Hacker News Reader

Comment by ledlauzis | Hacker News Reader

Apple made this decision just to dump Google and try to gain more control. Apple dind't want to use OpenStreetMap because its open source solution and Apple never uses open source solution. Yeah, its iOS and OS X is based on Linux (sort of) but they will never tell this to anyone. iOS 6 Maps sucks just like the App Store on the New iPad. Maybe it is just me but I found it very, very slow. It's better on iPhone

View on HN

I've said this a few times (as have others) but it seems it could do with repeating.

Unless you've got inside information we have no idea who dumped who, all we know is the contract expired and it wasn't renewed. Google might have applied financial pressure, Apple might have thrown their toys out of the pram. It's unknown.

OSX was based on code from FreeBSD and NetBSD and not Linux http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OS_X#History and Apple has used plenty of open source solutions (gcc, samba come to mind ). Not to mention putting money and resources behind opensource projects such as llvm and webkit.

I do believe that dumping Google was a strategic decision and I'm perfectly O.K. with that. The world is full of products that are shaped more with business decisions that technical ones. What remains to be seen however is how quickly they will address the shortcomings of their map data.

> Apple dind't want to use OpenStreetMap because its open source solution and Apple never uses open source solution.

Riiiight. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_(operating_system)

Reply on news.ycombinator.com