2009/12/17 Steve Bennett <stevag...@gmail.com> > >In the end, OSM is a database, and how you are rendering a map is > something accessory, as "everyone" can set up the rendering the way they > want. It is the greatest strength of OSM that you can choose what kind of > rendering you can do. I think the map should deemphasized at some point from > the main site as more and more people want custom rendering. > > I guess I will have to investigate this further, but that's really not at > all how I see OSM, and not how I think the public perceives it. The diehards > on this list may all have their own renderers set up at home, but that's > rare. For most people, the mapnik view *is* OSM, and switching it off would > be dumping OSM's biggest selling point. The world has very much moved to a > cloud model, whereas what you're proposing (download the data, render it > using an offline client) is exactly the opposite of that. I just don't see > that approach gaining traction any more. If anything, I would have thought > you'd put more effort into custom rendering on the server, like cloudmade > does. > > Of course, I could be completely wrong. That would at least explain why I > find the response of "make your own stylesheet" so jarring to my original > problem statement. > > I understand your point. But I disagree about the directions where things are going. Some things are going for the cloud, some will stay on your desktop. Don't necessarily believe the hype and take it with a pinch of salt. I wouldn't be surprised if at some point, people are coming up with custom cloud renderers. But for the time being, if you want a custom rendering you will be using your own pc or server. If you are interested in a relatively simple renderer, you could look at http://igorbrejc.net/kosmoshome . This should help you and should not be too difficult to use. I look forward to some offline rendering using Halcyon personally. Being able to tweak a map just by playing with some css sounds very appealing to me. I agree that for many people the map is the focal point of OSM but again, we have already two major renderers on the main site. I think it sends a clear signal that we are not just about one map but several. In the end, the power of OSM is what you do with it. The map part is not a major interest to me, but I might be one of the exception.
Emilie Laffray
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