PSX_Earth: The End Is Near...

[martin]

Greetings,

be advised that by the end of the new year (to be precise: on Dec 12, 2015), PSX_Earth will in all probability cease to function.

The reason is that Google will on that date turn off the support for the Google Earth browser plug-in API, on which PSX_Earth is based.

Here is Google's announcement (including a list of the browsers that will until then still be supported).

It's unclear if there will be a successor API, and what it may look like. But "while we can't announce anything just now, we look forward to sharing more exciting product news in the future". Moreover, "Google Earth has a proud legacy, which continues with the new Google Earth for Android". So all is well.

There is a certain historical irony in this:

The predecessor of the current PSX_Earth did not use the browser plug-in, but the stand-alone Google Earth desktop application.

Then Google declared that the sun was going down on the API for this, and that the browser plug-in and its API were now the Cool Thing.
(Discussions on StackOverflow here and here).

So PSX_Earth was re-written accordingly and changed from desktop to web-based application in its current form.

Now the browser plug-in API has in turn been declared to be outdated, apparently because now tablets and such (and Google's Android, of course) are the Even Cooler Thing*.

It is not clear to me what this means with regard to the stand-alone desktop application (which, sunset or not, is also still alive) and its API (now dead?), which was deprecated long ago. It's also becoming increasingly tricky to differentiate between Google Maps and Google Earth which I think are still not one and the same thing.

In any case I have no wish to chase ad infinitum in the PSX_Earth development each and every fad (from desktop to "everything must be Web 2.0" to "everything must be tablet, i.e. Android" to whatever comes one and a half year from now (something to do with "The Cloud", no doubt).

It's all an instructive lesson on the benefits or otherwise of applications making use of "The Cloud" in one way or another.

So, enjoy PSX_Earth while you still can, 342 days to go!

Happy New Year!

Cheers,
Martin

* Actually, that's not it. It's about security and making developers' lives easier!
See the announcement.

[brian747]

         

  Like the song says, "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone".

Whilst I do use FSX when vlying (when I want to take outside screenshots), I have come to rely on PSX Earth for everyday "scenery lite", as it were (notably when taxying). That Google should, at a whim, decide to withdraw support in this way only adds to my increasing suspicion that they're interested solely in increasing profit and don't in the least care about their users.

But mostly I feel for you, Martin, in having spent time developing the app for the benefit of this community, and now face having the rug pulled out from underneath you. Huge thanks for your work, which I have every intention of enjoying until they finally pull the plug on us.  

Cheers,

Brian

[Garry Richards]

That Google should, at a whim, decide to withdraw support in this way only adds to my increasing suspicion that they're interested solely in increasing profit and don't in the least care about their users.

This does not seem to be the case. Google's announcement reveals that the technology they used is out of date, insecure and will soon not be supported by some browsers. They also hint that a replacement may be under development. Whether applications such as PSX Earth could be easily updated for the new platform is unclear at this stage.

Cheers,

[brian747]

Thank you for the clarification, Garry, although I have to admit that I am not entirely reassured.    :?

It seems we must keep our fingers crossed for a happy outcome, and sooner rather than later.

Cheers,

Brian

[Britjet]

I notice that in the FlightRadar24 app, if you select the 3D option for a target aircraft you get a Google-Earth view with smooth movement, and that the view banks as the aircraft turns..

I don't think it includes terrain, but might be wrong..

On another point I know that many full-flight sims now use Google images with banked turns included.

One day, maybe. Then I can trash all this expensive add-ons...!

Brit

[Guy13]

This site seems to offer an alternative to GE plugin.

https://cesiumjs.org/2015/01/27/Migrating-from-Earth-to-Cesium/

Perhaps a solution to allow us to continue flying as with Google Earth?

Guy

[martin]

That is in fact what I am currently looking into...
No promises, though!  

Cheers,
Martin

[martin]

The story continues...

Cheers,
Martin

[martin]

Google Chrome users: Be advised that you have probably lost the Google Earth plugin already now.

Details here.

Cheers,
Martin