On 30/01/2008 08:56, Tom Hughes wrote: > In message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Gervase Markham <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >> >>>> Asking them to install and configure their own copy of Mapnik seems >>>> somewhat unreasonable... >>> You could try osmps, and then convert the PostScript to the >>> required format. >> Mapnik was just an example; it seems to me that asking people who want >> to make and use a "custom" map (although I'm not sure that "no >> crudely-drawn pint glasses" really counts as "custom") to install _any_ >> rendering software seems sub-optimal. > > So it is reasonable or optimal for us to maintain an infinite number > of custom maps for third parties that want custom maps but don't want > the hassle of rendering them?
How about a bit of positive thinking here! (And the thrust of the message wasn't about the quality of the icon either) I think Gervase is quite right - installing anything is vast overkill and our kinds of install are beyond the capabilities of the majority of people who when I say "start your browser" don't understand what I mean(*). And the web offers opportunities for customizable presentation that paper maps don't have. We just don't have the means to do it right now. Doing this doesn't mean necessarily generating every combination of tiles possible. Overlays with switches to turn on and off categories and particular POIs would make it possible, and there are several ways of doing that. (I outlined one some time ago, which would involve implementing HTML tiles to openlayers and using style sheet changes to turn on and off features in the overlay). Anther solution would be on-demand mapping: the renderers, in whatever falvour, are online somewhere and you go through a dialogue to decide on an area, choose your features and then get a custom map back a short while later - either on screen or as a PDF or whatever. I'm sure there's plenty of other ways of approaching the problem as well. If you want a 'clean' map, you might as well just use Google at the moment; our advantage is that we have much more information, if only we could selectively present it easily in a fast, non-technically-demanding way. David (*) remember we are a highly technologically oriented bunch. My experience is that most people know what "Internet Explorer" is but don't know it is a browser or that other browsers exist - that's just an example of course. (two more from our home page that confuse people - lack of a search button to press when you've finished entering your search term, and the word "permalink"). _______________________________________________ talk mailing list [email protected] http://lists.openstreetmap.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/talk
