Serge Wroclawski <emac...@gmail.com> wrote: > I agree wholeheartedly with the view that OSM should be providing > maps. I think as long as we continue to cling to this idea that we > want third parties to make the maps, then we limit the project's > viability, its success and its overall accuracy.
I've allready express my own opinion, but i do not really understand the point. OSM hosted one rendering on its own server (using mapnik software)... Do you want OSM to provide other maps (with different rendering) ? I assume that what you want is OSM to provide a service without limit for other to use their tile server as base ? I feel very unconfortable with this option. Managing a tile server has a cost (OSMF handle it now) and this cost goes higher has many user use it. We see actual limitation this summer (limited bandwidth). So their is here 2 options : 1. providing a free service open to everyone with no limits (google competitor to summurize) that will be adapt to demand (more power, more RAM...) so more cost every user use it. To handle cost there is 2 options : keep the service free (more donation, more money from ?)or made the service commercial (big users pay, this is what google is providing). This will require adding an API key (like google, bing or cloudmade). 2. providing a basic service for small users (as it's now) and limit big usage without providing an laternative and let commercial compagny (cloudmade or openstreetmap has start this) providing services for big users. Note that option 1 has a terrible issue : been a competitor to commercial compagny that would do business with OSM data... My opinion is that OSM should provide a basic service (as now) without commercial issue (option 2). Big users should build their own tile servers or buy this service from commercial compagny : it's not OSM business (OSM is not in business). -- Pierre-Alain Dorange OSM experiences : <http://www.leretourdelautruche.com/map/> _______________________________________________ talk mailing list talk@openstreetmap.org http://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/talk
