GPX-viewer access restrictions

Discussion about gpx-view on maplorer.com in particular and track file viewers in general

GPX-viewer access restrictions

Postby maplorer » Sat Jul 14, 2018 3:05 pm

GPX-viewer has been free for several years now. This was possible due to a reasonable amount of ads displayed on the site, which paid for hosting costs etc.
Recently, Google increased the prices for the use of the Google Maps API used to run this site. While the cost for the number of calls typically made per month was very low until now, this will cost hundreds of dollars starting in July 2018.

Therefore, the use of the gpx-view tool has to be somewhat limited – at least temporarily until I understand exactly how much I have to pay (and how far the ads will compensate for this). It is complicated and not fun at all – I’m a programmer, not an accountant.

I decided to give priority to existing permalinks – those should continue to work.

Using the interactive tool and creating new links will require you to log in, so I can control the number of people using the tool. For now, only users who have submitted permanent links before and saved them with their email will be allowed to create accounts. As permanent links will be an important part of the cost, I may have to add (reasonable) advertisements to these, too.

I run this site as a hobby, because I enjoy programming it. It was a pleasure to see so many people use it, but I do not want to turn it into a commercial application or have ads blinking all over it (which is what Google seems to want me to do).

I hope to optimize the site to use less Google API calls / switch to another, free platform in the future and open the site up for everybody again. But in the meantime, this is how things are.

Please feel free to comment.

PS: Sorry, the account for the forum is different from the one for maplorer – you’ll have to create another one.
maplorer
Site Admin
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jul 01, 2013 2:44 pm

Re: GPX-viewer access restrictions

Postby maplorer » Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:38 pm

Creating accounts is now enabled at https://maplorer.com/view_gpx.html
(use the login button -> create an account).

The site may be limited again in the future, depending on the load.

Thanks for your patience.
maplorer
Site Admin
 
Posts: 81
Joined: Mon Jul 01, 2013 2:44 pm


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