"Classic" Google Maps to disappear forever

[SignGeek101]

If any of you, like me use the "Classic Google Maps", you'll be out of luck soon. Google will be phasing it out. Considering how laggy and slow it is on my laptop, I'm not impressed, but not surprised.

https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6166252?p=update&hl=en&rd=1

Guess I'll have to go to Google Earth. The new maps is almost unusable on my system.

[NE2]

Just saw that. Fuck the man.

[Roadrunner75]

Very bad news.  The new one "works", but I find the inability to just scroll in and out of streetview extremely annoying.  It's also very slow, but we've already discussed this to death on another thread.  This will sap a lot of the fun out of playing "Where's Steve At?".

[formulanone]

They claim there's a "Lite Mode" for Google Maps...not sure how that's going to play out, since it looks and acts like the new maps, but without 3D rendering.

http://www.google.com/maps/?force=canvas

[Zeffy]

Canada Google Maps works for me, so I guess I won't be too affected by the phasing out... still think it's a douche move for those who do continue to have problems.

[US 41]

They should get rid of the "New" Google Maps forever and keep the classic. The New Google Maps has had so many problems, almost everyone on here complains about its performance. Apparently Google doesn't care though. I will miss the classic google maps.

[bandit957]

Another day, another Google failure.

[US 41]

Another day, another Google failure.

I just compared the two and it jaw dropping how much faster the old (classic) google maps is. This is definitely a step back for Google Maps. Why they want to ruin something that was perfect blows my mind.

Has anyone noticed when you click on the blue line in the map it will have you facing a totally random direction now, instead of the direction your traveling?

[hotdogPi]

It won't even let me use the new one. The new one redirects to the old one.

[corco]

Hopefully Google Maps Poland or some random third world country version of Google keeps the classic version around.

My only real problem is the lack of direction ticks when customizing a route, and I wonder how the new google maps will maintain that functionality from old links (right now it redirects back to classic google maps if you have a URL with too many ticks, for example http://tinyurl.com/pzoywe4)

[SteveG1988]

I don't have issues with the new one at all. Probably due to having a Nvidia NVS 3100M in my laptop.

[Crazy Volvo Guy]

Why anyone thought this wouldn't be the outcome is beyond me.  I knew as soon as I saw the "See the new Google Maps" link that there would be an eventual forced changeover.  And, as is typical in this day and age, it's happening regardless of the fact that the new product is nowhere near being able to properly replace the old.

I am disappointed, but not at all surprised.  This is the way of the world these days.

[Dr Frankenstein]

I had complaints about the new version of Google Maps when they previewed it and voiced them here as well as filled bug reports with Google. By now, every single one of them has been addressed and I switched permanently a while ago.

What I'm more concerned with is that at work, both the "new" and the "new lite" (canvas) version redirect back to the classic version, probably due to my IT department's aversion to updating browsers (we use IE 9 and Fx 15...).

[roadman]

They should get rid of the "New" Google Maps forever and keep the classic. The New Google Maps has had so many problems, almost everyone on here complains about its performance. Apparently Google doesn't care though. I will miss the classic google maps.

This reflects a basic problem.  People who develop these things need to learn the concept of "It works, so don't mess with it."

[TXtoNJ]

They should get rid of the "New" Google Maps forever and keep the classic. The New Google Maps has had so many problems, almost everyone on here complains about its performance. Apparently Google doesn't care though. I will miss the classic google maps.

This reflects a basic problem.  People who develop these things need to learn the concept of "It works, so don't mess with it."

They do know that. However, they are paid to be "disruptive" and come up with new interfaces and systems. It's not that the knowledge isn't there, it's that the incentive structure doesn't provide for stasis in Silicon Valley.

[stormwatch7721]

The new google maps lags a little. You can't go "inside" the selected buildings in the classic version.

[Brandon]

I keep having the little yellow guy bounce back to his home when I try to use street view from time to time.  Most annoying. 

And this same Google wants to build self-driving cars?
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[formulanone]

They should get rid of the "New" Google Maps forever and keep the classic. The New Google Maps has had so many problems, almost everyone on here complains about its performance. Apparently Google doesn't care though. I will miss the classic google maps.

This reflects a basic problem.  People who develop these things need to learn the concept of "It works, so don't mess with it."

The 21st century ideology is "permanently in beta".

[vdeane]

Lite mode is SO much faster than the default mode.  I use it on all my computers.

My only real problem is the lack of direction ticks when customizing a route, and I wonder how the new google maps will maintain that functionality from old links (right now it redirects back to classic google maps if you have a URL with too many ticks, for example http://tinyurl.com/pzoywe4)

Agreed.  I mostly use the new Google Maps, but I revert to the classic maps whenever I need those extra direction ticks.  11 just isn't enough.

[wxfree]

The 21st century ideology is "permanently in beta".

This problems continues for hundreds of years into the future.  According to Dr. McCoy in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, "I know engineers; they love to change things."

Or something similar.

I've been calling hellfire and damnation on browser makers for years now for taking away things I liked about web browsers and not giving us the option to keep those functionalities.  I still use Firefox because it's the most customizable to make it the way I like, but all these years later I still hate their so-called Awesome Bar.  My real gripe is that I like "dumb" technology; I want machines that just obey my commands, not machines that try to figure me out and anticipate what I want.  Unfortunately, engineers think that showing off what they can do is more important than making a good product.  It's kinda like musicians who think that showing off their rapid note-playing skills is more important than making beautiful music, but that's a different topic.

[jakeroot]

I think the performance of the new Google Maps depends on your graphics card. I'm running a GeForce GTX 980 and the new maps is just as fast as the old one. But, I know most people don't have the money nor the desire nor the need to have a high-end graphics card, so I expect Google (in Google fashion) to continue to refine the new Maps. Within a year or two, I bet it will perform better than the old one. That's just how technology works (people like the old thing, old thing gets replaced, people complain, new thing improves, people forget about old thing).

[SignGeek101]

I think the performance of the new Google Maps depends on your graphics card. I'm running a GeForce GTX 980 and the new maps is just as fast as the old one. But, I know most people don't have the money nor the desire nor the need to have a high-end graphics card, so I expect Google (in Google fashion) to continue to refine the new Maps. Within a year or two, I bet it will perform better than the old one. That's just how technology works (people like the old thing, old thing gets replaced, people complain, new thing improves, people forget about old thing).

It's the same with YouTube. People always want the "old YouTube" back, and hate the new one.

I like the new one, it's just that I can't use it. It's a matter of function and not appearance or preference.

[Pete from Boston]

The new Google Maps displays invisible roads a little better.

[freebrickproductions]

IMO, the old Google Maps was better. Mostly because the map maker is actually functional with the old version of Google Maps and you could actually copy-paste any directions from the old Google Maps somewhere else.

[SSOWorld]

You have to remember for engineers - the motto isn't "if it ain't broke don't fix it", it's actually "if it ain't broke, it don't have enough features yet"