Wikipedia Dumps Google Maps

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It looks like Wikipedia has decided to dump Google Maps in favor of the free OpenStreetMap.

Wikipedia's decision, announced in a blog post, is likely to raise more questions about the company's decision to charge so-called high-volume users of its Maps APIs, which formerly were free. In March, Google started charging between $4 to $10 per additional 1,000 loads to any site pulling over 25,000 daily loads.
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awsiemieniec said:
The market has spoken...
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Not so much the market as the shareholders and Wall Street.

This is what happens when you go public, you are no longer in charge of your company, the analysts are. If they forecast a 30% gain and you miss the forecast by 2 points you suck. No one cares that you still made 28% profit, all people see is that you missed the target and you are going down the drain.

Google had to discontinue Google Labs, they did away with their Creative Friday where employees could work on pet projects, yadda yadda yadda.
 
Most people (80-90% maybe more) don't mind paying if there is perceived value. To give proof to this statement if people were as cheap as Eisenblut stated then marketing would not exist. Everyone would eat generic foods instead of name brand and all would drive compact cars (after all they are cheaper).

The problem is google maps was free now it is not and there are alternates available. So no perceived value.
 
Hmmm... just tried looking around in openstreetmap. I wouldn't consider it "good enough" if you are comparing it to google maps or Bing (which has sat images, 3-d, directions, street view, etc...). It does fit with wikipedia's minimalist and community-driven goals, so I can understand the move. I guess you get what you pay for.
 
Bait'n'Switch

Wonder if Google is gonna remove the Wikipedia search results from the top spot in searches and drop them lower :D
 
I don't understand why google would be charging for linking to their maps when they've already started throwing advertisements into said maps which in turn MAKES them money..not to mention all the related page hits from people going on internet-search trails....
 
They aren't charging for linking to Google Maps. They're charging for use of the Maps API.
 
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