Google Sunsetting Old Version of Google Maps

New submitter Robertgilberts writes with word that Google is dropping the old version of Maps. The new version of Google Maps came out of preview back in February 2014 and was in beta for several months before that. The only way to access the old version of Google Maps was via a special URL or if you had a very old browser that did not support the new version of Google Maps. Consolation prize: There will still be a lighter-weight version, which "drops out many of the neat Google Maps features in exchange for speed and compatibility."

Comments

The new version is terrible!

[Anonymous Coward]

The old version has the zoom controls where they should be and has less zooming animations and is much clearer to use all respects.

Re:The new version is terrible!

[Rei]

I didn't even know that the old one was still available, so I've been forced to use the new one. And despite all of the usage, I still hate it. Do they not focus test these sort of things?

The "clearer to use" thing is absolutely true, there's all of these buttons that do things that the vast majority of users are never going to want to do, and the functionality that people do all the time is buried. I've had to search online for how to do simple tasks way more often than I should have.

At least it's not the worst revamp I've had to deal with - the worst has to be GIMP, no contest.

Re:The new version is terrible!

[edawstwin]

I guess I'll have to roll out my usual feedback to Google when they change something: "Stop fixing shit that isn't broken."

Re:The new version is terrible!

[serviscope_minor]

Do they not focus test these sort of things?

I think they focus test it by showing it to all the other google employees and saying something like:

a: Hey look at this it's really cool
b: ooh shiny let me have a play
a: yeah but checkout this cool animation
b: sweet that's awesome
a: yeah, oh and this we made the area for viewing cool ainmations bigger by removing all the ui
b: so how do I...?
a: yeah just type "OK Maps" into the search bar
b: oh cool that's really clever
a: so, ship it right?
b: yeah! this is way better than the old one!

So if you're on a permanent high speed wired connection (or 4G), have a very top-end computer and spend more time scrolling round and looking at pretty stuff than actually using it as a map (who needs to actually leave SF anyway?) then it's way better.

For everyone else not actually located at Mountain View, it sucks.

Re:The new version is terrible!

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone remember why they switched to Google for all of their internet searches? I do: Lycos, Altavista, and others had become bloated, ad-laden, pieces of crap, while google.com was a plain white page with nothing but a text box, a search button, and the google logo (the search also gave superior results). It is the same story with maps.google. The old maps are superior, not because I'm a whiny curmudgeon who hates change, but because this new version is bloated with 'cool' (useless) features and runs like a dog, even on high end hardware.

Either google never understood why they became the dominant search engine, or they quickly forgot during their whirlwind of success. There must be something about power and money that makes people stupid. I wouldn't know.

Re:The new version is terrible!

[Rei]

Well, gee, perhaps I should just mouseover to see what each button does? Oh yeah that's right, there's not even a bloody mouseover for half of the buttons. Gotta just try clicking them and seeing what happens.

Lets look at your list. 5 bloody buttons for Google Integration. Which again, the vast majority of people using Google Maps want nothing to do with. "Gee, I need directions to my friend's house. I could really use a button to open up Google Drive right now!" And hey, let's put them in top of the screen where most people expect to find their most important controls!

Hey, that view type? The one in the lower left, which is probably the least likely place a person would look for it? Let's make that only represent half of the possibilities for the view type! Let's put the other half in the upper left right near the directions button!

Hey, pictures? Let's make them suddenly appear when you turn on satellite. But not on the map - my god no, why would you want to know where on the map the pictures are? Let's make them take up a massive thumbbar at the bottom of your screen, clearly people will want that! What, people are complaining? Okay, let's put a tiny line when you mouseover the image that only emphasizes how the ordering of the images has no correlation to where they are on the map.

There's three buttons on the bottom right, to the right of the streetview person. Let's see what each of them do. PSYCH! Haha, gotcha, they're all just one button, and it's not even a button, just a toggle to the annoying "photo bar". The seemingly disconnected arrow icon is the same thing.

Clearly we've now got too much stuff on the screen, so let's take away people's ability to choose their zoom level, because nobody gives a rat's arse about that, what they really want is a quick link to Google Drive!

Language input is in the upper left. Language choice is in the setting bar on the lower right. Making a route is in the lower left. Sharing a link to the route is in the setting bar on the lower right. And of course, all of the stuff on the lower right is below a bloody link to what you've been searching for on Google, as if that has any bloody purpose in being there whatsoever. But a link to My Maps? No no, not there! It's in the bloody suggested searches entry on the upper left.

Whatever flock of drunken geese designed the interface should never be allowed to touch design again.

Re:The new version is terrible!

[arglebargle_xiv]

I started using bing.com for maps

You bastard! You complete, utter bastard! Just out of curiosity I tried Bing maps and... it's everything Google maps isn't. I now actually like a Microsoft product.

Some day, I'll get you for this.

Worked well

[Vlijmen Fileer]

Oh, the one that actually worked well?
Thanks, Google!

Artificial obsolence

[Anonymous Coward]

This is one problem with web apps. I do not have any ownership of the product and it can be obsoleted arbitrarily by the manufacturer. It's even worse than with closed source apps.

Re:Artificial obsolence

[CastrTroy]

Exactly. When Google Reader was shut down, I switched to Tiny Tiny RSS. I didn't want to just go to some other system that I didn't control and that would end up being changed or closed in a couple years. Now I have a system that works, and I don't have to worry about someone else shutting it down. As long as I can find a hosting service with Apache and PHP, it will work for me.

Meh, New-Maps.

[FooAtWFU]

The vectors are shiny but the user interface looks like it was designed by a team of managers more concerned about slickness than usability. Moreover it's only fractionally as powerful as the old system. (Among other things, I bet several people in places like San Francisco are really going to miss the combination bicycle/terrain maps.)

Android

[excursive]

Google has "improved" the Android version of Maps so much that I switched to Nokia's Here maps app. It's much easier to use, faster, and I can download maps for offline use.

Re:Confusing

[denis-The-menace]

When new managers come in they want to make their mark. Therefore the MUST change/destroy previous managers' work and replace it with their own.
If they don't, they have nothing to put on their resume.