this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2026
1385 points (99.9% liked)

News

39046 readers
2954 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious biased sources will be removed at the mods’ discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted separately but not to the post body. Sources may be checked for reliability using Wikipedia, MBFC, AdFontes, GroundNews, etc.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source. Clickbait titles may be removed.


Posts which titles don’t match the source may be removed. If the site changed their headline, we may ask you to update the post title. Clickbait titles use hyperbolic language and do not accurately describe the article content. When necessary, post titles may be edited, clearly marked with [brackets], but may never be used to editorialize or comment on the content.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials, videos, press releases, or celebrity gossip will be allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis. Mods may use discretion to pre-approve videos or press releases from highly credible sources that provide unique, newsworthy content not available or possible in another format.


7. No duplicate posts.


If an article has already been posted, it will be removed. Different articles reporting on the same subject are permitted. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners or news aggregators.


All posts must link to original article sources. You may include archival links in the post description. News aggregators such as Yahoo, Google, Hacker News, etc. should be avoided in favor of the original source link. Newswire services such as AP, Reuters, or AFP, are frequently republished and may be shared from other credible sources.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
 

MapQuest stood up to President Donald Trump, and now its app is reaping the rewards.

The “OG of online mapping,” as the company calls itself, announced on Thursday that it would not change the name of Lake Ontario on its maps to Lake America, despite Trump’s executive order directing the U.S. Department of the Interior to update the lake’s name in the U.S. geographic naming service. As a result, MapQuest’s mobile app downloads soared, sending the iOS app to the No. 4 position on the U.S. App Store’s Top Charts for apps (not including games) as of Monday morning on the U.S. east coast.

MapQuest also reached the No. 8 position overall in the U.S. App Store across both apps and games, and it became the No. 1 Navigation app in the United States.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] jrTug_2T@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 hours ago

OpenStreetMap be like:

[–] Lor@leminal.space 1 points 3 hours ago

Everyone go on the Apple Map and Google Maps app and let them know they misspelled Lake Ontario and then rate them with one star, then delete the apps.

I recommend Here WeGo over Mapquest (more private)....

[–] Fit_Series_573@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

We really did go back a couple decades. At least for this one thing I can get behind. Time to get a printer and highlighters /s

[–] Ravenheart@lemmy.zip 37 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Resistance at even the smallest level matters.

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 12 points 1 day ago

Yep, this orange motherfucker shouldn't be able to do anything without going through court to force it to happen, and even then ignore it until someone shows up to MAKE you do it. Use his own bullshit against him.

[–] MehBlah@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

Organic maps still has the gulf of Mexico not the gulf of trumps taint.

[–] DamoclesDurden@sh.itjust.works 11 points 23 hours ago (3 children)
[–] Lor@leminal.space 1 points 3 hours ago
[–] zeb420@lemmy.world 9 points 21 hours ago

I noticed that as well, but the Gulf of Mexico is labeled as the Gulf of America.

[–] Prior_Industry@lemmy.world 5 points 21 hours ago

One mean bleat away from folding

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

I desperately need to get off Google Maps, especially now that it shows Lake America for me up in Canada.

Unfortunately MapQuest has virtually no support for biking/transit/walking, driving is the only option. It also lacks support for collaborative lists, which my partner and I use extensively. I'm still trying to find a viable alternative, happy to take recommendations if they have these features.

[–] Lor@leminal.space 1 points 3 hours ago
[–] RephlectioNZ@lemmy.nz 5 points 22 hours ago

I use Organic Maps as my standard maps app which is an Open Street Map based app. I find it's pretty good but can be a bit lost around heavy traffic. Cycling is definitely an option. I've not seen "collaborative lists" in the software but I'll take a look. I sometimes use the google maps web service because for some reason Open Street Maps doesn't display suburb when searching for a location and it can be really confusing to figure our which one you are looking for.

[–] TRex91@feddit.org 6 points 1 day ago (1 children)

How is the Quality of Openstreetmap Based Maps and Apps for you? For Example Mapy, Comaps or Osmand.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago) (1 children)

The last time I used an OSM based map was yeaaaaaaaars ago so I can't say, but I also can't imagine shared lists are well supported in that ecosystem? I might be wrong of course (but everyone knows stating a wrong thing on the Internet is how you get real answers)

The other issue I've been running into is that Maps is unfortunately still the best way to get business data since anything else requires businesses to add their info to it. On Maps I can find store hours, menus, phone numbers, reviews, etc.

[–] TRex91@feddit.org 3 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

The other issue I’ve been running into is that Maps is unfortunately still the best way to get business data since anything else requires businesses to add their info to it. On Maps I can find store hours, menus, phone numbers, reviews, etc.

Well the easiest way is to add it by yourself. There are Apps which are build for that. For Example Streetcomplete or Mapcomplete. All you need is an Openstreetmap Account and you are good to go.

Take a look at this Supermarket in Germany: In OSM - In Mapy

You can add a lot of details but not every App shows them. Mapy also has your review system you wanted. So all you need is Family and Friends (and Lemmy Users) to join and rate every store in their Town.

If you want I could take a look in some towns and see if the data that is collected is good or not. Europe has a good OSM Coverage, America not so much it's more like the basics. Canada I don't know.

[–] NewNewAugustEast@lemmy.zip 1 points 5 hours ago

Street complete is such a great app. Highly recommended.

Use it instead of a game to waste time it's that easy to use.

[–] I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Going to guess this is Number 1 in the past week, or 24 hours, or Number 1 downloaded recently, or some other limited metric because there is no fucking way the average user cares enough for MapQuest to unseat google or apple maps.

Which hey, that's still great. But considering people don't go to the app store to download Google/apple maps since it typically becomes pre-installed, I can't help but feel this headline is misleading.

[–] rockettaco37@feddit.nu 32 points 1 day ago (4 children)

The whole renaming thing is a distraction tactic at best.

I personally am a huge fan of CoMaps. It uses OSM data

[–] Sirius006@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Ok but what if Mitch McConnell became an obsessive OSM contributor months ago and that's why we have no news?

[–] rockettaco37@feddit.nu 4 points 1 day ago

There’s enough of a non American user base to counter it.

[–] Bahnd@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Seconding CoMaps.

Completely replaced google maps for me a while back. It works as in-car navigation (with GPS audio queues for when noone else is doing nav), downloading maps is a highlighted feature instead of being burried in menus and it does not live sync to traffic or ask for route changes. It simply does its job and does not ask for your attention after it gets going.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (3 children)

USA is not a Democracy when one man (President) can decide how something will be named. It seems that President have unlimited power, he can do whatever he want, manipulate markets in a most corruptive way, incarcerate who ever he want, bomb and kill at his will.

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Obama renamed Denali and this guy's been crying to prove anything Obama can change, he can change faster

[–] ElDuderino@lemmus.org 4 points 1 day ago

Alaskans already asked for that like 50 years before though.

[–] fuck_u_spez_in_particular@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

My last hope for this to be not true will be tested in November, depending on the result, I'll finally declare USA as Fascism. But even if not, the next presidential election needs to be an entire (progressive/socialistic) turnaround, to stop this continuous degeneration of "democracy", and there's a lot of damage of this administration, that needs repair over the next decades.

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (9 children)

The US is fascist.

I'm convinced that the most optimal way forward is for it to split. Why the fuck do California or New York have to keep financing a bunch of fascist mouthbreathers with genocidal tendencies? I don't think it's possible for the country to recover as one, whole swaths of it literally need cult deprogramming.

load more comments (9 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] EliteCloneMike@lemmy.zip 181 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (17 children)

Great! Hope people more move away from Google Maps. OSM would be even better, but MapQuest is a good step away from the Monopoly of Google.

Edit: Just realized that in Google Maps the acronym for the Great Lakes is no longer “HOMES” but could now be known as “SHAME”.

load more comments (17 replies)
[–] hendu@lemmy.dbzer0.com 20 points 1 day ago (1 children)

MapQuest needs to add Android Auto support. Loving the icons, though!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Jaycifer@piefed.social 92 points 1 day ago (4 children)

So while the popular media is distracted by this, what is the Trump admin doing that I should actually care about?

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 128 points 1 day ago (20 children)
  • restarted war with Iran
  • food safety is plummeting in the US
  • citizens and immigrants are being locked up and deported, mostly for being the wrong skin color
  • AI bubble is getting closer to popping and wiping out literally all of your savings
  • everything from soda to aircraft set to go up in price after Trump fucks with aluminum supply from Canada
  • Jared Kushner is strategizing with Democratic leadership
  • the FCC will start going after news reporters who run stories that make Trump look bad even when they’re objectively true
  • still no Epstein files (or arrests)
  • flock cameras still gaining momentum
[–] pega_sus@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Trans people losing rights

V-Coding and forced detransition/involuntary conversion torture

load more comments (19 replies)
[–] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 1 day ago

Everything, including this. You should still care about this.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] tunetardis@piefed.ca 46 points 1 day ago (8 children)

TIL MapQuest is still around.

Years ago, I had one of those standalone GPS mappers that used it for its database. It always gave you the option to choose between shortest time and shortest distance. Generally, I went with the former, but this one time we were heading home and not in any special hurry, so I said let's try shortest distance just for kicks.

Next thing you know, we're on a hunting trail in the Adirondacks in a Geo Metro that was definitely NOT rated for it and my wife was absolutely freaking out while the kids were getting tossed around in the back. Good times.

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

To be fair, Google maps also put me on a mountain trail 10 years ago

[–] Furbag@pawb.social 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think everyone who is of a certain age has one of those "I tried shortest distance on the GPS" stories. Mine is driving to my brother's apartment in San Francisco. I generally knew the way, but there was a road closure that detoured me to an unfamiliar street, so I pulled out my phone and put in his address, and it gave me the option of shortest time or shortest distance.

Figuring it was probably about the same regardless of which one I picked, I selected shortest distance.

The resulting 30 minute detour took me on some of the hilliest residential neighborhoods in the city. I was navigating these nearly 30 degree inclines in my poor 4 cylinder Toyota Previa. That was a lesson I only had to learn once. Shortest is not faster and will not necessarily save you any gas and you may go on an adventure you didn't intend.

Nowadays I don't even see the option, it always defaults to shortest time accounting for traffic and such, although I assume it's probably buried somewhere in the settings menu.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (6 replies)
[–] Buffalox@lemmy.world 80 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (29 children)

OpenStreetMap also has it as Lake Ontario:

They also have navigation called OSMAnd.

load more comments (29 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›