Do You Recommend Google Maps API or Microsoft Live Maps?

KSobby writes "The organization that I work for is going to be redoing our website in .Net/AJAX. On the site, our members will have profile pages listing where their organizations are located (our members are scattered throughout the world) as well as other pertinent information for the general public. It is a non-profit organization, so funds are tight. My question to you: If we include maps, which API do we go with: Google or Microsoft? We're in a Microsoft environment (we're non-profit and Microsoft basically gives us everything for free) but the ubiquity of Google may be enough to sway us. Has anyone used either extensively? Used them in conjunction with .Net?"

Comments

Compatibility

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the same product, but Google maps works with more browsers. Sounds like an easy choice to me.

go with google

[ILuvRamen]

I say go with Google. If their map system suddenly changes they'll at least be smart enough to include legacy support or do something remotely responsible and there's no way that their entire map system would just disappear. As for Microsoft, they change their names and systems more often than I change my pants and if suddenly all of that new Microsoft Live crap disappeared, nobody would be surprised at all. Just think how many new Microsoft inventions/projects/experiments there were that either didn't do well enough so they cut them or they did really well and they cut them anyway for who knows what reason.

Re:go with google

[fredrik70]

quite rubbish, If MS does anything it's hanging on to their old API for far too long. That's why they're so bloody bloated, remember? They might be happy to invent new ways of doing things quite often, but they keep the old stuff, hence the mess they're are in now with Vista - trying to make sure *all* ways of doing things work!