Google is No Longer Forcing RouteBuilder to Shut Down
This is a follow-up to the story I posted yesterday: “Google is Forcing RouteBuilder to Shut Down”
First, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who read about and shared my predicament. I am completely overwhelmed by the support.
Recap: After 10 years of using the Google Maps API for a humble (but mildly popular) route-plotting tool, I was notified by Google that RouteBuilder faced a vague “terms of service” violation. Google granted me two weeks before they disabled the mapping services that RouteBuilder depends on.
Not too long after I posted my story on Medium, The Google Maps API Team wrote to inform me that, “the notification [RouteBuilder] received earlier was sent in error”. They also apologized for the mistake, which I accept. As a result, I am very pleased to say that RouteBuilder will not shut down!
A few developers were generous enough to offer their time in porting RouteBuilder to use a Free mapping solution like OpenStreetMap / Leaflet. Even with the news that Google is letting me off the hook, this is something I intend to pursue further — making the changes myself, on my own timetable (not Google’s).
http://donate.openstreetmap.com/
Thanks again!
