Comment by neilv

6 months ago

For an open source Android app for OpenStreetMap data, I like Organic Maps, and it normally works great with locally-cached maps. I've had better luck with it than with Google Maps or Apple Maps on phones.

(Though, I should mention that twice in the last year I've had Organic Maps become hopelessly confused about where I was, and where I should go. Both times, it had gotten a good GPS location, but then got confused while being out for an extended period of time, like maybe it was dead-reckoning only after that initial lock.)

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neilv

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Freak_NL  6 months ago

Regarding Organic Maps: I would recommend keeping tabs on what is happening there since this year. They seem to be having significant governance issues.

https://community.openstreetmap.org/t/organic-maps-open-lett...

Short story: forget Organic Maps, use successor CoMaps or competitor OsmAnd.

https://www.comaps.app/about-us/

  • neilv  6 months ago

    Thank you, that's interesting and a concern.

    Do you have pointers to information about the governance and legitimacy of CoMaps?

    (I see a mention that it's non-profit, but no statement about what kind of non-profit, not even on the donate page where that info is customary and relevant for US tax reasons. Also, I see no mention of who's who, nor how they operate.)

    The closest I find is this:

    https://www.comaps.app/support/what-is-the-comaps-history/

    > As a result of the issues not being resolved, in April 2025, the community of former Organic Maps contributors created the CoMaps project, based on the Organic Maps open-source code.

    If what that sounds like is true (that it does represent the community of contributors), it still will be important to have safeguards against someone taking over the project.

    Or, if what that sounds like isn't true, that could be bad.

    One matter that will have to be resolved with governance (if it hasn't already), is that there's what looks like an allegation that the CoMaps project is already tainted with code to which is expressly doesn't have license:

    https://codeberg.org/comaps/comaps/pulls/1039#issuecomment-6...

    A concern is that a funded commercial competitor could bankrupt a less-funded volunteer project with lawyer fees just arguing the merits of that.

    • palata  5 months ago

      I think this is relevant:

      https://github.com/orgs/organicmaps/discussions/9837

      https://web.archive.org/web/20250815050441/https://github.co...

      In the discussion you link, biodranik tries to say that it was illegal for those with access to the repo to dispose of the open-source code because that open-source code had not be published. I don't think this is right:

      Open-source does not mean at all that the code has to be public. It can be private to a community. But whoever has access to that code is allowed, under the open-source licence, to dispose of it under the terms of the licence. My understanding is that this is what happened with the fork of Organic Maps. And it is pretty clearly explained in the codeberg discussion you linked.

      > an allegation that the CoMaps project is already tainted with code to which is expressly doesn't have license

      I don't think it says that CoMaps doesn't have the licence. It says that whoever forked the codebase did not have permission by some of the founders of Organic Maps. That's very different: the licence doesn't say that you must ask permission to the founders; it says that the code can be used under the terms of the licence. A fork part of those terms.

    • ihatehn  5 months ago

      Very astute! Legally the code is owned by each contributor and licensed via the DCO. Financially the project is underneath the umbrella of the Platform 6 co-op (see OpenCollective)

      This is temporary though and a permanent nonprofit home is a top priority.

  • rpdillon  6 months ago

    I was vaguely aware of this drama but hadn't looked into it. After reading through your link, I've switched over to Comaps. I don't like lack of transparency in community driven projects. Appreciate the flag!

crinkly  6 months ago

+1 for organic maps. Have used it hiking and travelling all over the world. Never had any issues with it.

Not had any GPS problems other than that time I was in an area where it was being jammed. Bloody Russians.