IRC is still around and nothing has really surpassed it yet imho. We keep re-inventing the wheel.

Yeah not bad, I’m sure you could use federated login to allow the users’ personal google acct to hit the maps api and pull reviews. But yelp/google/amzn/etc all manipulate ratings and reviews behind the scenes without any transparency which is a deeper problem and why I am always critical of reviews in general. But like I said, if you and I created an OSS review plugin/service for use in OSS maps, it wouldn’t be long before it was corrupted in some regard… somehow. Cynical I know but the review data is just so damn JUICY to everyone.

No let me apologize I was overly harsh on that criticism.

yeah there really isn’t a way around reviews

I think it’s just too valuable to stay open and free, someone will always want to monetize (from the business, the reviewers, the ‘pop up’ order on the map, etc)

I too have found myself in the same boat, especially because Google Maps is probably (for my life) their best product. I was in the early contributor beta and have been pretty consistent in leaving reviews over the last 10+ years (although the offers for comp’d dinners have disappeared) - I’ve made an effort to be better, I have CoMaps on my phone, and I’ve started contributing to OSM. I think what would really seal the deal for me to shift completely would be integrated reviews. As you said, google and yelp have the market cornered for that, but there is no transparency.

edit: that transit app website is the worst marketer crap I have ever stepped in, scrolled so many fucking pages of artistic empty-words and vision speak and still have NO FUCKING CLUE what the app does. JFC.

Like my beloved Nokia N900 and my current Pixel 6 had a bastard love child and I am all about it.

Sorry bruce, these boys get a little crazy when they get that -CoPilot/Claude/Cursor- in them…

Finally got motivated enough to change the lock screen from other peoples photography to my own. Spend an hour going through shots and make a folder under ‘Pictures’ root folder called ‘Lock screen’, go to the settings for lock screen and select that folder as the slideshow source. “We can’t use that folder so it was removed”. Hmmm. Ok, let me add it to ‘Documents’ instead. Same issue. Hmmm, ok… I hate it, but let me move it under c: - ok, it accepted it, sweet. Lock the screen, not showing anything… Hmmm ok, google it. Apparently it fails silently when it needs permissions. Hmmm, Ok… workaround is to select ‘Photo’ mode instead of slideshow mode, lock the screen. Ok, shows the photo. Ok, now go back to slideshow mode and it should work.

Wrong place for this rant I know but windows just seems progressively shittier over the years, if that’s even possible.

Holy mother of new knowledge - edit: COLLARDS TOO WTF

How do they apply pressure though? (they threaten to sue)

Thank you kindly 😘

mmmm yes America Daddy, hurt me so good, I love it! Trillion dollar industry is DEF hurting by me denying them pennies. You have awoken me, thank you!

Yes, totally agreed that the people making decisions have beliefs. Hard disagree if you think the head of Visa is consulting his/her/their ‘beliefs’ when voting on multi-billion dollar decisions.

Sure you can, you can do whatever you want. My point is it will have zero effect on anything.

That was my point, that pressure is always external and they are not making moral decisions.

Executives, BoD and shareholders with controlling stakes make these calls.

Yeah with the external driver of the bottom line, no one is making these ‘calls’ for any sort of purpose other than the profit driver.

Avoid using credit cards as much as possible

Sure, and my paper straws are saving the environment too, right? Individual action changes nothing, changes in law/enforcement is the only proven path to change.

Well if you want to peel the onion another layer, you should really be mad at laywers and our litigious society as a whole, payment processors don’t have morality, nothing in capitalism does - they are responding, just like valve, to external pressures.

Not as severe: had a memory leak with dev tools open the other day that crashed the browser pretty quick… also got into a situation where youtube music was open in a tab and that tab ‘froze’ even though the music was playing, couldn’t move it or close it or switch to it.

Sure! https://softshellweb.com/shared-hosting looks like it’s $20 USD a year without a promotion/coupon. I bought a holiday special if memory serves me correct.