Tech for Luddites

News, Views, and How-Tos for a Digital World

We're not giving up the fight! These links take you to resources supporting the campaign to get Google to bring back Classic Maps.

Subcribe for Email Updates
If you'd like to be informed of updates by email, enter your address below. When you subscribe, you'll receive a Welcome email with links to previous updates as well.

Online Petition at Change.org
Sign and share the petition to Larry Page, CEO of Google.

Campaign Page on Tech for Luddites
Here you'll find news and updates about the campaign as well as messages, images, and videos you can share via email and social media to help get more people involved in the campaign.

Discussion Sites
Here are some more places people are talking about Google Maps.

Google Maps and Earth Help Forum Main Page

Reddit: Google Maps

While none of these alternative sites are perfect replacements for Classic Maps, they're what we've got for now. I haven't checked most of these out personally yet, but I'm linking to them anyway in case you find them helpful for your purposes.

General Maps Based on Classic Maps

Note: Google has recently changed their API so that all maps now have the new-style controls. However, this doesn't affect most of the underlying features.

Google MapMaker
This site is designed to let people make additions and corrections to Google Maps. However, it uses Classic Maps as its base map and provides some of its features including Directions (under the Edit menu), a variation of Street View/Maps split screen, and 2D satellite view.

An excellent alternative to Classic Maps with some of its most popular features, this mapping solution has undergone some changes since first developed. Check out this post for the most recent update (01/18/16).

Google Maps Streetview Player of Brian Folts
A reader emailed me this link with some detailed instructions about how to use it. There's not enough room for me to write them up here, so I've copied them into a comment on the original Google Maps post.

Instant Street View
Thanks to reader Sappy for sharing this find that has a lot of Classic Maps' features (searchable, zoom, 2D satellite view). However, it doesn't have a full split-screen Street View or directions.

Meteomodel
Thanks to reader Szymon for sending along this link for a Polish site. The map has Street View (not split-screen) but doesn't have search or Directions.

Falk
Thanks to reader Dave for sharing this German site.

Wareko Map
T4L reader Wareko is also developing a map based on Google Classic, available in Japanese and English!

Specialty Maps Based on Classic Maps

TennisMaps
Thanks to reader James for sharing this website that he maintains to help people find tennis courts around the world.

SolarGIS
Thanks to reader S.H. for sharing this Google-based map that includes solar radiation and temperature data.

Thanks to reader John for sharing a whole slew of URLs that incorporate Classic Maps.

www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp
shipspotting.com/ais/index.php
www.sunearthtools.com/dp/tools/pos_earth.php?lang=en
www.heywhatsthat.com/
www.westernhvdclink.co.uk/map-of-route.aspx

Maps Based on Other Platforms

MapQuest
One of the original mapping applications.

Bing Maps
Microsoft's mapping site.

Yahoo Maps Directions
While Yahoo! has shut down its main Maps site, this implementation is currently still working.

OpenStreetMap
Open-source mapping software. A reader adds, "OSM is just the database: It's up to someone to read the data and build actual maps, and possibly provide a router such as OSRM for directions."

Wikimapia
Thanks to reader Metal for sharing this site, which describes itself as "a multilingual open-content collaborative map, where anyone can create place tags and share their knowledge." Has both map and satellite views, but does not include a street view or directions feature.

Cycling-Focused Maps

Thanks to reader Frederic for sending me these links. Descriptions in quotations are taken directly from the site.

Ride with GPS
"Ride with GPS makes it easy to drag and draw your own custom routes with lightning fast elevation profiles to help you anticipate (or avoid) those big climbs."

Bike Route Toaster
"BikeRouteToaster.com is a course creation application primarily aimed at Garmin Edge/Forerunner owners although other users without a GPS may also find it useful for planning rides."

Cycle.Travel
Pretty straightforward-looking route planner built with OpenStreetMap.

Ride with GPS
From their About page: "Ride with GPS was founded by two guys that love writing cool software and riding their bikes: Zack Ham and Cullen King."

Yeah, I hate 'em too... But if we're going to be stuck with them at least for the foreseeable future, I'll be working on some tutorial posts to try to make them a little less painful.

Google Maps Timeline: How to Use It, How to Lose It
A new feature from Google has privacy advocates worried and I think rightly so.

Measuring Distances in New Google Maps
This popular feature from Classic Google Maps still exists in the new version, but you find and use it a little differently.

Google Is Getting Rid of Classic Maps for Good (Ugh.)
The original sad-news post, it includes basic info on the Full vs. Lite version of the maps.

Amazon Products: News, Views, & How-Tos

This page provides a guide to T4L posts and videos and links to external articles related to Amazon products and services.

Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
Amazon Echo, Dot, and Tap
Amazon Fire Tablets
Amazon Alexa
Amazon Prime
Other Amazon Products and Services
Related News Stories

Fire TV and Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Change Your Amazon Fire TV Interface from German to English

Do You Need a Fire TV/Roku/Apple TV/Chromecast for Each TV?

Amazon Echo, Dot, and Tap

Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, and Tap: What Are They and How Do They Work?

Amazon Echo Updates, September 2016: New Dot, New Colors, New Countries

Video Demo: Comparing the Amazon Echo and Amazon Tap

How to Listen to Podcasts on the Amazon Echo

Fire Tablets

Amazon Fire Tablets: Pros and Cons

Amazon Fire Tablets: Which One Is Right for You?

Amazon Fire Tablets: 4 Ways to Install Google Play Store Apps

Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa: What Is It and What Can You Do with It?

Get More Deals at Amazon with Alexa on Fire TV, Fire Tablet, and Echo Devices

Amazon Prime

The Benefits of Amazon Prime

Prime Gift Option: Give a 3-Month Amazon Prime Membership for $33

Other Amazon Products and Services

Kindle eBook Programs: Which One Is Best for You?

You Don’t Need a Kindle to Read Kindle Books

(Amazon) Smile… It’s Giving Tuesday!

Happy Boxing Day! (Don’t Throw Out Your Boxes Yet)

Recent Headlines from Around the Interwebs

Stop the Email Threading Madness

Learn how to change your email inbox to list messages in the order they come in.

Windows 10: Change the Default Programs for Opening Files

Learn how to choose which programs you want to use with different kinds of files, instead of the ones Microsoft wants you to use.

Amazon Fire TV Stick vs Roku Streaming Stick+: Which One Is Right for You?

A comparison of the main differences between these two popular and affordable streaming media players.

Send Your Cable TV Signal Wirelessly to Another Room

Product review and how-to for systems that let you get cable/satellite programming on additional TV sets even if there are no outlets nearby.

Post Photos and Videos to Instagram from Your Computer

If, like me, you spend more time on your PC than on your phone or tablet, you can still share content on Instagram.

Create Different Headers in Word

Step-by-step instructions for using section breaks so you can have different headers on different pages of your Microsoft Word document.

Replacing List Bullets with Images Using CSS

Replacing standard HTML list bullets with images can be a great way to tie them into your site’s overall theme and make pages more visually appealing.

Streaming Media: Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about how a streaming media player like the Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or Google Chromecast works? Find answers here!

Send Messages to People You Don’t Know on LinkedIn

While there are several ways to do this, purchasing an individual InMail is often the best option—and the most difficult to find.

The Twitter Hashtag: What Is It and How Do You Use It?

Learn what this ubiquitous symbol means and how to make the most of it in your tweets.