On Wed, Sep 24, 2003, Alexander Maryanovsky wrote about "Re: linux compatible online maps site?": > Well, the maps at mapa.co.il should work fine
Very nice but... > (It's written in Java and I'm > one of the two authors), but unfortunately Mapa's website uses IE > javascript and will give you an error on anything but IE. Feel free to :) It appears you have better connections with them - you might have better luck. Javascript is powerful enough as it is, there's no need to use IE- specific stuff... > catch is that it's not a free service, but the maps are worth every penny > :-). I've put a screenshot of the map and the UI at Without saying anything on the value of this specific service, I'm always surprised about the prices that companies choose to charge for what is essentially an online versions of a books (yes, I know, the site provides more features than a book. But all-in-all, you go to that site looking for the same information you would normally go to find in the book version). When something is available as a book, even if the book is slightly less convenient, the online version has to be competitive with the price of the book. Needless to say it also needs to be competitive with free services that people are used to getting on the Internet. And yet, Mapa chose to charge 204 shekels per year for an online subscription. Compare that to about 160 shekels for their Gold Atlas book, which I've been using for 5 years after buying once. Similarly, Rav-Millim costs 112 shekels a year for their online Hebrew dictionary - compare that to 90 shekels I paid for the good Milon Hahove dictionary or about 350 shekels for the 5-volume printed Rav-Millim - both of which will still be useful for a few more decades. Maybe when these companies will realize that to us, their service is just one of *dozens* books and information sources we use in day-to-day life, they will come up with down-to-earth pricing and the masses will actually start using them. They will probably even make more money this way. Consider this: I have about two-dozen dictionaries (of various languages) on my shelf. I must have paid over 1500 shekels for these dictionaries, but this will supposedly serve me many, many years. Would I pay 24*95= 2280 shekels a year for having all these dictionaries online? Not likely. I'm not *that* desperate for having online access to my Dutch and Japanese dictionaries. Frankly, I'm not even that desperate about a online Hebrew dictionary. And I already have free access to an excellent English one (m-w.com). And imagine that I had to pay more yearly to access the map books I have at home, trip idea books, cookbooks, encyclopedia, phone book, or who knows what else. The kind of prices that the online services expect simply do not make sense when you consider this in the context of the numerous books you use in daily life. -- Nadav Har'El | Wednesday, Sep 24 2003, 27 Elul 5763 [EMAIL PROTECTED] |----------------------------------------- Phone: +972-53-790466, ICQ 13349191 |Sorry, but my karma just ran over your http://nadav.harel.org.il |dogma. ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
