Microsoft Live

Originally Posted by JamesYooKay Google are brilliant. Their services are great, Google Earth has helped me loads. It's probably one of the best resources that have been made for a long time.

MSN VitualEarth is on the Web, Google Earth is a Desktop Application. The only difference is an ability to Pan the image, which is not impressive, because all it does it stretch and screw the image. Which then is the better piece of code?

Kind of fitting though for a Google program to do, being that Google stretch human decency and screw everybody.

Originally Posted by Jonny Some might call that psychotic, but what do I know. Damn those infedels at Google!

That's the spirit. Time now I think, to continue practicing my odd scream for when I am chasing down an infedel. Are there actually words for that scream? You know the one that goes... Ai Ai Ai Ai Ai Ai Ai and uses a lot of tongue?

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn MSN VitualEarth is on the Web, Google Earth is a Desktop Application. The only difference is an ability to Pan the image, which is not impressive, because all it does it stretch and screw the image. Which then is the better piece of code?

Well Google Earth is obviously, if it's the same but more.

MSN VitualEarth is actually a copy of Google Maps btw, there are lots of things that MSN have copied after Google. Even these live applications came after rumours of Google making an online Office application.

Originally Posted by Jonny Well Google Earth is obviously, if it's the same but more. MSN VitualEarth is actually a copy of Google Maps btw, there are lots of things that MSN have copied after Google. Even these live applications came after rumours of Google making an online Office application.

Haha, well then you try and make the VirtualEarth site, and then the Google Earth Application, and tell me which is a better piece of code. While it is a desktop application Google Earth will never be as good a piece of code as VirtualEarth.

Google Maps is a copy of MSN Maps, which has been there for years. Google Maps made a few functionality updates to the MSN Maps idea. MSN VirtualEarth however is way more than Google Maps and way more than Google Earth, because it integrates what Google Earth does (the Aerial Photographs), it is on the web where all services eventually shall be, it is covered in APIs (if I wanted to, I could put VirtualEarth on my site today), and while it doesn't have a worthless feature Google Earth does (panning the view) you can overlay the Road Map onto the Aerial Photographs which helps enourmously.

They could not have written their Live! Sites, or planned them, or even got through the idea process for them, since Google announced not that it was making an Online Office Application, but is putting developers from its payroll onto Open Office. Not even Office Live! is a online Office Application, it is Web based Office Services that compliment the useage of Office. The Live! thrust was obviously planned around an attack on Google, but was not a knee jerk reaction to that rumour which was purely a rumour. A knee jerk reaction would be to sell Outlook Web Access to Web Hosts for use for POP3 e-mails, or to announce the creation of an Online Office.

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn Google Maps is a copy of MSN Maps

There have been many map applications, but none that used AJAX in the way that google map did. (which was then copied by MSN)

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn MSN VirtualEarth however is way more than Google Maps and way more than Google Earth, because it integrates what Google Earth does (the Aerial Photographs)

Go to Google Maps, click on satellite. (or even hybrid) It's had that for ages. (even before Google Earth/MSN VirtualEarth)

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn it is covered in APIs (if I wanted to, I could put VirtualEarth on my site today)

Google Maps has an API, as do most of Googles applications.

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn while it doesn't have a worthless feature Google Earth does (panning the view) you can overlay the Road Map onto the Aerial Photographs which helps enourmously.

A bit like Google's hybrid feature then? Which it has had for ages again, before MSN Virtual Earth IIRC.

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn Not even Office Live! is a online Office Application, it is Web based Office Services that compliment the useage of Office.

Really? What exactly does that mean. A link to the MS store where overpriced Office software is?

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn The Live! thrust was obviously planned around an attack on Google, but was not a knee jerk reaction to that rumour which was purely a rumour.

So it was just a coincidence that Microsoft announces an online Office application after there were rumours about Google making one. It's not the first time MS has copied Google. (desktop search, maps etc)

Originally Posted by Jonny There have been many map applications, but none that used AJAX in the way that google map did. (which was then copied by MSN)

I did say after that, 'Google Maps made a few functionality updates to the MSN Maps idea'. The idea of using new XMLRequest techniques for the Maps service was an ingenius one, but they did no less copying in using that technique for their service than MSN did in creating VirtualEarth. The dragging is the only extra feature on the side with Google Maps; MSN Maps has always refreshed only its screen rather than the whole page which is basically what Google Maps does, just slower.

Originally Posted by Jonny Go to Google Maps, click on satellite. (or even hybrid) It's had that for ages. (even before Google Earth/MSN VirtualEarth)

Hmmm... well I can see the buttons; but I know for a fact they were not there last time I viewed say... two months ago. Apparently Google sites do not like me either, it does not want to load, so I cannot check out how it compares to VirtualEarth.

Originally Posted by Jonny Google Maps has an API, as do most of Googles applications.

Lol, I was pointing out the API not because I think Google doesn't use them, but because most people don't think MSN uses them.

Originally Posted by Jonny A bit like Google's hybrid feature then? Which it has had for ages again, before MSN Virtual Earth IIRC.

Perhaps, I really do not know when they stuck that in I do not pride myself on checking up on what Google is doing. The Google version doesn't look so good though And Virtual Earth has a bigger map. And scrolling with the scroll bar is ingenius, that useless zoom on Google's Map is dreadful, I'd rather click and have it zoom than use that.

Originally Posted by Jonny Really? What exactly does that mean. A link to the MS store where overpriced Office software is?

Nope, it means things like Sharepoint Services, hosting services, online collaboration tools. It would presume you have already brought the overpriced Office Software.

Originally Posted by Jonny So it was just a coincidence that Microsoft announces an online Office application after there were rumours about Google making one. It's not the first time MS has copied Google. (desktop search, maps etc)

It is not an online Office Application :P It might be, given years, but Microsoft make too much money with its Desktop Application, it would not be a good plan to make an Online one. Windows has an Indexing Service in it, MSN did not copy Google's idea, they followed Google's decision. And MSN Maps has been there for years. Perhaps you are referring to little bits of these rather than just the entire thing? Google copies Microsoft enough, it is what competing companies do.

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn I did say after that, 'Google Maps made a few functionality updates to the MSN Maps idea'. The idea of using new XMLRequest techniques for the Maps service was an ingenius one, but they did no less copying in using that technique for their service than MSN did in creating VirtualEarth. The dragging is the only extra feature on the side with Google Maps; MSN Maps has always refreshed only its screen rather than the whole page which is basically what Google Maps does, just slower.

Do not be mistaken, MSN Maps was not the first map application on the internet, and until Google made Google Maps they all operated like that.

The only new thing they added in Virtual Earth that was new and what was not already in Google Maps was the laggy scroll mouse zoom.

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn Hmmm... well I can see the buttons; but I know for a fact they were not there last time I viewed say... two months ago.

Look at the date of this blog post, its dated before the release of Virtual Earth and more than two months ago.

Originally Posted by Lord Kalthorn Apparently Google sites do not like me either, it does not want to load, so I cannot check out how it compares to VirtualEarth..

Is that the reason you hate them so much? Maybe you should try using a decent browser.

Originally Posted by Jonny Do not be mistaken, MSN Maps was not the first map application on the internet, and until Google made Google Maps they all operated like that. The only new thing they added in Virtual Earth that was new and what was not already in Google Maps was the laggy scroll mouse zoom.

I wouldn't presume to say it was the first, nor that every other one didn't have that; but it was there a year ago. That is all I was saying. Perhaps it is in Firefox that the scroll lags, because it is fine for me. Even lagging, it is better than that slider, because scrolling you know where you are, using the slider could bring you anywhere.

Originally Posted by Jonny Look at the date of this blog post, its dated before the release of Virtual Earth and more than two months ago.

Hmm... intriguing! Well that is a surprise. I'm pretty sure the Hybrid feature was not in the TeraServer Version of VirtualEarth... I don't think so. Eitherway, Virtual Earth looks way better as a web application

Originally Posted by Jonny Is that the reason you hate them so much? Maybe you should try using a decent browser.

Haha, no I hate and respect them for what they do, Google Sites all work for me, eventually, they just don't seem to want to load very fast :P And it is certainly not worth the bother to play with a Map I can get better and faster on a different site And it is still a site... why do I want to see possible searches and a huge white area around my map?

I personally prefer a downloadable application than a site script anyway, they're always very slow and unstable.

I'd prefer proper controls than bad web-based buttons and stuff.

Surely as a Web Developer (making a bit of an assumption that you're a web developer because you are on here) you understand the belief that Web Applications are ultimately going to replace Desktop Applications? What is the difference between the buttons on a web site and the buttons on the desktop? The buttons on the desktop will be average; plucked from the forms class. The buttons on the web will be designed to match the design of the site?

Not only do I have screenshots of Windows Live Messenger 8, I have the program on my laptop.

Screenies I've posted can be found here: http://youngcoders.com/showthread.php?t=15795