform property. Additionally Picasa was ported to linux using wine-libs not necessarily wine the program itself. The Linux Picasa does have some native dependencies such as libgphoto for direct access to cameras, and it integrates into your notification area in Gnome (and I believe KDE also [untested for me]). Also, they committed over 200 patches to the wine codebase which is great. Furtheremore, thank you Google!!! It works great on Gentoo with ATI 9600. I requested it a long time ago, and it was a long time coming but it works and looks great. googlegoodwill++

Re:Specifically

[patiodragon]

Ummm...last time I checked the earth was native. I mean, it's been so long since the mother ship left that I've been calling it home for now.

Re:Specifically

[Dicky]

No, no, no...

Picasa is a 100% non-native application. No-one is trying to pretend that it isn't. Things like libgphoto are used when wine implements a windows device management interface, to provide support for that interface on Linux in an open way, but it's wine that's using the gphoto stuff, not picasa. Again, for the notification area stuff, that's just wine providing support for the windows interface and implementing it in terms of the Linux interface - that's what wine does. Picasa is still just using a windows interface.

And yes, they contributed lots to wine, and that's a good thing for which they deserve credit. I would quite like to see some reasoning for using wine and a non-native binary, rather than compiling with winelib...

Re:Specifically

[xdotx]

"Insightful"... typo? Should read "misleading"?
I've been running Picasa on my Fedora machine for quite a while now. Sure it's on Wine, but they helped out the Wine project in the process, so all the better!

Re:Specifically

[filesiteguy]

So you're naturalized?? Wow!!

I haven't gotten my papers yet. I've been hiding under the radar of the UN for several decades now. Even the men in black haven't paid my employers a visit for awhile.

I'll think about applying soon.

Re:Specifically

[LouisZepher]

The papers for all passengers and crew can be found in the glove box of Ark-B's bridge...

Re:Specifically

[SpanishArcher]

Well, the reason you can't see wine with ps is just because the ps binary is modified so you cannot see it.
Isn't it commonpratice these days to put rootkits on user machines? :D

Just kidding, I'm dowloading it and I thing google is doing a lot of great stuff these days.
And linux is getting more and more into big companies plans everyday. Which is good. For everybody.

Re:Specifically

[Anonymous Coward]

Google Earth is probably compiled with Wine - thus there won't be any seperate Wine executable since the Wine code is part of the Google Earth code. Kinda like how they did it with Picasa I imagine.

Re:Specifically

[Billly Gates]

I wish it would install on my windowsXP box. :-(

Re:Specifically

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm curious to see if Earth is native.

What? You mean it may be a different Earth?

Re:Specifically

[rjw57]

What is the difference between running something written with the Win32 API via the Wine implementation of it compared to running something written to the .NET API via Mono, Java API via a JRE, Python API/bytecode via Python, PERL via the Perl interpreter, shell script via shell, etc...

Re:Specifically

[bcmm]

That does strike me as odd.

For a start, it's probably easier to do this sort of thing if no filenames, etc. change, although there's nothing to stop you calling an ELF binary *.exe. If you wanted to make a nice Linux app on the win32 API, you could change the paths and stuff and have it install more normally, instead of Picasa's system of having a bin folder of wrapper scripts and a wine folder with a miniature Windows directory tree.

Also, they might have wanted to use exactly the same files for both. Maybe someone who has the Windows build too could diff the MS-DOS executables from both versions? The directory tree certainly looks just like Windows with Picasa 2 and "wine_gecko" installed.

It should also be noted that the reason it might seem at first glance to be winelib is that it doesn't depend on Wine. This is because they include their own version of Wine, presumably because their patches are not in mainstream releases of wine yet.

Re:Specifically

[petermgreen]

compiling against winelib means you have to use a compiler setup that can produce elf and means you have to ship different binaries for windows and linux users and there isn't much point in doing it, once the binary is loaded i doubt it makes any difference whatsoever to performance.

Re:Specifically

[Directrix1]

I stand corrected. I wrongly assumed that since they were using some native libs that they were using winelib.

Re:Specifically

[Metaphorically]

Those other ones are specific virtual machines with an API specified for a bytecode interpreter. The Windows API is an API for executing natively on specific hardware platforms and it's not made for anyone else to implement - lots of calls are underspecified or aren't specified at all. Not making any value jusgements here, that's just what the difference is.

Re:Specifically

[stackoverflow128]

Im so glad google earth left platform dependancy behinde. Good Job google!

Check out the "Build 3D Models" Link!

[Rude Turnip]

Did anyone follow the link over there to Google SketchUp? I am amazed that this program hasn't gotten any publicity. Some details from the site:

"SketchUp is a simple but powerful tool for quickly and easily creating, viewing and modifying your 3D ideas.
* Click on a shape and push or pull it to create your desired 3D geometry.
* Experiment with color and texture directly on your model.
* Real-time shadow casting lets you see exactly where the sun falls as you model.
* Select from thousands of pre-drawn components to save time drawing.

And once you've built your models, you can place them in Google Earth, post them to the 3D Warehouse, or print hard copies. Google SketchUp is free for personal use. No registration is required."

Re:Check out the "Build 3D Models" Link!

[AndreiK]

Unfortunately, to do anything useful with it, you have to buy the 500 dollar version. Almost all exports, and all 3d exports are locked in the free version.

I know everyone has already said it...

[Anonymous Coward]

but, Thanks Google. Job well done!

What's the point?

[TerenceRSN]

I'm trying not to troll here but I don't really "get" the point of Google Earth. I understand that it's cool to look around cities and famous places but is that it? Am I missing something?

I'm a huge fan of Google maps, I think they're really handy for getting quick directions with a super easy and pretty cool AJAX interface. I don't see what downloading and installing Google Earth gives me other than novelty.

Plus Google maps are very "Web 2.0" whereas Google Earth is still program that needs to be downloaded and installed. It seems like Google is going after both web (gmail, spreadsheets, etc.) and windows/mac/linux (Earth, Picasa) apps at the same time which doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me since their revenue comes from online advertising and from my perspective they've excelled(no pun intended) at the Web 2.0 stuff and been just so-so with the more traditional applications.

Re:What's the point?

[Ford Prefect]

I'm trying not to troll here but I don't really "get" the point of Google Earth. I understand that it's cool to look around cities and famous places but is that it? Am I missing something?

Yes.

Re:What's the point?

[Digital Vomit]

I'm trying not to troll here but I don't really "get" the point of Google Earth. I understand that it's cool to look around cities and famous places but is that it? Am I missing something?

I feel a little bad for you. Don't you experience any sort of wonder and amazement that you can look at just about any point on the planet, all from the comfort of your own chair? I mean, even if it wasn't useful for getting maps, creating driving routes, and all that, isn't it still an amazing achievement to you? GoogleEarth is a significant cultural and technological achievement.

And how fitting that Google, of all companies, has provided this free of charge to everyone on Earth.

The fact that GoogleEarth exists at all is the point.

This is no offense to you, personally, but how sad is it that, in our modern era, we can create stunning accomplishments that overshadow any and all accomplishments in the entirety of human history and so many of us still have the lack of appreciation to say "That's it?".

Re:What's the point?

[angaram]

I can tell you that the geologists & engineers in many oil & gas companies find google earth to be a very handy & time-saving tool.

Re:What's the point?

[Tazmaster75]

Think of the kids! It's an intersting and fun way to learn about the world.

Also, video producers have already started using apps like this in their films... "Loose Change: Second Edition", anyone?

Re:What's the point?

[justkarl]

Furthermore, I think that many people, being visual learners as they are, respond to techy stuff like "google maps" when there's big, 3d, free visual interfaces attached to it. Personally, I like to use it to look up local businesses, find restaraunts, etc.

Re:What's the point?

[tclgeek]

It is really helping me out right now. I'm having to move far away to a place I've never been. Google Earth lets me view the area from space, get a feel for neighborhoods, distances, etc. It can plot routes between potential houses for rent/purchase and schools, businesses, etc. For relocating to an unfamiliar place, it's quite handy. Sure, much (most? all?) of the same stuff can be done through maps.google.com, but it's much speedier using the thick client.

Re:What's the point?

[IntlHarvester]

I guess I always imagined that oil companies had their own kick-ass GIS systems that would put consumer stuff like Google Earth to shame. Or maybe they do, but it's too much trouble to "fly around".

Re:What's the point?

[TerenceRSN]

I get that part of it but I do that with just Google Maps instantly anywhere on the Internet. I guess I don't see what you gain from installing Earth versus just using Google Maps online.

I think all of this stuff is cool but I don't think it overshadows any and all accomplishments in our history (and I'm sure that's not what you really meant).

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't see what downloading and installing Google Earth gives me other than novelty.

Basically, anybody who makes money off geography is interested in Google Earth, because of the ease and speed with which you can add placemarks and build your own personal database of them, and get distances and directions between them, and exchange database files with others. Think real estate agents, geologists, demographics researchers, meteorologists, epidemic-tracking biologists...Add terrain and 3D building data, and you've got a real tool. Check out all of the practical industry uses in the Google Earth Blog.

I showed it to a real-estate friend and his jaw dropped. He "got it" right away. Catalog properties geographically from a laptop...link to web page...provide instant directions...e-mail placemarks to buyers...let them survey site...???...profit!!!

I'm using it to attach latitude/longitude data to locations of my photographs. It is much faster than the browser interface. And you can see where that can lead.

The fact that is an application is a feature, not a disadvantage. Instead of being shoehorned into a web interface, you get a marked-up globe so responsive that the interactivity itself becomes a feature.

Re:What's the point?

[Kelson]

I've developed a much better sense of local* geography "flying" around with Google Earth. It's one thing to try to associate views from different locations with points on maps. It's another thing to step back, get some perspective, and see a mix of "real" visuals (the aerial/satllite photography) and maps so that you can say, unequivacably, "OK, those are the mountains I can see from over here, and that range of hills up there is actually the same range of hills over there..." etc.

Sure, it'd be even better to charter an airplane to fly around, but most of us don't have that much pocket change -- and this lets me check out any region I want (assuming sufficient coverage), not just places near where I am.

*By "local" I mean southern California, which is pretty damn big.

Re:What's the point?

[IntlHarvester]

Follow up: Of course there's a "pro" version of GE ... forgot about that.

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

The point is to get people to continue using their search engine. They want what all businesses want: cult like devotion. Love from their consumers. By giving us features we love, we love google as a result. Right now, if Google was having financial difficulties and put a paypal donation box on www.google.com, they would make a mint. People love Google.

Beyond that, by giving us features that we learn to need, we learn to need google. If I wanted to switch to ask.com, the minute I wanted to use a feature like google maps I would be pulled back to google.

Re:What's the point?

[jfengel]

Google Earth has a number of advantages over Google Maps:

* Because it's a native app rather than Web 2.0, it's snappier.

* There's an interface for making lists of points. For example, it's easy to create "this is my house" and "this is my office" places. That makes getting directions more convenient.

* Navigating in cities, the ability to see the buildings in 3D and get a ground-level perspective can be really useful in driving. It can be hard to figure out exactly what some directions mean just from the description.

* Printing directions is more effective, because it's not limited to the 72DPI resolution you get on a screen. (It still doesn't do as good a job as I'd like; I'm hoping version 4 does better.)

Those are things you actually want, in addition to the gee-whiz stuff. By all means continue to use Google Maps if you don't want to bother downloading something. But Google Earth isn't just fancy-but-irrelevant features.

Re:What's the point?

[mebob]

actually from what I've been told by a geologist, they now use google earth most of the time and use there special software only to fill in some in some area where GEarth is lacking. I think the biggest thing is someof the data that record is required to be in a specific software.

Re:What's the point?

[LiquidCoooled]

Google maps is amazing in its form and provides a very quick overview of a location, it amazes me that we can tile and deliver the world in bite size chunks for your use.
However maps fails when you want to use the 3d processing and cache abilities of your live system.
In google earth, tilting and rotating the world to your perspective really helps with your orientation, inserting buildings and landscape features puts you into the world all without needing to zoom out meaning you can easily see yourself walking or driving a journey. You can follow the path you need to take and mvoe around much more fluidly than in map.
Its a full 3d MMORG simply lacking in NPCs and avatars, maps is the same game but its a 2d scroller.

I also think the grand parent is wrong in his stunning accomplishments assessment, its just a refinement on an age old art of cartography mashed up (very hip) with a game engine.

One other thing, the local application versions have a home because google knows the internet isn't everything - yet.
In car nav systems don't connect the whole time and rely on data from cd data or drive space with inputs from GPS units so having an internet only version would rule them out of this very lucrative market.
Managing your graphics is something typically done offline, the internet is quick, but its just not quite there yet.

Re:What's the point?

[Buran]

Try being able to plan a trip to an aviation museum and use Google Earth to see where the hotels are so you can find one that will give you a great view of the approach path of incoming aircraft, and click on the one you want and be transported right to its website to look up room rates and make a reservation if you wish.

Just looking up addresses and getting distance info from a "find near here" site will tell you how far you have to drive, but knowing what you'll get, exactly, ahead of time, is only something that a real map can give you.

I did make the reservation, and I'm looking forward to the trip. It will be interesting to see if I can somehow upload the address easily via my Powerbook to my Garmin Streetpilot i5 so I can easily navigate there.

Re:What's the point?

[miasmic]

Yeah, you are missing something: an interest in the natural world around us.

There is more to the world we live in than "cities and famous places". I can spend hours and hours on Google Earth, just looking at mountains in the Rockies or Andes for example. The physical world interests me, landforms, geology, physical geography in general. To me, Google Earth is one of the most significant pieces of educational software ever released on any format. Someone in Ohio or Oostende can gain an appreciation of the landforms of Papua New Guinea, fly through the Grand Canyon or explore the Antarctic Peninsula without ever leaving their desks, things they will probably never get a chance to do in real life.

The question you ask is analogous to asking "what's the point of any form of learning that doesn't further our everyday lives?".

Answer: "Some people find it interesting." If software formats and web 2.0 are more interesting to you than the High Himalayas, then that's your bag (...), but you have to appreciate that other's tastes and interests vary.

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

I found Google Earth to be immensley useful when I was hunting for my new house. I found properties online and then located them on Google Earth to see what the area was like... If it was nice tree-lined streets with nearby shops and good roads, I made an appointment to view the places.

Once I moved into my new house, I used Google Earth to check out all the footpaths and fields that surround the house. It's been great for finding the shortest and quietest routes to and from the local pubs.

Now that I'm settled, I'm having some building work done which meant that I had to apply for planning permission... once again, Google Earth to the rescue. It was easy to trace the outlines of the buildings on my plot for the planning office... All accurately and to scale. Google's measure tool is great for that.

That enough point for you?

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

The point is that Google is a company with too much stock bubble money and they are flailing around trying to find something - anything - else to do besides the search engine.

Re:What's the point?

[multi io]

I'm a huge fan of Google maps, I think they're really handy for getting quick directions with a super easy and pretty cool AJAX interface.

Now that I come to think of it, there's no point in getting quick directions either, because we're all gonna die in the end anyway...

Re:What's the point?

[glitch23]

The new version provides directions (for trips I presume, like any other app that provides directions). I haven't tried that feature out yet. Google didn't create GoogleEarth from scratch so it's not like they wasted a ton of time developing it for no reason (or for one unbeknownst to us). They bought the rights and code from DigitalGlobe I think (can't remember their name) so they had a large code base to start from. The original app was not free but thanks to Google it now is so anyone using the app previously for whatever reason can now use it free of charge (unless you want to spend extra on higher quality maps).

Re:What's the point?

[Rod, Hot]

Bear with me on this... it is a tad long, but worth it (I think at least).

OK, first things first. I am serving in the Army as an enlisted Military Policeman. Currently stationed at Fort Hood in the 1st Cavalry Division, I came back from a 1 year tour in Iraq in early/mid 2005. In Baghdad the military is using a "new" tool (that DARPA has been working on for a number of years) that easily allows collaborative efforts and battle tracking. (I just googled for it, and the name is out in the open with a nice description of it on defense-update.com ... so it _appears_ that I am not "talking out of school" here.)

Anyway, last year around April/May the Cav returns back to the states, we get a little down time, turn most of our trucks and tanks to be "Reset" (rebuilt/refurbished/updated) ... and catch a nice little breather when Katrina hits. The 82nd Airborne gets to New Orleans first (after the National Guard and reserves) and then the Cav.

Being an enlisted Military Policeman gave me a unique perspective to what was going on... and more importantly what was NOT going on. When I worked in Baghdad my job was to coordinate efforts between the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Police. We tracked what the Iraqi Police were seeing on the Streets and what the military was seeing on the streets and tried to keep everybody on the same page.

Low and behold when I get to New Orleans I discover that I have the PERFECT skill set for this disaster. Military and Law Enforcement experience, VERY knowledgeable on how to push and pull information to and from everybody who needs it, dealing with ALL flavors of law enforcement and coordinating efforts on the fly.

One problem. I don't have a tool to put the coordination together. However, most places (hospitals, Police Stations, FBI, DEA, NYFD, Customs, and the FEMA coordination centers) all have Internet access. Guess what. We have the perfect tool... Google Earth.

Google had recently worked there ASSES off putting current and updated flood information into Google Earth, you could pull up where downed power lines and flooded roads were at, you could transpose the "pre flood" and the "post flood" images, and the downtown area even had 3D models of the buildings.

Oh, and IT WAS FREE... and easy to use... And you can EASILY share information between other people. I put an icon in my Google Earth .KML describing a dead body that needs to be picked up and the proper agencies (who are "subscribed" to my .KML) see that information in SECONDS (or minutes at the latest). There were a limited number of people there who could legally move bodies according to LA law so it was a constant effort to get them to where they needed to be.

You add a VOIP aspect to it and POOF! Instant command and control for the different agencies. It is nigh-impossible to crash google's servers and as long as you had power (which was rapidly becoming a NON issue) and Internet access (same thing) you were able to talk and coordinate your efforts.

The beauty of the system is that as long as each agency updates their little piece of the pie everybody can see and use that data... Even if they don't update it, there was so much overlap that someone would see and report an incident.

One other problem. We are dealing with the CIVILIAN government and FEMA here. They have a major case of "It wasn't grown here"-itis. Everybody I showed it to was amazed and astounded with how easy and efficient it was... and the power of collaboration was something completely new and foreign to almost EVERYBODY involved... except for the 1st Cav. FEMA seems hell bent to spend MILLIONS of dollars setting up a command and control center that only talked to itself... AMAZING. I showed their tech people and some higher ups what Google Earth could bring to the plate and they were impressed. The tech types were ready and willing to embrace the tool, but hesitant because t

Re:What's the point?

[Lord Flipper]

It is really helping me out right now. I'm having to move far away to a place I've never been.

I used it for the exact same purpose, before moving to the Twin Cities from upstate New York. And I use it way more now that I am here. It is just so much handier than the web-based 'maps'.

Once I got into it a bit, I never looked back. It seems to have almost unlimited applications. locating anything, dividing community meeting locations up by date, getting the real 'lay of the land' regarding the walking involved between mass transit connections, it just goes on and on. Address location works better than Metro Transit's custom-built 'from here, to there' thing. Amazing stuff. When Google gets one right, it is really right.

If I was on the Gtalk team I'd be having serious feelings of "less than" right about now.

Re:What's the point?

[westyvw]

Money. The Point is MONEY.
There are some useful features with Google Earth for businesses. As another poster said, there is more then one version. The pay versions are getting their free advertising through this version. There are FAR better tools for most GIS work, but the smoothness of the display, the quick address location finding, and the fact that the boss has seen it make it a shoe in. Let me reiterate - the fact the BOSS and Upper Management have seen Google maps and now Google earth, they WILL want it over any functioning tool.
Google will come to your business and show you just why you should buy it, and even offer to use your data to populate it if need be.

Re:What's the point?

[Russ Nelson]

DON'T KEEP HIM IN SUSPENSE!!!

Re:What's the point?

[jlarocco]

And how fitting that Google, of all companies, has provided this free of charge to everyone on Earth.

This is no offense to you, personally, but how sad is it that, in our modern era, we can create stunning accomplishments that overshadow any and all accomplishments in the entirety of human history and so many of us still have the lack of appreciation to say "That's it?".

This is no offense to you, peronally, but how sad is it that, in our modern era, a company can release software that doesn't achieve anything new, slap on an intuitive interface, and people will act like it's one of the greatest accomplishments in the entirety of human history?

Software like Google Earth has been around for a while. Most of it isn't free, but you can certainly buy a copy. And before you go off on how free Google Earth is, consider that it's free only after you've already shelled out the cash for a computer and internet access. For a large percentage of the earth's population, a $500 computer might as well be a $5000 computer, as they're both impossibly out of reach.

How can so many people be so brain washed by Google?

Re:What's the point?

[mvsmo]

I move around about once a year (even different countries) and have found no substitute for just actually walking around the city (or biking if it is a large city). Is there any particular reason to know where things are before you are even in the city? I'll admit that being able to plot routes to and from places is nifty, and being able to find possible short-cuts nice, but using paper maps isn't all that difficulty especially once you know the lay of the land.

Re:What's the point?

[mvsmo]

I've used Google Earth and admit it is pretty cool, but I don't know if it really conveys the impressiveness of the natural world to the degree you say it does. At least, it doesn't to me. These are just pixels on the screen, and good for a general sense of things (like surveying the Sahara desert) but does it really educate you about these places?

I do a lot of backcountry backpacking and hiking, and also a lot of reading about backcountry places. It never ceases to amaze me how little knowledge I really gain just from reading, rather than doing. And I am not just talking about practical issues like whether a poncho or a rain-jacket is better suited to certain conditions. I mean about the physical world.

There is a danger in thinking you know too much. Maybe not so much with the physical layout of the world, but you can get an idea of what I mean by talking with people who think they know a lot about the world's cultures but have never lived outside their country. They really have a false idea of what things are like.

Considering how relatively easy it is to just pack up and do something adventurous, I can't see how Google Earth is anything more than pretty cool.

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

You're right that it may take a few more pieces of information to fully appreciate. But get a good geological map of the area and take a 1st-year geology course, and Google Earth becomes *much* more interesting. Some geological features are too big to take in all at once -- you need a kind of "macroscope" to expand your view. Ordinarily, geologists use paper maps for this sort of thing, but Google Earth lets you do it easily, quickly, and in 3D. It is even better if you have visited the areas in question, or if you are there while using it, because you can integrate the detailed, local view with the broader context. It's the geology equivalent of an astronomical telescope -- you are able to see much more.

Then there's the impracticality of visiting some geologically-interesting places such as the East African Rift or Himalayas without spending *alot* of money and time.

Re:What's the point?

[Anonymous Coward]

I feel a little bad for you. Don't you experience any sort of wonder and amazement that you can look at just about any point on the planet, all from the comfort of your own chair?

I've played with it some, and it's no more impressive than imagining it in my head. (And my imagination works anywhere, any time.) A great work of art I can appreciate because it shows me something I wouldn't even have imagined, but Google Earth, no, it's just some slow blocky 3d graphics.

I mean, even if it wasn't useful for getting maps, creating driving routes, and all that, isn't it still an amazing achievement to you? GoogleEarth is a significant cultural and technological achievement. This is no offense to you, personally, but how sad is it that, in our modern era, we can create stunning accomplishments that overshadow any and all accomplishments in the entirety of human history

Google Earth is a "stunning accomplishment that overshadow[s] any and all accomplishments in the entirety of human history"? It is *you* we feel sad for.

and so many of us still have the lack of appreciation to say "That's it?".

And here's why: this is the part that gives me hope. If being wowed by techno-novelties like Google Earth were all there is to life, then my parents' lives sucked, my childrens' lives will kick my life's butt. A couple generations from now they'll laugh at how much our lives must have sucked because Google Earth is so blocky and slow (compared to what it will be).

But the fact that there are people who lived long ago and achieved enlightenment, and people living today who never will -- that gives me hope. Hope that people can be truly happy independent of when they lived, or how many techno-toys they have.

Have fun looking at the earth through a low-resolution computer display.

Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[bunbuntheminilop]

Its a binary. I had an idea that if I created a new user, and ran the binary as the new user, then everything would be alright, right?

Its not that I don't trust google, but I run Gentoo and don't have many binaries install at all. This might become more common in the future, so how should I protect myself from malicious binaries?

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Lxy]

how should I protect myself from malicious binaries?

Don't them as root.

How is a binary unsafe but somehow source code is? I have a hard time believing you audit the code for everything that Gentoo installs. Why is a mirror offering up source code somehow trusted, but binaries aren't?

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[JFitzsimmons]

LOL GENTOO

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[syscrash2k]

lol. gentoo.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[IWannaBeAnAC]

How is a binary unsafe but somehow source code is?

Because in Gentoo, a hash of the source tarball is integrated into the package system. The tarball might be downloaded from anywhere, but if the hashes don't match you have a different file than the package maintainer used, and it won't be installed.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[sveinungkv]

It is simpeler to audit source code than binarys. Therefore it is more likely that someone has audited it already. Gentoo even has a team auditing code, see http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/security/audit.xml like OpenBSD.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Anonymous Coward]

haha genoo sucks

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[bunbuntheminilop]

How is a binary unsafe but somehow source code is? I have a hard time believing you audit the code for everything that Gentoo installs. Why is a mirror offering up source code somehow trusted, but binaries aren't? Just because I don't audit the code personally, doesn't mean one of our 1 million users wouldn't, and thats just in the Gentoo community.

Being able to examine the code is far better than not being able to at all.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[astrosmash]

how should I protect myself from malicious binaries?

Close your eyes, click your heels together three times, then pretend that you've blindly compiled these binaries from source yourself, like you normally do, and proceed from there.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Anonymous Coward]

Do you actually inspect every line of every module of all the source that you download, including any configuration files? Count on least one hour per 200 lines of code to figure it out, particularly if you can't confer with the author.

If you're not doing this, then you're just as vulnerable to malicious source as you are to malicious binaries. Very few users have either the expertise or the free time to inspect every byte of the code that they use.

Oh, someone else will spot the problem for you and warn you? Same is true for binaries; some other poor sod will run it first.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Kelson]

The tarball might be downloaded from anywhere, but if the hashes don't match you have a different file than the package maintainer used, and it won't be installed.

That doesn't tell you that it's safe, it tells you that it's the same thing the package maintainer used. All it means is you're passing the responsibility for auditing up the chain to the package maintainer.*

Now, the package maintainer for your distro may audit the code themselves, or they may rely on similar hashes/signatures to make sure that the source they use is the same as the source the project itself provides. In which case that's passing the buck up once again.

So really, what you're doing is relying on the original source to be safe...so it's not much different than relying on the original binary to be safe. It comes down to this: Do I trust the provider of this software? Inclusion in a distro can be seen as a vote of confidence: Gentoo includes app X, implying that Gentoo believes X is not going to take over my machine. You can choose to believe that anything included in your distro is likely to be safe, or rather that anything unsafe in it is unsafe by accident and not deliberately. (Choosing otherwise makes it a hell of a lot harder to build and maintain a system, though it can certainly be done.)

But hash checks and GPG signatures don't tell you that an app is safe, whether you download it as source or as a binary. They only tell you that it hasn't been altered.

*Note that the same is true for RPM-based distros like Fedora or SuSE -- packages are signed with GPG, and it won't install if the signature doesn't validate -- and I would assume for Debian-derived distros as well. This isn't a distro war issue.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[klparrot]

My problem with a .bin install is that it doesn't work with my package-management system, and that I don't know (without taking it apart) what the install is doing. Who knows where it's installing or what other files it's modifying during the install process?

I generally don't worry about malicious code when I'm getting it from sources I trust, but I do worry about the "helpful" or "smart" installation code that thinks it knows better than I do about how I want something set up on my computer. Also, what happens when I want to uninstall it?

Once a program is installed, it tends to keep to itself nicely. But installations sometimes do things that I don't want them to, and it's a lot easier to run rpm -l and rpm --scripts than to unwrap multiple layers of scripts form a .bin.

That said, it looks like they have used Makeself to wrap the Google Earth installation, which allows the contents of the .bin to be extracted separately from an installation. I'll probably go that route for now, and hope they come out with an RPM later like they did for Picasa.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Anonymous Coward]

If you know anyone could see the source youget to pretend to yourself that obviously *someone* Not Evil would have looked it over and checked it for anything Evil then kicked up a stink if they found anything.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Moofie]

If you really really think that Google is going to take over your computer, I suggest not installing their software.

I also recommend installing a big, shiny chinstrap on your tinfoil hat. You know that the mind control rays come up from the ground now, right?

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[IWannaBeAnAC]

Of course. Do you trust Microsoft? Do you trust the maker of your hardware? Every link in the chain requires trust.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[cortana]

Yes, it can crap all over your filesystem. You can use checkinstall to keep track of exactly what it changes though.

Also, run the installer as a regular installer and you can be sure it's not touching anything outside of your $HOME.

Even better, extract the files by hand and run them. :)

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Anonymous Coward]

The installer program asks you what directory to install to and where to place a symlink to the binary.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a hard time believing you audit the code for everything that Gentoo installs. Why is a mirror offering up source code somehow trusted, but binaries aren't?

Believe it or not, Gentoo checks the MD5 sums of downloaded source code packages against good values checked by the Gentoo developers.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[bunbuntheminilop]

Have you not read the EULA?

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Moofie]

Again: If that's a concern for you, do not install it. What's the problem?

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[bunbuntheminilop]

I didn't. I created a new user and they installed it.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Moofie]

"They", huh? Righto. Check that chinstrap.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[klparrot]

You can use checkinstall to keep track of exactly what it changes though.

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. Actually, I'll just provide this link I found to the CheckInstall site, in case anyone else is interested.

Also, run the installer as a regular installer and you can be sure it's not touching anything outside of your $HOME.

A lot of installers will just abort if they aren't allowed to run rampant.

Even better, extract the files by hand and run them. :)

Yeah, that's my usual solution.

In this case, I trusted the setup script inside the .bin, and I gotta say it worked pretty nicely. Lets you run it as a regular user, and it installs everything into one directory (plus an optional symlink somewhere else). I think I even saw mention of an uninstaller. Yeah, Google will take over the world. :)

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[say]

My problem with a .bin install is that it doesn't work with my package-management system, and that I don't know (without taking it apart) what the install is doing. Who knows where it's installing or what other files it's modifying during the install process?

Bah, you're running it as a normal user, who can only write to $HOME. And Google Earth makes a directory, copies files to it, and makes a symlink in .local/share/applications. That's it. If you really needed to make sure, you could make a new user, run the install as this user, and diff the complete file list before and after.

I agree that it's easier to remove a program that has been installed with the package manager. OTOH, removing Google Earth is a matter of running the shell script "uninstall" in your Google Earth installation directory.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[cortana]

FYI, it also installs two files outside of the installation directory: ~/.local/share/applications/googleearth.desktop and ~/.local/share/mime/packages/googleearth-mimetypes .xml. There might be more, I too trusted it and didn't bother using checkinstall or installwatch.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[makomk]

My problem with a .bin install is that it doesn't work with my package-management system, and that I don't know (without taking it apart) what the install is doing. Who knows where it's installing or what other files it's modifying during the install process?

Of course, the Gentoo ebuild ignores the installer totally and manually unpacks and installs everything itself. Portage also keeps track of what files are installed (by installing to a temporary staging area and trying to prevent ebuilds from installing anything directly - I think there may be ways around this, but it doesn't matter in this case as the ebuild doesn't run any package-provided code anyway).

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[GoatPigSheep]

Do you have closed-source binary video drivers? Because most 3d drivers are. And you need 3d drivers to run Google Earth.

Re:Its true, it is a binary. What should I do now?

[Anonymous Coward]

simpler not simpeler

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Anonymous Coward]

It's really handy when you lose your keys...

NASA WorldWind also ready for Linux and MacOSX

[Lord Satri]

IF you go to this WindWindCentral page, you'll learn that Google Earth's open source competitor is readying Linux and Mac versions of NASA World Wind. You can learn a lot about WW here and a lot about GE here.

"NASA is currently making plans for World Wind 1.5. This version will be available for multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux and the Macintosh."

Re:NASA WorldWind also ready for Linux and MacOSX

[TheBeansprout]

There is also a World WInd clone written by Pat Murris - WW2D Plus One (homepage) written in Java.

It's obviously quite simplistic however it is a 3D world viewer and can use the same imagery as World Wind, so it's a start and certainly something to use if you want to see the good-looking Next Generation Blue Marble imagery for one thing :)

Re:NASA WorldWind also ready for Linux and MacOSX

[SEMW]

For anyone wanting a quick eye-candy comparison, by a useful stroke of luck they both have 3D pics of Mount St. Helens as showcases on their respective web pages.

Google:
http://earth.google.com/images/mtsth.jpg

Worldwind:
http://www.worldwindcentral.com/wiki/images/b/b6/S rtm.jpg

Re:NASA WorldWind also ready for Linux and MacOSX

[psavo]

So tell me why Free Earth Foundation had WW Port to OpenGl and WW Port to mono as Google Summer of Code -projects?

FWIW, none of suggestions related to that portion of work was accepted (those that were accepted are very good nevertheless).

Re:NASA WorldWind also ready for Linux and MacOSX

[5of0]

There was quite a bit of discussion in the mailing list in May (archives), especially the question you asked and the reply, and interest in doing it outside of SOC.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Jason1729]

If you never go outside, it can show you what the world looks like.

For the rest of us, take a GPS datalogger when boating, biking, driving, etc. Then import the data into Google Earth to have a satellite image with your trek pre-drawn on it.

What was that...

[mrchaotica]

...about no publicity?

Re:What was that...

[Russ Nelson]

Nobody reads slashdot anymore -- there are too many story comments to keep up with.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[CrankyFool]

Well ...

I had a first date planned with someone (this was about 349 days ago, before she became my girlfriend, then fiance); I was supposed to go to an area of town I've not often frequented; worse, the directions were confusing (lots of cloverleaf intersections and the like).

I put it into Google Earth, had it show me the directions AND what the streets actually look like, and this really helped me understand the directions. Does that count?

high quality buildings & overlays?

[Elwood P Dowd]

If anyone knows of a good source for high quality buildings & overlays, I am all ears. These features will be great if someone else wants to do all the work.

But does it work in Linux?

[Se7enLC]

Google Lists the following tested+working distributions:

Ubuntu 5.10
Suse 10.1
Fedora Core 5
Linspire 5.1
Gentoo 2006.0
Debian 3.1
Red Hat 9

I just tested it and it works but sporadically crashes under RHEL3 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3). The crash said that it would be sending details to google regarding the crash, but I didn't see any notice about it when I next started googleearth.

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[N7DR]

Well it's a disaster on my Mandriva 2006.0 system. It doesn't crash, but the mosaics have bits and pieces of land and sea scattered seemingly at random all over the globe.

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[beermad]

OUCH!
Causes my Mandriva 2006 AMD 64 bit machine to hang catastrophically.
That's the first time I've had to hit the reset button in a long while :-(

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[idonthack]

Works great under Ubuntu 6.06 as well.

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[markdavis]

Works just fine on my dual core Athlon running Mandriva 2006.0 32 bit + NVidia. I am lovin' it!

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[WhiteWolf666]

Most likely a problem with your OpenGL drivers, not Google Earth.

Hard locks like that should not occur from user space programs, and in this case the likely culprit is ATI or Nvidia ;-)

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[Ash-Fox]

Working fine under Mandriva 2006, I am using packages from club, SoS and PLF however.

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[Anonymous Coward]

No it does not.
According to google, my machine should work (if you forget about 5.10 being tested and approved).
It seems to work, all the menues are there and I can search and stuff, but all I get is a black screen with some brown garbled lines. Yes, my system is fully upgraded as well. I get everything but the actual useful stuff.

Re:But does it work in Linux?

[Dollyknot]

I have the same problem as you, I am also running the same OS as you. I am running an AMD 64 and graphics drivers installed from NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-8178-pkg2.run. If you are not running the same graphics driver as me it sounds like an OS problem. I would love to get this program working. We should share notes.

To email me, just shove peter in front of my website.

MOD PARENT DOWN

[Anonymous Coward]

-1 Astroturf

Yes it IS native.

[gukin]

When run "sudo GoogleEarth . . . " it creates a directory in /usr/local/google-earth. That directory is chock full of .so files, not .DLL files. Also Icculus (Ryan Gordon) is "not a big fan of wine". Ryan and most of the folks who hang their hats at icculus.org are former employees or had connections to Loki Software, a company that made NATIVE PORTS of games.

One other chap who worked at Loki then moved on to Epic Software and brought us NATIVE ports of UT2003 and UT2004.

It's definitely native.

Thanks to Gordon and I hope you had fun working with the folks at Google.

This is indeed a great day, google earth was the only app I ever used on my laptop under Windows.

Yeah, it's not perfect yet, read the forums, play around with it, tweek it and it'll go.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[mspohr]

When I run sudo GoogleEarthLinux.bin it tells me "command not found"...???

Really... Linux newbie here and I've no idea how to actually get the .bin file to install or run.

Google itself provides absolutely no instructions on installing or running. I guess they assume that if you know Linux, you know how to install it and don't need instructions.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[ozbird]

It's definitely native.

Only native x86. I don't see any native amd64/x86-64, sparc etc. versions.

NASA's World Wind offers some hope for non-x86 platforms, but it's a way off yet.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[marcushnk]

poor noobie :-)
try
sudo sh GoogleEarthLinux.bin
in the shell in the dir you downloaded the file into

Re:Yes it IS native.

[QuantumG]

Can you please execute 'ldd' on the binary for us and post the output? I have no desire to download this stuff but would like to know what dependencies it has.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[pherthyl]

Use a chroot environment for x86. Then it'll work. Some distros also ship with the required libs to run x86 binaries out of the box, so you might not even need that.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[sago007]

That answer could be considered rude.

I installed it with no problems, but I can't run it as a normal user, i need to run it with "sudo googleearth" or I will get a symlink error. Using Ubuntu 6.06.
Is it just me or is everyone else just running as root by default?

Re:Yes it IS native.

[mspohr]

Thanks, I did figure this out (with a little help from a Google searh)...

Works great even on an old 850 MHz AMD Duron with on-board graphics... well... maybe not "Great!" (a little jerky on pan and zoom) but it does work!

I found my house 39 deg 12'10.34 N 120 deg 05'52.06" W

Re:Yes it IS native.

[paving-slab]

Here you go. I've just got to add a few words here as otherwise I have too few characters per line, only 28.8, apparently, although how you can have .8 of a character I don't know.
Well I'm up to 38.8 and it's still not happy. How many do you need? Is it just a coincidence that it went from 28.8 to 38.8? Seems suspect to me. Oh well, Time to try again.
Should be OK now, I think I've added enough pointless drivel to get the characters per line high enough to be able to post.

linux-gate.so.1 => (0xffffe000)
./libcomponent.so => not found
./libfusion.so => not found
./libgeobase.so => not found
./libmath.so => not found
./libwmsbase.so => not found
./libnet.so => not found
./libcollada.so => not found
./libbase.so => not found
./libgoogleearth.so => not found
libcrypto.so.0.9.8 => not found
libcurl.so.3 => /usr/lib/libcurl.so.3 (0xb7eff000)
libfreeimage.so.3 => not found
libgcc_s.so.1 => /usr/lib/gcc/i686-pc-linux-gnu/3.4.6/libgcc_s.so.1 (0xb7ef5000)
libGLU.so.1 => /usr/lib/libGLU.so.1 (0xb7e78000)
libjpeg.so.62 => /usr/lib/libjpeg.so.62 (0xb7e5a000)
libmng.so.1 => /usr/lib/libmng.so.1 (0xb7df9000)
libpng12.so.0 => /usr/lib/libpng12.so.0 (0xb7dd4000)
libqt-mt.so.3 => /usr/qt/3/lib/libqt-mt.so.3 (0xb76ca000)
libqui.so.1 => /usr/qt/3/lib/libqui.so.1 (0xb7696000)
libssl.so.0.9.8 => not found
libstdc++.so.6 => /usr/lib/gcc/i686-pc-linux-gnu/3.4.6/libstdc++.so. 6 (0xb75c8000)
libtiff.so.3 => /usr/lib/libtiff.so.3 (0xb7575000)
libz.so.1 => /lib/libz.so.1 (0xb7563000)
./libIGCore.so => not found
./libIGGfx.so => not found
./libIGAttrs.so => not found
./libIGDisplay.so => not found
./libIGGui.so => not found
./libIGSg.so => not found
./libIGCollision.so => not found
./libIGMath.so => not found
./libIGUtils.so => not found
./libIGOpt.so => not found
./libIGExportCommon.so => not found
./libcommon.so => not found
./librender.so => not found
./libauth.so => not found
./libframework.so => not found
libm.so.6 => /lib/tls/libm.so.6 (0xb753d000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/tls/libc.so.6 (0xb7425000)
libpthread.so.0 => /lib/tls/libpthread.so.0 (0xb7412000)
libgnutls.so.12 => /usr/lib/libgnutls.so.12 (0xb7398000)
libgcrypt.so.11 => /usr/lib/libgcrypt.so.11 (0xb734d000)
libgpg-error.so.0 => /usr/lib/libgpg-error.so.0 (0xb7349000)
libidn.so.11 => /usr/lib/libidn.so.11 (0xb7318000)
libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0xb7314000)
libXext.so.6 => /usr/lib/libXext.so.6 (0xb7305000)
libX11.so.6 => /usr/lib/libX11.so.6 (0xb7237000)
libGL.so.1 => //usr//lib/opengl/nvidia/lib/libGL.so.1 (0xb71c9000)
liblcms.so.1 => /usr/lib/liblcms.so.1 (0xb719a000)
libpng.so.3 => /usr/lib/libpng.so.3 (0xb7175000)
libXi.so.6 => /usr/lib/libXi.so.6 (0xb716d000)
libXrender.so.1 => /usr/lib/libXrender.so.1 (0xb7165000)
libXrandr.so.2 => /u

Re:Yes it IS native.

[molarmass192]

linux:~/google-earth> ldd googleearth-bin
linux-gate.so.1 => (0xffffe000)
./libcomponent.so (0xb7f50000)
./libfusion.so (0xb7f4b000)
./libgeobase.so (0xb7cee000)
./libmath.so (0xb7ce0000)
./libwmsbase.so (0xb7c92000)
./libnet.so (0xb7c62000)
./libcollada.so (0xb79b7000)
./libbase.so (0xb793a000)
./libgoogleearth.so (0xb780e000)
libcrypto.so.0.9.8 => /usr/lib/libcrypto.so.0.9.8 (0xb76e8000)
libcurl.so.3 => /usr/lib/libcurl.so.3 (0xb76b4000)
libfreeimage.so.3 => not found
libgcc_s.so.1 => /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 (0xb7691000)
libGLU.so.1 => /usr/lib/libGLU.so.1 (0xb761a000)
libjpeg.so.62 => /usr/lib/libjpeg.so.62 (0xb75fb000)
libmng.so.1 => /usr/lib/libmng.so.1 (0xb758b000)
libpng12.so.0 => /usr/lib/libpng12.so.0 (0xb754c000)
libqt-mt.so.3 => /usr/lib/libqt-mt.so.3 (0xb6e64000)
libqui.so.1 => /usr/lib/libqui.so.1 (0xb6e31000)
libssl.so.0.9.8 => /usr/lib/libssl.so.0.9.8 (0xb6df3000)
libstdc++.so.6 => /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6 (0xb6d13000)
libtiff.so.3 => /usr/lib/libtiff.so.3 (0xb6cc0000)
libz.so.1 => /usr/lib/libz.so.1 (0xb6cae000)
./libIGCore.so (0xb6bc1000)
./libIGGfx.so (0xb6b05000)
./libIGAttrs.so (0xb6aad000)
./libIGDisplay.so (0xb6a9b000)
./libIGGui.so (0xb6a5e000)
./libIGSg.so (0xb695d000)
./libIGCollision.so (0xb694f000)
./libIGMath.so (0xb690a000)
./libIGUtils.so (0xb68e7000)
./libIGOpt.so (0xb681a000)
./libIGExportCommon.so (0xb6799000)
./libcommon.so (0xb66f5000)
./librender.so (0xb665b000)
./libauth.so (0xb65bd000)
./libframework.so (0xb656c000)
libm.so.6 => /lib/libm.so.6 (0xb6547000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0xb6427000)
libpthread.so.0 => /lib/libpthread.so.0 (0xb6412000)
libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0xb640e000)
libidn.so.11 => /usr/lib/libidn.so.11 (0xb63de000)
libGL.so.1 => /usr/lib/fglrx/lib/libGL.so.1 (0xb633e000)
liblcms.so.1 => /usr/lib/liblcms.so.1 (0x

Re:Yes it IS native.

[ScislaC]

I'm on Dapper as well and had the same problem... I went into my HOME dir and did a `sudo rm -rf .googleearth/', ran it again from the menu, and it works fine now as a normal user. :)

Re:Yes it IS native.

[Rysc]

It's just you. How about fixing that symlink, eh? That should be trivial. And when you're done email Google and let them know that it broke under your setup and what the fix was.

If you need help irc.freenode.net and ask in ##linux where I promise no one will laugh.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[brilinux]

Yeah, I actually run FreeBSD here, and the last thing that they released for Linux (Picasa?) did not run under the linux compatibility layer, which I assumed had something to do with the wine thing. With Google Earth, though, it runs great under FreeBSD and is a lot of fun.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[iabervon]

According to the release notes: glibc 2.3.2 w/NPTL, kernel 2.4, x.org 6.7. I think anything else is included.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[iabervon]

Have you tried using the ruler thingy? It pops up a dialog box, but that's not what dialog boxes look like...

Re:Yes it IS native.

[MPolo]

The same fix was necessary for me on Fedora Core 5. Thanks. I also always have garbage on the screen when it starts. Switching to Full-Screen and back clears this up.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[Omniscientist]

Ran perfectly fine out of the box for me. I'm using Gentoo AMD64.

Re:Yes it IS native.

[sago007]

That worked.

I guess it was a mistake to let it "Start GoogleEarth now" at the end of the installation.

Thanks

Re:Yes it IS native.

[stm2]

You can run it as a "plain" user (no root or sudo is required).

Re:Yes it IS native.

[bcmm]

It's odd, that. It's actually a borderless window, with Google Earth drawing what it thinks a windows border should look like. Weird way to do things.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Irish_Samurai]

Commercial Realestate

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[__aaclcg7560]

Whether 42 is the correct answer? The dolphins were too busy singing about all the fish they ate to say either way. I do know that they bought a large block of Google stock before they left. :P

There's 4 versions of Google Earth

[Lord Satri]

Yes, you're missing something. But a lot of people are, believe me ;-)

There are 4 versions of Google Earth. Most people know about the free version only. The other Google Earth versions gives you way more features, including GIS-like features.

source?

[Anonymous Coward]

The only interesting thing about google earth is getting the data from the satellite. Otherwise you can write google earth in tck/tk in 100 lines. So we don't care. China will provide free satellite and some kid will do the same thing on sourceforge. But we won't forget google!

Re:source?

[Goaway]

If you think you can write that in 100 lines, it is painfully obvious you have no idea what the program even does.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[CokeBear]

So what you're saying is, "Google Earth helped a geek get laid"?

Sounds like the beginnings of a marketing campaign, if I ever heard one...

BSD?

[nurb432]

What about bsd and osx support? any chance?

Re:BSD?

[rickyb]

Are you kidding about the OSX support? It's been available for OSX for a while. Just to go the Google Earth main page and download it.

Re:BSD?

[Anonymous Coward]

there's an OS X download link right there.

Re:BSD?

[Anonymous Coward]

It runs and installs neatly on a 6.1-Release with linux abi installed.

Re:BSD?

[nurb432]

No i wasnt kidding, last time i looked it wasnt supported. Havent bothered to go back since. For me if im not supported TODAY, companies often lose my business forever.

But ill go back and take a look.

Re:BSD?

[rickyb]

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the OSX version. It's definitely a native app, and this version even adds Universal Binary support! I've been using it since it was released and prefer it over the PC version (probably because my Mac system is faster than my PC laptop). Also, Google today released a Mac version of Sketch-up (free) for the 3D-design-inclined, so you can make a 3D, textured model of your house to add to Google Earth. Anyway, you can download it here:

http://earth.google.com/download-earth.html

And Sketch-up here:

http://sketchup.google.com/download.html

Re:BSD?

[TrappedByMyself]

You need to wait for Google Death

Re:BSD?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes Please, BSD and Solaris support too.

Re:BSD?

[ischorr]

...And this version fixes some of my least favorite UI problems (both in Windows and OS X), some of which were regressions from the old Keyhole version of the app.

Unfortunately it's still not a Universal app, and still slow as molasses compared to the Windows (and, it appears, the Linux) version. I'm not complaining that much, but would be very nice to see this taken care of.

Re:BSD?

[rickyb]

Hmm...perhaps you haven't downloaded the newest version. Google clearly states in their announcement that the OSX version is now Universal:

We got so excited around here about the first anniversary of Google Earth that we decided to celebrate a bit early. Beginning today, you can download a brand new version, Google Earth 4. Running on OS X? Feel the love. Prefer Linux? Ditto. Yes, we're releasing simultaneously for PC, Mac (universal binary for full performance on both Intel and PowerPC based Macs) and for the first time ever, native support for popular Linux distributions.

Emphasis mine. You might want to check it again.

Re:BSD?

[glitch23]

BSD and OSX? I'm waiting for the DOS version man. That will rock.

Re:BSD?

[ischorr]

You're right - when I did "Get Info" before I thought it just said "Application", no mention of Universal. I apparently wasn't looking hard enough.

So only the performance problems to fix then =)

Re:BSD?

[Anonymous Coward]

It works fine here on FreeBSD 6.1 using linux_dri-4.4.0.

Real Time Imagery for Google Earth

[Alien54]

I think that the reason so many people do not care about Privacy issues is because they relish the idea of spying on their neighbors. I have had more than one person ask me a question which strongly suggested that they thought Google Earth was using real time imagery of their neighborhood.

They wanted to see what their neighbors were doing, or see where their kids were, etc. Nevermind the sunbathers behind the super high fence.

But they still liked the product even if they didn't have those features. I imagine it would be very popular if they could get the features they thought they had.

Re:Real Time Imagery for Google Earth

[Anonymous Coward]

It's common knowledge that pedophiles use google earth to look for playsets in the backyards to find their victims.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[SamoVasGledamo]

Look around Esfahan.

Improved Aerial Photo Coverage

[qyiet]

Wow... the percentage of my country covered by the highres aerial photos has gone up massivly. This *really* adds to the usefulness of it. -Qyiet

Re:Improved Aerial Photo Coverage

[freeweed]

Google just released one of their biggest data updates ever (if not the biggest) on June 9th. Whole countries seem to be covered in high-res data now. There are places in the middle of the freakin' Canadian north with high-res imagery now.

Of course, just to piss me off, they didn't include the backcountry camping area I discovered a few years back. They did, however, include an area not 8km to the east. With each section of high-res data being nearly 16km wide, I think they specifically targetted MY campsite for exclusion.

Oh, and with a native Linux client I can finally ditch using Windows on a daily basis! Hooray!

An Inconvenient Earth

[Doomedsnowball]

I love how you can watch the glaciers melt and fall into the sea in 3D!!! The splashes are so much better. And with my whooshing sound effects, my daughter can enjoy them before they are gone. Thanks Google!!!

Works on Fedora Core 5

[bhunachchicken]

Just tried it with Fedora Core 5 (with ATI radeon drivers). Installed with no issues, works fine and works fast. I'm impressed! Thanks Google.

(note - I don't think it's using Wine... couldn't see any Wine related stuff in the process list...)

Re:Works on Fedora Core 5

[ClamIAm]

ATI radeon drivers, eh? So that must mean you have a Radeon...

Seriously though, you probably meant to say "x.org drivers" or "fglrx drivers".

Re:Yo, Google Cunts

[Jarnin]

Looks like I wasn't the only person to catch the season premiere of Deadwood last night...

awesome

[Oopsallberries]

Google Earth is one of my favorite programs. I just got a detailed overlay of my university campus that i'm starting out this summer so now i know where to go easily.

YM "Linux/x86", HTH

[mjrauhal]

It would be nice if sometimes "Linux support" meant something else than a binary for x86.

Re:YM "Linux/x86", HTH

[mvsmo]

How in the world is the above a troll? It is a concern for some of us. I run Linux on an old (G3 Pismo) PowerBook and frequently have trouble finding a non-x86 version.

Re:YM "Linux/x86", HTH

[mjrauhal]

Slashdot quality moderating at work again, it seems.

Personally, I'm running Linux on amd64, and while I can run x86 apps with relative ease, there's a slight snag in that X.org's DRI drivers still don't handle 32-bit clients on 64-bit kernels.

Re:YM "Linux/x86", HTH

[MrvFD]

Yeah, very trolly indeed... not. Linux = x86 Linux for so many that people really forget that if we're bound to x86 Linux we just have a free-as-in-beer Windows, not something truly free where we can choose our hardware. Like eg., GOSH, a x86-64 computer, but more to the point PowerPC-based computers, SPARC etc. were even chroot stuff cannot be done. But, suit yourself, the fact is that even a native x86 binary is nothing "new". It's nice for some, and might get more people to use Linux, but that's it. A good question is: Which does more good to our freedoms, a person using OpenOffice.org and OpenDocument formats in Windows, or a person using eg. Skype and Google Earth on x86 Linux? The first one can switch to eg. PPC Mac and use either Mac OS X or Linux or BSD there. The latter person has to stay with x86, and if eg. the vendor support for x86 Linux stops, he has to move to (probably) Windows.

Neat!

[miffo.swe]

Thank you Google! Now my users will be happy, some have complained about google earth not being avaliable on the desktops of our linux terminal server. This really makes my day. :D

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[baldass_newbie]

He only said she was his fiance, not that he got laid.
Big difference, especially where geeks are concerned.
Double especially when they use Google Earth instead of maps.google.com.

Do you think he can figure out what hole his adapter goes into?

In Soviet Russia...

[Poromenos1]

Linux runs GOOGLE EARTH!

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[cloudofstrife]

No, the proper joke would be:

In Soviet Russia, Google Earth runs you!

Alas, this doesn't have all of the Big Brother connotations that Smirnov's original jokes had, but it comes closer than a lot of other "In Soviet Russia" jokes that I've seen here...

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[drinkypoo]

I think you mean post-drawn. If it were pre-drawn, you'd have to download the track data before you went on your hike.

Google Earth and the Java Trap

[Anonymous Coward]

Google Earth for GNU/Linux is free, but shackled.

Yet another GNU/Linux application dependent on non-free 3D acceleration drivers. Thanks, but no thanks Google. Like Java, also an open standard, there are no free OpenGL implementations for common video cards for Linux, making Google Earth completely useless to the free software community. Please see Richard's essay, which I've linked to above.

More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[j1mc]

Ok, so now we've got Ubuntu Dapper Drake 6.06 (among other excellent distros), FireFox, Thunderbird, and now Picasa and Google Earth. In the foreseeable future we'll have an OpenOffice suite that runs a little faster and we'll have a legitimate iTunes competitor, Songbird.

Things are looking up for the Linux desktop, and for best-in-class software that runs on it. It's an exciting time to be a Linux fan, no? :-)

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[Anonymous Coward]

Those all have Windows versions.. whats the point?

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[j1mc]

For starters, it's just another step in a good direction for would-be Linux desktop users. After all, it's easier to switch over from Windows to Linux if it runs the same software that you're used to running in Windows.

And this isn't just software that runs under both Windows and Linux . . . This is best-in-class software. Some people just won't be happy with Linux until it runs Photoshop, even though the Gimp is an excellent graphics program.

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[Pecisk]

I already have iTunes replacements, Rhythmbox (still works and gets more and more stable, using everyday) and Bashnee (nice visual features and plugin system, but still *sometimes* slow as hell, partly thanks to Mono). I checked out Songbird, no problem, looks nice, but I just don't need 1:1 clone of iTunes. But anyway, it is all about choice. :)

But with rest of post I agree completely. It is really new wave of Linux desktop activity and this time we can reach much much higher. It is exciting, interesting AND this time Ubuntu (and as I heard Fedora and rest distros gets there too) as Linux desktop provides me colosal and very good and perfect working place.

Finally, I hope Graphisoft and Autodesk will bring their apps to Linux. AutoCAD newest version already uses .NET and could be easily ported. And Adobe/Macromedia will overlook their positions on that matter.

I believe that Linux desktop marketing after two years will be something about 5-7%. So...We are growing. I hope so :)

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[Rysc]

You forgot about Mindawn and also LSongs. SongBird is nice, but that space is not empty.

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[Anonymous Coward]

Amarok is a great music player. You can find it here. It's in Dappers repositories, just "apt-get install amarok" to install it (or some other way). It's a KDE application, but there's nothing that hinders one from running it under gnome, unless ones using an ancient machine ;)

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[a.d.trick]

FYI: Rhythmbox, AmaroK, and Banshee seem to be plenty good replacements for iTunes, and they don't have the overhead and weirdishness that XUL stuff comes with. Banshee is still in alpha or beta, but the other two are stable enough.

Re:More best-in-class apps for the Linux desktop

[lewiz]

I can't agree more. Things have been really exciting for a year or two now. It's been a real pleasure to experience the changes to GNOME (my DM/WM of choice) first hand.

Over the past week I've experimented with OS X and Windows XP instead of Ubuntu. I really want to run Photoshop and vmware doesn't cut it. I'm not sad to say that I'm now back with Ubuntu because I like GNOME so much I'm willing to run the GIMP instead (I need 16bit support, Photoshop plugins (which I might be able to get going with the GIMP using WINE), Bridge, etc.).

I'm certainly pleased that more Google stuff is being made available for Linux. I personally don't mind if it is developed using WINE or not, so long as it runs properly and has the necessary integration. As far as I can tell both Picasa and Earth have this.

Great work Google! Fingers crossed that Adobe and a bunch of other great software houses will follow suit. Yes. I'm dreaming... but I like to :)

Thanks for the FUD

[spisska]

* On the download page, there's no option to download the stable version 3 for Linux, even though system requirements are mentioned.

Nobody claimed that v3 was ported to Linux. Just that v4 beta is available.

* So, I just downloaded & installed beta version 4 on my FC4 Athlon64 system and while it runs OK, the actual map data is all scrambled. As I zoom in/out it is constantly 'twinkling' with the wrong images. City names are dropping characters as well, so you can't even tell where you're looking when you get in close.

Without knowing the details of your system, I cannot say what you're problem is, but you appear to be doing something wrong. It was a very simple install on my P4 FC4 system, and works exactly as it should -- including street names, interstates, etc. It also includes quite detailed street and highway data for locations outside the US.

Nice try. Hope it works better in the future.

Thanks to Google for producing Google Earth for our amusement, and for bringing it to the Linux Platform for no particular reason other than that they felt like it.

And thanks to the parent poster for playing. Please let us know when the free map toy that you create works better.

Re:Thanks for the FUD

[emeb2]

Nobody claimed that v3 was ported to Linux. Just that v4 beta is available.

Understood - an earlier poster in the thread pointed out the typographical inconsistencies.

Without knowing the details of your system, I cannot say what you're problem is, but you appear to be doing something wrong. It was a very simple install on my P4 FC4 system, and works exactly as it should

Good to know. Perhaps I'll try again, although given the simplicity of the process it's hard to say what went wrong.

And thanks to the parent poster for playing. Please let us know when the free map toy that you create works better.

Sorry if you thought I sounded sarcastic, or if my accurate reporting of my experiences hurt your feelings in some way. That wasn't my intent. I do appreciate Google's efforts and am sincere in hoping that it works better next time.

Re:Thanks for the FUD

[Anonymous Coward]

And thanks to the parent poster for playing. Please let us know when the free map toy that you create works better.

Okay, give us the vast database of proprietary and government supplied data containing all of the stuff that makes Google Earth a worthwhile project, and I'm sure someone will have it hacked together over a weekend.

p.s. There's a baseball bat sitting over in the corner; It has 5" nails hammered through it, and its main purpose is that it's to be shoved up the ass of of anyone who says "If you don't like the way it works go play with yourself!" It's a real shame that you pricks are so hard to find, because it's still waiting for its first volunteer^w victim.

You mother fuckers never stop to think "Hey... Just maybe this guy has a valid complaint and I shouldn't pull the keepsies rule out of my colon just yet!"

Re:Thanks for the FUD

[nostriluu]

Thanks to Google for producing Google Earth for our amusement, and for bringing it to the Linux Platform for no particular reason other than that they felt like it.

And thanks to the parent poster for playing. Please let us know when the free map toy that you create works better.

Google produced as part of their competitive strategy/because so many people asked for it, and the original poster is doing them a favour by trying and commenting on it (though one can always try harder to be constructive, it does warn some people that the release doesn't work that well).

I get a little sick of people saying "Take the half working gesture and be happy about it," as if there weren't any point to it in the first place.

Crashes on startup

[obender]

./librender.so(_ZN12RenderWidget6setApiEPN5earth4e vll3APIE+0x4b) [0xf65177bb]
./librender.so(_ZN5earth6render12RenderWindow12cre ateWidgetEv+0x8a) [0xf64ff6ba]
./libgoogleearth.so(_ZN5earth6client12ModuleWidget 9showEventEP10QShowEvent+0x7d) [0xf78b180d]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget5eventEP6QEvent+0x277) [0xf6f8cdb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN12QApplication14internalNotifyE P7QObjectP6QEvent+0xa1) [0xf6ee0731]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN12QApplication6notifyEP7QObject P6QEvent+0xc9) [0xf6ee1219]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x266) [0xf6f8bd16]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget12showChildrenEb+0x11b) [0xf6f8ba6b]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget4showEv+0x207) [0xf6f8bcb7]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN11QMainWindow4showEv+0x93) [0xf705e513]
./libqt-mt.so.3(_ZN7QWidget10showNormalEv+0x33) [0xf6f85383]
./libgoogleearth.so(_ZN10MainWindow18readScreensiz eInfoEv+0x621) [0xf7876e61]
./libgoogleearth.so(_ZN5earth6client11Application3 runEiPPc+0x1569) [0xf789e2d9]
./libgoogleearth.so(_ZN5earth6client11ApplicationC 1EiPPcb+0x923) [0xf78a02c3]
./googleearth-bin [0x804c73d]
/lib32/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xd2) [0xf6279ea2]
./googleearth-bin(__gxx_personality_v0+0x41) [0x804a961]

We apologize for the inconvenience, but Google Earth has crashed.
This is a bug in the program, and should never happen under normal
circumstances. A bug report and debugging data are now being written
to this text file:

.googleearth/crashlogs/crashlog-0B103505. txt

This bug report will be sent to Google automatically next time you run
Google Earth. Its data, which contains no personal information, will help
us correct problems without bothering you further. If you would rather
this info not be transmitted, please delete the above file before running
the program again. If you want bug reports to NEVER be sent, remove the
above 'crashlogs' directory's read/write permissions.

Re:Crashes on startup

[slowtuna]

Crashes my X server immediately. FC5 with nvidia.

Re:Crashes on startup

[Anonymous Coward]

the Linux version run extremly slow on slackware-10.2 AMD-1,4 nvidia geforce 5500FX & 1024 megs RAM

Re:Crashes on startup

[schon]

Linux version run extremly slow on slackware-10.2 AMD-1,4 nvidia geforce 5500FX & 1024 megs RAM

Not for me. Silky smooth on my Slack box: P4-1.8, GeForce4 MX 440 & 512MB of RAM. (Slackware packages sit between 9.1 and -current, but most are 10.1 or 10.2)

Re:Crashes on startup

[therealbev]

Same here. Exactly the same. I've posted into various other google-earth groups, but no results yet. Slack 10.2, fvwm95.

Feh. So close...

Re:Crashes on startup

[Hydroksyde]

On my work PC (Pentium 4 3.0Ghz, 512MB of RAM, Gefore4 MX440 (with nividia binary driver), Slackware linux 10.2), it runs fine...

Earth To Linux!

[kesuki]

Finally! we got through :)

Well it seemed funny to me anyways.

Even under 64 bit Linux

[dnamaners]

It works well installed by a user in Debain AMD64 sarge, had to install it under 32 bit chroot, but will run in both 32 and 64 bit sides after unpack. It seems to want to use software gl, not accelerated graphics with my properly installed fglrx module (ATI driver) but thats ok, its plenty fast as is for my needs.

Nice going google.

Re:Even under 64 bit Linux

[colin_s_guthrie]

It's probably due to the LD_LIBRARY_PATH hacking it does. If you set your LD_LIBRARY_PATH to be that of your fglrx libGL.so folder, it should work. Also the binary requires 32 bit X11 libraries etc. so it does not run under pure 64 bit mode.

Re:Even under 64 bit Linux

[dnamaners]

Hmmm ill try the LD_LIBRARY_PATH thing, tomorrow thanks for the tip.

As for requiring 32 bit X11 libraries, I really can't say, it certainly would not install under 64 bit, and would as the same user the 32 bit chroot. However, once installed, (note /home is mounted bind inside 32 chroot) that same user can run it outside the 32 bit chroot as well. Since there is only limited 32 bit support in this AMD64 disto, Goggle Earth in this case must only have access to / know the locations of the 64 bit X11 libraries.

That isn't true.

[chrisd]

Earth is a native port (qt + opengl) Picasa uses wine.

Chris

Re:That isn't true.

[WhiteWolf666]

Nonsense. I know a guy who told me the whole thing is just one big wine wrapper; not even a Winelib project! Who is this clown, "Chris", anyways...

Co-Editor, Open Sources
  Open Source Program Manager, Google, Inc.

Oh... Well.. Open Source Program Manager at Google.

That's not really TOO different from a random slashbot or AC, right?

Thanks for clarifying, Mr. DiBona ;-)

Re:That isn't true.

[chrisd]

No prob :-)

Re:That isn't true.

[Wonko the Sane]

Google Earth is working perfectly on my machine (amd64). I'm assuming the binary is 32bit since there is only one. Any chance of a native 64 bit binary in the future?

Re:That isn't true.

[ornel]

Picasa won't run on my AMD64 since it's wine. So far, Google Earth is doing perfect.

Re:That isn't true.

[Wonko the Sane]

Wine should work if you enable 32 bit support in your kernel and have the correct 32 bit libraries installed. i know that portage takes care of all the userspace stuff for you.

Re:That isn't true.

[StikyPad]

Are you claiming that a port is not wine?

Re:That isn't true.

[CMonk]

WINE (and Picassa) run fine on my AMD64 running Fedora Core 5. I just had to install it out of extras-i386.

Re:That isn't true.

[Linegod]

WINE, Cedega and Picassa run fine on Mandriva 2006.0 x86-64

Re:That isn't true.

[DataCannibal]

wine nazi says:

Strictly speaking, it's a fortified wine.

Works on Mandriva 10.2 + Intel 3D

[gukin]

When I first tried it, I blew it up to 1600x1200 and it wasn't happy. When I get it down to about 850x600, everything works great, no blinkies or uglies. This is with my (ahem) work PC with the EXTREME Intel graphics.

So, I can't go to 1600x1200, I could even be stuck at 800x600 until the next stable comes out. I'll cope, it's a mighty effort made and I appreciate the heck out of it.

Read DiBona's post, above

[Anonymous Coward]

For cryin' out loud. DiBona's post (a few above this one) says it's native. If he doesn't know, who would?

Some folks here would debate if the sky is blue, 'cause they have w-a-y t-o-o much time on their hands and not enough gray matter in their skull.

--AR

Re:Read DiBona's post, above

[Svartalf]

Yeah, instead of it being grey, it's brown...

Good, but it isn't even worth it

[stevenm86]

Maybe this is why it is beta, but it doesn't work well at all.
Graphics for me only work with one combination of settings and the map trails, sometimes cuts out, and flickers to the extreme. Yes I have OpenGL set up and working with hardware acceleration, and other programs work fine. Go figure... Good with static images though, but you can use google maps for that just as well.

Thanks for the linux version but it can definitely be better

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[TwoTailedFox]

"Google Earth: Helping people get Laid"

Yeah, I'd say that counts.

Dear sir:

[Anonymous Coward]

Please limit your sentences in length to one complete thought.

Thank you.

Business purpose?

[octaene]

Perhaps I'm just cynical, but isn't this thing just a game? What is the purpose, exactly? OK, neat, I can map the places I've been in the world and do a flyover. Wow. Are there supposed to be any real purpose for Google Earth? Please enlighten me!

Re:Business purpose?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not exactly a 'business purpose' but still a useful purpose - I'm looking to move to somewhere - anywhere nice - on the UK coastline and as part of the pre-screening process I can use google earth to look for nice beaches, bays, sea fronts etc. to maybe eliminate some places and prioritize others before actually visiting them.

Linux morons

[dinther]

sjeesh, leave a hint about Linux support and the Linux zealots stamp it into the ground. "Oh doesn't look nice", "Where is the source", "It doesn't run on my really really exotic Linux distribution", "How can I trust a binary distribution".

Basically people, "beep beeeeep" and get a life. You guys grab any opportunity to tell the world you are "cool" because you use Linux but all you do is complain while playing Windows games in a dark corner when nobody is looking and if you don't like Google Earth....

DON'T BLOODY USE IT!

Re:Linux morons

[cortana]

DON'T BLOODY USE IT!

Well, the people using architectures other than i386 don't really have a choice now, do they?

I'm getting really sick and tired of the attitude of people like you. Of course it is Google's choice to release Google Earth in the form they have; but are those who want something else to be forbidden to ask for it?

Some days this place gets almost as bad as Fox News. "If you don't agree with what the President does then you're at traitor who should get the hell out of my country!"

Re:Linux morons

[Anonymous Coward]

Come on, this is slashdot. You post something on slashdot, people complain about it in the comments. Nothing to do with linux -- regardless of what your slashdot post is about, people complain. (For example, right now I am complaining about your complaint.)

Re:Linux morons

[dinther]

Ha ha ha, that my friend, is the best response I have had to my complain about complaining comment. Cheers, I'd mod you up for that ;-)

FINALLY!

[Anonymous Coward]

Finally, we have some games that will run on Linux!

Well done Google

[devlp0]

Im very glad to see Google's continuing development into Linux. Linux has a mass of problems right now - the biggest being the same that saw the downfall of Unix, multiple competing "distributions." Google are adding weight behind a very versitile platform. I only doubt their motives - it cant be too long now before Google release their own dekstop brand name. Google - love them or hate them? Im not sure, but I can at least applaude some of their work.

Re:Well done Google

[ClamIAm]

Linux has a mass of problems right now - the biggest being the same that saw the downfall of Unix, multiple competing "distributions."

This is absolutely, completely untrue. The nature of Free/open software prevents it.

Re:Well done Google

[devlp0]

I agree, but in the server/computer mainstream, people are using Linux distributions rather than self built Linux kernels and applications.

for example - already, the likes of RedHat, SuSE etc. are "certified" to run on vendor hardware (HP servers for instance) whereby the hardware vendors will not offer support for "unsupported" (read: "distributions not on their lists") Operating Systems (most other distros)

It will be an interesting future. Perhaps the LSB will be our saviour

"Not more than a finite number of times"

[SimHacker]

Why does the Google Pack EULA ask me to agree not to do something that's physically impossible?

From the Google Pack EULA:

NAV 2005 may contain enforcement technology that limits the ability to install the software on a computer to not more than a finite number of times for a finite number of computers, and you consent to the use of such measures.

Who in this universe has an infinite number of computers, or would install a piece of software an infinite number of times? Why don't also they require me to agree not to perform an infinite number of other impossible tasks? Why are so concerned about preventing people with infinite numbers of computers and patience installing their software?

-Don

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[Anonymous Coward]

It doesn't say infinite, it says finite, which means:

Having a limit; limited in quantity, degree, or capacity

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[SimHacker]

...So you're saying you think you could install the software more than a finite number of times for more than a finite number of computers? Better get started!

-Don

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[arthexis]

I would also be wary of anyone with an infinite number of computers. Better safe than sorry.

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[badzilla]

> Who in this universe has an infinite number of computers

But I thought Google did?!?!

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[hcdejong]

Obviously they're worried about the copyright implications of someone running a typing farm with an infinite number of monkeys.

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[Anonymous Coward]

Just because there *is* a limit doesn't necessarily mean that the limit is actively specified. Besides, installing it on an unlimited number of computers is very easy to do, if Google allows it to be bundled with every new computer produced from this point onward, and even that only works if it goes on until the end of time.

To take an example of the type of thing the OP was talking about from Godel, Escher, Bach: If Bach writes a theme and variations, and there were thirty variations originally published, then until more are discovered, we'll think we have all of them. If someone discovers fourteen more, then this will originally be assumed to be an isolated incident. However, if more keep getting discovered, we will come to expect this sort of thing. The total number of variations - call it "v" - is certain to be finite, but that doesn't mean we know what it is.

Re:"Not more than a finite number of times"

[Anonymous Coward]

..So you're saying you think you could install the software more than a finite number of times for more than a finite number of computers?

No he's not saying that. Perhaps you should read his post.
Making up straw-man positions or quotes is not a way to win an argument.

Why don't also they require me to agree not to perform an infinite number of

Perhaps you're just too stupid to understand, but the EULA does not require the user to agree not to perform an infinite number of anything.

Linux (x86) runs google earth

[pobudz]

It doesn't, however, run on a 64bit AMD kernel. This comes as no suprise to me, as the manufacturers of 64bit laptops don't even provide a 64bit OS nor 64bit driver CD.

As long as I have Google Local... that's all the usefullness I really need.

Re:Linux (x86) runs google earth

[Zaitor]

Well, I guess that depends on where you get your kernel from. Here on my Suse 10.1 x86_64 (amd) it runs like a charm.

Font

[cascini]

On my linux box, the fonts are extremely small. Is there anyway to change the font? It seems to use qt, I tried to change qt fonts, but it didn't help.

Re:Font

[Anonymous Coward]

same problem here...

Amazing. Great controller. Plus sketchup!

[jpellino]

This thing is even more amazing. We use it on our smartboard, and the onscreen controller is wonderful. Much easier to do an impressive fullscreen.
I've seen many false starts at 3d controllers - and this isn't necessarily a controller for all 3d worlds, but the implementation came out of nowhere and is highly effective and easy to use after you see it work once.

Sketchup is wonderful - we just got the interface for a research project we've been trying to engineer for about 6 months...

Eeek!

[jd]

Just looked at the World Wind Mt. St. Helens. It is quite obvious from this image that Washington State has done a timeslip and fallen back four billion years.

Re:Eeek!

[Zarhan]

At least by default, world wind has something like 2-3x scaling factor for elevations (yes, you can turn it off).

Why...

[jd]

...do I have this image of white mice, very hot cups of tea and brownian motion vector plotters...

Ah! I know what it is. If you take Hactor's bomb which links all suns in the Universe together in hyperspace and link that to Earth, then use an infinite improbability drive so that Earth passes through every point in the Universe simultaneously, you would be able to create an infinite number of overlapped virtual computers.

It makes sense to ban installing Earth on Earth, as this would cause serious problems.

Re:Why...

[shadowbearer]

Can't be infinite, there'd have to be an infinite amount of power being used in an infinitely small amount of time for an infinite amount of computers to have the ability to run an program with infinite parameters in a finite amount of time, even if they used an infinitesimally small amount of power each.

  Or something like that. What the heck, I've always wanted to attempt posting that. *shrug*

SB

V4 beta is now a Universal Binary!

[morcheeba]

I also noticed that the V4 Beta is now a Universal Binary. Not that that helps much with a G4 iMac, but nevertheless. Sketchup is still a PPC app, but runs well on a macintel.

V4 is also a 27MB download vs. 11MB for V3. Lots of times there is extra debug information in Beta products, but I'm not sure what the exact cause is here (except for the universal binaries, of course!)

Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[grolschie]

Perhaps some Linux users want software that installs and just works, without having to figure out crap about compiling versions, missing libraries, etc. Joe Sixpack don't care for Stallmanism, he just wants his software to work. Hence, believe it or not, there is a market for Linspire's "Click N Run" service, no matter how abhorent the concept is to some. SuSE Linux for years included software that was proprietary and closed sourced on their production CDs. People still used SuSE. If people want to follow Stallmanism anally, then they have the freedom to choose not to download and install the Google Earth software.

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[KiloByte]

Perhaps some Linux users want software that installs and just works, without having to figure out crap about compiling versions, missing libraries, etc. Joe Sixpack don't care for Stallmanism, he just wants his software to work.

Yet, someone has to actually make the software work even if the system libraries change. That is, the distribution maintainers. Without the source, this is kind of impossible -- this is why Windows has to keep the binary compatibility all the way to Win1.0. (And yeah, they keep even the color of crash screens).

Also, if there is no third party who can check for your Joe Sixpack that the software in question is free of trojans of any kind, malicious programmers will exploit that and bundle all kinds of crapware.

Plus, without software freedoms -- "Stallmanism" as you call them, there is no way to fix any annoyances in the software. A nag screen? Do you see them in Free Software programs? If someone anything similar, it gets axed away by angry users in no time. Same applies to trivial bugs and enhancements -- if the original author doesn't get hit by a bug, he's unlikely to fix it. And porting to other platforms. And so on, so on.

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[timeOday]

Joe Sixpack don't care for Stallmanism, he just wants his software to work.

The guy makes an extremely good point about open source as the antidote to spyware though. It's not a minor thing, it is really trashing the Windows user experience.

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[Anonymous Coward]

Perhaps some Linux users want software that installs and just works, without having to figure out crap about compiling versions, missing libraries, etc.

Yes that's we want, we want the source so package maintainers can apply whatever patches are needed to make it work well. There is no easier way to install than from the repositories of your distro.

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[Jesus_666]

Perhaps some Linux users want software that they install and it just works, without having to figure out crap about hardcoded paths, missing libraries that weren't mentioned in the non-existing dependency tree, etc. Hence, believe it or not, there is a market for Gentoo's "Portage" service, no matter how abhorrent the concept is to some. The Mozilla team for years included the source code for their browser(s) on their download servers. If people want to follow the "binary distributions are better in any case" path, then they are free to just grab a binary download or use an RPM/DEB based distro.

Binary downloads have their advantages, but so do source downloads. When you're offering the source it's trivial to also offer a binary build. So why are you pissed off when people would like to build the thin themselves? It's not like they force you to do the same.

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[tgcid]

Perhaps some Linux users want software that installs and just works

"Just works" means a binary .deb I can double-click (no open terminal, chmod +x filename.bin and sudo ./filename.bin), enter a password, and get a Gnome menu entry (not "type googleearth to run").

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[jabelson]

This just proves that Linux is less about superior software and more about superior-feeling software users: out of all the banalities in this world, installing and running a web browser has got to be at the top of the list; for myself, I'm actually too busy using a computer to spend time configuring one - much like I'm too busy when I use a car to think about what's under the hood. I keep hearing what a nightmare using IE is, though with AVG running and a pop-up blocker, I've not had a virus problem in like two years. Keep trying to convince yourself that your better or smarter than Joe Sixpack - but your not...

Re:Not all Linux users care for Stallmanism.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's great. But I for one run FreeBSD/amd64 and Google Earth is the only app I miss. Now if the code was available I could at least try to make it run on my computer. Since 32bit DRI doesn't work on 64-bit FreeBSD I'm SOL because Google doesn't provide the source code of an app whose value is in the data set it fetches from the server anway.

all i got is 800x600...

[airdrummer]

on my 366mhz clamshell, but it still works!-) no openGL and all i'm missing are the text overlays...

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Temporal]

After hurricane Katrina, rescue workers used Google Earth to navigate while looking for survivors, since they couldn't very well go by road signs.

A few observations

[owlstead]

Hi all,

- This seems to be a binary package only, which uses a few common libraries beneath it
- Installs without a hitch on my system, defaults to /usr/local/google-earth
- Runs very smooth in Ubuntu 6.06 AMD 64 bit with nvidia driver, but it seems to need root permissions to start (installed with sudo on the 'binary' installer)
- No real desktop integration yet (at least with Gnome)
- Asks to install symlink in /usr/local/bin, but does not say which command (googleearth)
- Probably not a good idea to run with nv driver in X, chech your /etc/X11/xorg.conf
- Comes with nice Icon that works in Gnome in root of installation folder

Oh, I got a rather new 3GHz AMD 64/1 Gig, budget (fanless) videocard and 6 Mbit download. Not top of the bill, but quite nice anyway, your experiences may differ.

Unfortunately, it does not seem to be open source. A bit of a shame, the real work is in the infrastructure and obtaining the maps anyway.

Re:A few observations

[jdogalt]

> but it seems to need root permissions to start (installed with sudo on the 'binary' installer)

I for one had no problem installing and running as a user under fedora core 5. Perhaps the fact that you installed it with sudo (rather than as a user) is the problem. I would try, for a global installation, using sudo to create a world writable /usr/local/GoogleEarth directory, then install as a user to there.

Re:A few observations

[DrWhizBang]

The first time you run it, it creates a ".googleearth" directory in $HOME for the current user. However, because you ran the "first run" with sudo, those files are owned by root. Just do a "sudo chown -Rh $LOGNAME:$LOGNAME $HOME/.googleearth/" and you should be able to run it as yourself (assuming your username and groupname are the same - mine are).

Oh, the Irony!

[birge]

One would think Google porting earth to our beloved linux would enhance the image of the platform. Having played with it, however, my guess is that it will simply serve as a perfect example of why linux is such a miserable pain in the ass. First, there's the font availability issue. Then there's the graphics card support (mine didn't work properly despite using a supported card for RHEL). When an app barely works under RHEL, then I'd say there's going to be a lot of problems. I just don't honestly see how one can distribute an app as complex as Earth on linux, let alone hope to support it, when there's absolutely no standardization on installations out there. That, in the end, is why linux will never make much of itself beyond the geek niche: there are, in essence, about 500 versions of linux out there to write to and support. If I were Google I'd say screw this in quick order, and I'm guessing that this linux version will be orphaned. They'll fix this one the best they can and then leave it in the dust while the Mac OS X and PC versions are updated.

Now, before the birkenstock idealogue choir chimes in with all the goddam web sites I'm supposed to visit to figure out how to get this thing working under linux, let me just say this: Fuck that; I'm booting up my Mac and playing with the new Earth there. Life is too short for me to dick around trying to cajole yet another linux app into working with my particular kernel and my particular font installation, etc, etc, etc... And you can call me all the names you want, but the fact of the matter is that I'm on the high end of patience and ability with computers (relative to the average guy, though probably not here) and I just don't give a shit enough to spend another second trying to get the linux version of Earth working or figure out the correct way to install it on my system. My point is simply that if a guy getting a PhD in EECS feels this way, you can bet the vast majority of the computer users in the world do, too.

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[adnonsense]

I'm in the boat. I do DB / webapp development, and Linux is my OS of choice on my desktop. But as soon as it comes to anything graphical / multimedia-ish, or even just printing, I boot up my iBook. While I could solve any problems I come across with that kind of stuff in Linux, I just don't have the time to fiddle anymore.

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[birge]

Yeah, I can't fathom why companies even bother with a linux version of anything. It's got 1/20th the market share and 20 times the pain. The Mac may have a small market share, too, but at least it's not divided among a million different distros. Just today alone I've had trouble dealing with Opera (installation script and permission problems), Rhapsody (just never worked), Firefox (hangs during loads) and now Earth. About once a week I shutdown linux during a swarm of swearing and vow to never boot from that bloody partition again. The only reason I ever do is to program. As always, that's the one place that linux shines due to its unix roots and first class support for the gnu tool chain. Other than that, though, fudge it.

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[adnonsense]

Well, I'm grateful for everyone who does make the effort, 90% of my computing time is usually spent in a Linux desktop enviromnent, and usually the "2D" stuff (Opera, Firefox and Co.) works plenty fine for me. If my main occupation becomes something other than web-based client server programming, I'd move on to OS X permanently, I'm sad to say.

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[ClamIAm]

Um, yeah. The whole "500 versions" lie is always fun to repeat, but it conveniently ignores reality. If this were true, no binary programs would exist for the platform. This is not the case. id software releases native versions of all their games. Unreal Tournament has as well.

People have been repeating the "it'll never work" assertion since, well, forever, yet every day more stuff works. Reconcile that.

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[Improv]

Gosh, and betas for a new platform are supposed to be totally smooth and flawless....

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[birge]

I think it's the reverse. The claim that there aren't 500 versions is the lie that ignores the reality of different peculiarities in all the distros. It's not just the kernel. It's the all the different combinations this package and that which can be installed. Which X modules you've got, what sound mixer, where and which fonts do you have. You're kidding yourself if you think binary distributions work well on linux.

You know the litany of config items which flash by when you do a ./configure on a source distribution? Granted, most of those aren't needed, but exactly where do you think that gets done in a binary distribution? Obviously, it mostly doesn't, which perhaps explains where binary distros are so hard to do.

Re:Oh, the Irony!

[birge]

They pretty much were for the Mac!

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Wonko the Sane]

Try planning a road trip with (printable) driving direction (round trip). Sure Mapquest or Yahoo maps can do this too, but with them you can't double click on each waypoint and "fly" there. Depending on where you are traveling the photos are so detailed you can see what lane you need to be in to make your exit.

Watch out for CVE-2006-2193

[cortana]

$ strings ~/Apps/google-earth/libtiff.so.3 | grep Version
LIBTIFF, Version 3.7.3

From CVE-2006-2193:

Buffer overflow in the t2p_write_pdf_string function in tiff2pdf in libtiff 3.8.2 and earlier allows attackers to cause a denial of service (crash) and possibly execute arbitrary code via a TIFF file with a DocumentName tag that contains UTF-8 characters, which triggers the overflow when a character is sign extended to an integer that produces more digits than expected in an sprintf call.

While I doubt Google Earth will be calling this function, this goes to show the danger that users place themselves in when they run software that takes it upon itself to bundle together the libraries that it depends on.

Re:Watch out for CVE-2006-2193

[Anonymous Coward]

And had they not bundled all the libs they used? How many distributions could they possibly hope to support if they relied on the installed libs matching what they linked against? Maybe they should just distribute the executable and leave it to the end user to find all the right versions of all the libraries?

Re:Watch out for CVE-2006-2193

[cortana]

Hey, I didn't say distributing software was easy. Why do they distribute libtiff, libcurl, libjpeg and so on, though? They are fairly prolific libraries.

I am waiting eagerly for the release of an updated version that fixes the security holes present in this version of Google Earth. ;)

Yes it is native...

[nacs]

Yes it's native. Google Earth was originally coded using the QT(opia) library so no WINE stuff was needed.

I've installed it and it runs amazingly smooth and looks great.

Running on Ubuntu AMD64

[tjwhaynes]

I'm running Google Earth on Ubuntu 6.06 AMD64. I needed to track down the following 32bit libraries, which I copied into /usr/local/google-earth:

• libXcursor.so.1
• libXfixes.so.3
• libXft.so.2

Runs smoothly on my system (3400+) with a GeForce 6800GT.

Cheers,
Toby Haynes

I'm curious...

[ConceptJunkie]

I've used Google Earth since it was version 1 by Keyhole and only worked on nVidia cards... and you had to pay for it. It's a cool piece of software, but of course version 4 wassn't actually released, it's a beta.

Knowing Google, however, version 3 probably never left beta.

In fact, is anything Google makes besides the search engine NOT beta? Google Groups has been beta since what, 2001? Their use of the word has completely lost any meaning, other than the obvious lawyerese intent of absolving them of any responsibility in case the stuff doesn't work. Like anyone ever takes that responsibility anyway (Microsoft?).

Still, it's cool software.

Re:I'm curious...

[k_187]

I honestly think the beta tag is simply so they can tell anybody that bitches about something not working "well its still in beta" and wash their hands of it.

Re:I'm curious...

[ConceptJunkie]

Like I read recently, "Beta means never having to say you're sorry."

Google does a lot of good stuff, but this "beta" thing is really annoying.

Re:I'm curious...

[The Cydonian]

The new Google Groups is in beta, and has been for the last two years. The old Google Groups was never in beta.

Re:I'm curious...

[Dwebb]

Google Earth 3.0 on the PC has been out of beta for several months.

how hard was the port?

[multi io]

Thanks Google for this amazing program.

What I'm interested in -- how hard was it to port this over to Linux? What about the DirectX->OpenGL transition? How was this done? How much of the source code could be reused? Is there a common code base at all, and if so, will future Windows/Mac/Linux versions of Google Earth be developed (and released) based on that from now on? And how hard would it be to provide binaries for non-x86 Linux, and/or other Unixes?

Any non-classified information on those things? :-)

Re:how hard was the port?

[Lance Cooper]

Well, the Windows version has an openGL renderer, it is merely not the default. Also, the level of abstraction seems to be pretty high, since much of the user interface is defined by XML files, which are parsed using Expat. So, the port probably wasn't absurdly difficult.

Still broken - there's no night side!

[Anonymous Coward]

Google seems to think that the entire Earth is constantly in daylight! What's up with that???

Nice job...

[Tom_M_Riddle]

Gentoo 2004.3 profile, kernel 2.6.12.5, NVIDIA driver 8178, ancient Geforce2 MX 400 card, XP1800 system. But this "Google Earth" works quite nicely, and without incident so far. WOW.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Deep Fried Geekboy]

I use it for location research for movies. For example, trying to find a cemetery to film in, I can instantly see how big it is and whether it is surrounded by roads with heavy traffic.

how to get textures?

[glitch23]

I installed it hoping to see some nice building textures but couldn't figure out how to see them. Simply turning on the 3d buildings layer didn't do it; I still see flat grey boxes. Anyone know how to get them? Do I have to download the textures separately?

Re:how to get textures?

[Andre060]

See Google Earth 4 page, there are some files to download for the few supported buildings.

Re:how to get textures?

[Andre060]

Even better .. this will show you available buildings right in Google Earth....

YES!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

YES!!!!I am so happy!Finally I can stop using my mac.

It shouldn't been written in Java swing

[Anonymous Coward]

Then it won't have problem with all these porting.

It's so slow in my Suse 10.1 box. Complaint about non-native graphics driver. I go to ATI, download the latest and install. Things go well, desktop looks much better, but googleearth is still very slow. Menu is slow, graphics is slow, dragging is slow. Javascript in google map is much faster.

My Netbeans 5.5 (daily build) flights compared to these. And it's platform independent. For those misinformed/Java hater out there, please see through this.

just testing it

[fmoliveira]

I feel the scroll is not as smooth as it was in older versions I tested in windows. It keeps stopping to download, then when it comes back it throws you far away from where you were before. But now they put photos of my city on it, that werent in this older version, so I liked it a lot.

This Rocks!

[yagerd001]

Installed flawlessly on fc5 with nvidia graphics. Extremely fast, smooth, I'm so glad to see this kind of support for Linux. I can only hope this furthers Linux and gives MS cause for alarm. Actually, I hope they're "pooping their pants". DY

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[Momoru]

What the streets looked like from 1,000 ft above helped you? Were you flying a helicopter? A9's street level photos may be more helpful for what your describing if by land.

Maybe it's just your box?

[schon]

It works perfectly for me, and my box is nowhere to be seen on the list of approved distros (Slackware box that started as 9.0 and has been upgraded to be somewhere between 10.1 and 10.2, with a bunch of -current packages thrown in for good measure.)

Maybe it's your distribution?

Re:Maybe it's just your box?

[domc]

I'm using the latest version of Ubuntu. All of my other 3d applications work perfectly. My card is an Intel i8xx something or other.

Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that Google Earth has finally made it to Linux! I don't expect a beta release to be perfect.

Re:Maybe it's just your box?

[joshuapurcell]

I'm also running the latest version of Ubuntu on a Thinkpad T40, and Google Earth is performing as well as I could expect it to. I did have to break down and install the ATI binary drivers (fglrx), but other than that the install was as simple as it gets.

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[shadowbearer]

(this was about 349 days ago) ...and you know this because it's about the time you rebooted the BSD server last, right?" *g*

SB

Category error

[Anonymous Coward]

>"All software must be free as in freedom as well."

Freedom is a right. Software isn't.

Installation Instructions for Google Earth Linux

[goodie3shoes]

For those who like me are not Ubergeeks, I profer this: 1. Download the .bin file. 2. Find where it was downloaded to; for me, it was "Desktop". 3. Open a terminal, such as Konsole, and cd to the directory where it was downloaded. 4. su to become root, and make the file executable by changing its permissions - chmod 700 GoogleEarthLinux.bin worked for me. 5. Start the install by typing ./GoogleEarthLinux.bin 6. Don't worry if you get a message about not having the right font. 7. To run it, type googleearth at a command prompt, such as "Run Command' in the KDE start menu. Create a link on your desktop by the usual means. 8. Enjoy, and send mad props to the folks at Google.

Re:A few observations - Does not need root

[Anonymous Coward]

"Runs very smooth in Ubuntu 6.06 AMD 64 bit with nvidia driver, but it seems to need root permissions to start (installed with sudo on the 'binary' installer)"

I had the same problem. The installer automatically started the application when the installer was done. This caused Google Earth's preferences directory to be created in your home directory as ~/.googleearth, with "root" as the owner.

To fix:

sudo rm -r -f ~/.googleearth

No longer need root..

Have a good day!

Also, DL-able outside the USA!!!

[SpectralDesign]

Just to note, that unlike Picasa/Linux, this version of GoogleEarth IS downloadable from outside the USA without needing a proxy in the States...

Yay! Go Google!

Re:Also, DL-able outside the USA!!!

[darc]

Uhm, last time the picasa thing wasn't downloadable because their servers were down. If you followed up on it instead of repeating rumors, you might have known that.

Re:Also, DL-able outside the USA!!!

[SpectralDesign]

Reality-Check:

When Picasa for Linux was announced I tried to download it, but was prevented from doing so because I live in Canada. I was only able to obtain it by going through a proxy. That's not a rumor, that's a fact. That wasn't due to any of their servers being down -- they explicitly told me I couldn't download it because of where I lived.

If they've changed that policy, well that's grand, but since I already had downloaded it perhaps you might consider it reasonable that I didn't pursue such knowledge -- or maybe not, who knows. If you'd researched the situation instead of repeating rumors you might have known that, but of course I wouldn't expect that from anyone on /.

Re:Also, DL-able outside the USA!!!

[darc]

Release of Picasa for Linux hits slashdot, international users unable to connect: Friday May 26, @07:38AM
Googler corrects mirroring problem and posts it on slashdot: Friday May 26, @09:34PM: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=186741&cid=154 13910

"Picasa for Linux is currently available only in the U.S., with an English interface" was a mistake in the documentation which was corrected, here: http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=186741&cid=154 77035

As you said, if you'd researched the situation instead of repeating rumors you might have known that.

So that's where the center of Sydney is ...

[deek]

... apparantly Sydney is located in the middle of a road, right next to a large bus depot. That's where the little red dot labelled 'Sydney' is located. I should drive over there and erect a signpost, pointing out the landmark.

Maybe someone should tell the GoogleEarth people that it should be the GPO (General Post Office), in the middle of the central business district, 3352'4.49"S 15112'26.46"E . I'll submit a data error report, via http://earth.google.com/support/bin/request.py . Has anyone else reported errors here, and had them fixed?

Kudos to Google for the Linux client. Works wonderfully. I can finally put my GoogleEarth Wine hack to rest, which never displayed text and toolbars properly.

Minor complaints...

[skiflyer]

I like, I've always liked it... as a US Windows user I'm not seeing any big differences, the 3d buildings were in my 3.x version too.

But I have two itty bitty complaints, the Hancock & the Smurfitt-Stone (The Vagina Building) buildings in Chicago... probably two of the most recognized buildings in our skyline (which is way up the list as one of the most recognizable skylines in the country) don't render anything remotely right... I couldn't even locate them based on the shapes the silly things rendered in that program.

Re:Amazing. Great controller. Plus sketchup!

[Russ Nelson]

Yeah, but if only they would fix the mouse wheel so it worked correctly ... like Google Sketchup works. Roll wheel forward, zoom in. Roll wheel backward, zoom out. Current behavior backwards from anybody else whose software zooms a view.

Finally

[kahrytan]

Google is finally realizing it's #1 fan. The Open Source Community and Linux users. I even gave Google feedback on the matter.

Google would do 'Summer of Code' and yet not support Linux in it's own applications.

Date-stamp of images?

[NaDrew]

Maybe I missed it, but is there a way to see when a particular section was imaged? I'm looking at my house and I can guess it's a Friday morning (shadow position and the trash cans are out) but I couldn't say *when*. Any idea?

K naming scheme and /.

[furanku]

Although that's offtopic: The KDE developers changed their naming scheme for KDE 4. The "K" is now considered mostly silly, new concepts and programs feature the "K" just very little: Solid, Plasma, Phonon, Oxygen, ... also the silly capitalizations are gone: amaroK is renamed officially to Amarok. See http://commit-digest.org/issues/2006-06-11/ So, sorry, but all the silly joKes about KDE on slashdot need a new issue.

really good stuff

[jjustus]

This seems to work beautifully. Tested on Debian etch, kernel 2.6.16, and NVidia QuadroFX 540. Tried it out for couple of hours, really fast and smooth, no crashes. Thanks Google!

More bullshit google praise

[veg_all]

This is escellent news. I have a windows computer, of course, so I can see how fucked up my webpages are in ie and also, yes, for halflife2, which I'm playing again just now. But it is so frustrating to find some software which would me useful and discover it's windows only. Usually if you complain, you'll get a recommondation to "write it yourself," but the software in question is closed source. So I find it especially commendable of google that they release a linux version of some flagship software. Good for them. And me.

Re:More bullshit google praise

[veg_all]

"excellent," duh. I wish I wish I wish slashdot's overhaul included a comment editing page.

Question

[Morosoph]

Do you have SELinux turned off?

Picassa doesn't work for me. Okay, scratch that: it does, but I've needed to turn off SELinux.

Turns out that SELinux needs only be turned off for the first run.

libevil ?

[amias]

Anyone noticed libevil.so lurking in the googleearth install dir ?
what could google possible need that for ;-)

sarcasm aside , nice one google , much appreciated :)

x86 only!

[gsnedders]

Oh no! It only runs on x86 Linux!

Re:Can someone please tell me..

[christian.elliott]

This "outside" you speak of... I am intrigued, and would like to subscribe to your newletter.

Google Earth Autopackage

[lifestyle]

It would have been for Google to release Earth and Picasa as .package files. (See http://www.autopackage.org/ This way, the Linux installation would be better than on both Windows XP and Mac OS X. Is anyone at Google reading this? Thanks, Google, for the Linux versions.

Tobago seems to have shrunk and moved!

[Anonymous Coward]

12.18.27 N, 61.35.00W
Supposedly is tobago. It isn't. It's Isle de Ronde (or ronde island, depending on who you listen to)

Tobago is 50-ish miles south, vastly bigger, and has ha population > 0.
Isle de Rhonde is uninhabited (but some very nice diving!)

Re: Slashdot morons

[Rozzin]

"Oh doesn't read well", "full of dupes", "lame comments", "I'm tired of listening to your babble".

Basically man, "beep beeeeep" and get a life. You grab any opportunity to tell the world that you are "cool" because you read Slashdot but all you do is complain while reading porn in a dark corner when nibidy is looking and if you don't like the Slashdot commentary....

DON'T BLOODY READ IT!

Astroturf

[Morosoph]

Is now better than real turf, apparently.

that sentence no verb

[Anonymous Coward]

"Don't them as root."

that shorthand or caveman speak?

Same here

[metamatic]

Totally unreadable, the fonts are about 6 pixels high.

Re:Same here

[cascini]

I found the solution here: http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_Set_DPI_(Dots_Per_Inc h)

Re: What's it for?

[Anonymous Coward]

How about finding meteorite craters?

http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/03/ne w_crater_disc.html

Re:Not all humans care for altruism

[vertinox]

Joe Sixpack don't care for Stallmanism, he just wants his software to work.

Well... To be fair, Joe Sixpack doesn't care for voting, feeding starving kids in Africa, eating right, or taking care of the environment either.

Of course neither do I... And we are bad people for not bothering.

There I've said it... I don't care much for Stallmanism, but you have to acknowledge these people are better human beings than us because they try...(although inefectually)

It is kind of like Buddhism... Of course no single Buddhist is going to save all forms of sentient life by meditation. But it is the thought of their compasion and their self sacrifice that we should appreciate. (I mean a true Stallmanist can't play Xbox, download iTunes, or watch DVDs... who'd in their right mind would really want to live that kind of life... certainly not me)

Of course if it is the though that counts, then why is the road to hell paved with good intentions?

MOD PARENT UP

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh come on mods! How is this flamebait?! It's a really funny question, LMAO :))

And if you can't see the humour in it, it's still at least interesting... it's really not that obvious what serious use you could find for Google Earth, once the cool factor wears off.