[Freegis-list] Gaia project interruped by Google

[strk]

On Mon, Nov 27, 2006 at 03:13:13PM -0500, Gary Watry wrote:
> Why don't you spend the time on building viewers that use free data.

Good question.

> Why build a viewer that access the data without using Google at all?

Why not ?

> After all, Google is paying to access that data, why should anyone be 
> allowed to access that data on Google's Dime?

Isn't everybody doing so already, by using Google application  ?

> If you want access to the data, go for it without using Google Applications

I Guess this was exactly the reason for Gaia to exist, accessing the data
w/out using a specific application (covered by a license that I hadn't went
trough reading, blame me on this).

> Is it because it is easier to reverse engineer something that someone 
> else built that works than do it on your own?

It's easier not to reinvent the wheel, that is unless the wheel is covered
by intellecual property protection law (what a world it would be if this
was the case!)

> I think GAIA did the right thing.

I think they just wanted to avoid legal litigation, and I can
understand that, being hard to beat Google in legal budget.

--strk;

> Or if you have to use Google Technology, get a copy of their API to 
> build from.
> 
> > On Mon, Nov 27, 2006 at 02:41:04PM +0100, Nils Faerber wrote:
> >
> >   
> >> So what do we want?
> >> The luxury of being able to browse the world with a proprietory client
> >> software we have no control over using a service that might one day
> >> start to cost money?
> >> Or do we want to promote free software and free knowledge about it?
> >>     
> >
> > If the cost of having a free client to their service is their
> > service shutting up, I'm for taking it down.
> > If google cares about that service he'll be first line pushing
> > for freely available datasets.
> >
> > --strk;