This is an old beta version ....

Tronpo · May 05, 2025, 04:24:32 AM

The fact that GP has not been updated does not mean that the project is discarded, There is a reason why release betas ?
In my opinion the delay is due to incidents with Google policy and Android updates.
In other times back the GP version has also taken a long time to resivir update.
As users we are impatient, but developers They will have reasons for this., I think.

Regarding brouter you can see in github.com the news and proposals for improvement.

kkolesar · May 05, 2025, 02:03:38 PM

Quote from: Tronpo on May 05, 2025, 04:24:32 AMThe fact that GP has not been updated does not mean that the project is discarded, There is a reason why release betas ?
In my opinion the delay is due to incidents with Google policy and Android updates.
In other times back the GP version has also taken a long time to resivir update.
As users we are impatient, but developers They will have reasons for this., I think.

Regarding brouter you can see in github.com the news and proposals for improvement.

with 'dead' I was meaning Brouter not OM since there is also no news. regarding OM GP version - I personaly don't like any software has no update for months, it just doesn't feel good. let's hope someone is reading these posts

odin · May 08, 2025, 07:49:02 AM

Has anyone heard from orux recently? not about the app, i mean in general.

Sandy · May 11, 2025, 02:07:55 AM

Correlating to odin's post above, I have to say I really start to get worried about @orux - since there is no reply from him in this forum anymore, no information about the expiring Beta und also no update of the Google Play version since September 2024. Is he ok?

kkolesar · May 13, 2025, 01:56:03 PM

this is getting really weird. no sign of orux. last time he was on this forum was 12 april. is the project finished? does anyone have any information or know what is going on with Jose Vazquez aka orux?

or do we need to start looking for another application?

Maki · May 13, 2025, 10:09:50 PM

It's not the first time that betas expire, nor the first time that Jose disappears for a while but he always came back. He's got a life, and he always stated that this app is made in his free time which is less and less since he got a family that needs attention. Of course not seeing him around for months may rise some concern but let's be positive, hope everything is ok and wait. As for the app, the GP version works well, just use that; betas are only for testing new features.

Sandy · May 13, 2025, 11:11:31 PM

Is Jose the only person who develops and maintains OruxMaps? In my opionion there should always be a TEAM that is in control of the source-code, the forum and the servers - relying on just one person is very dangerous. And if there's no official communication about when exactly the BETA will stop to work or when the GP-version will be updated to V11, it's hard to convince other people using / buying OruxMaps. The old unlimited free version, that was offered for download on the official website for many years, also just was taken down without a notice. I can understand if a developer needs to generate money-inflow and therefore stops the free offer, but then there also needs to be better communication. Or if this project can't be handled anymore, it could be made open source, so that the work is split to many people...

My personal situation: I used the free 7.4 version in the past sporadic on some holidays, now that I got a new smartphone this year I wanted to take a look if I can arrange with the changes / new UI in the new versions (and if there are new features worth spending time to learn - using software just a few days per year every change is "difficult"). So I installed the BETA, whithout knowing that it will expire (it's not written anywhere, no end-date mentioned?). Now I would be ready to buy OruxMaps for me and also my parents - but don't want to buy on older version than I just tested. There really should be an update of the GP-version to V11 before the BETA expires - or a new BETA as long as the GP-version is not updated. Not knowing when the BETA will stop working or when to expect an update to the GP-version (and if it will still be maintained in the future) is bad...

Maki · May 14, 2025, 10:46:27 AM

Sandy, yes, Jose is basically the only developer. He gets help from others, for translations for sure, maybe for interface design too, but mostly he manages the app alone.

Of course not anybody is using OM from the beginning and cannot know the history of the app. In brief, it started when things were simple, and the author had a lot of freedom. On Google Play you did find a free and a "Donate" version that allowed people to show appreciation but the two version were identical. You could download from the oruxmaps website, Amazon and other sources I cannot remember. Back then Jose always said that he didn't care about reaching millions of users and/or making a business out of it, it was a side project and he was happy with a few thousand happy devoted users. I remember we asked for an option inside the Donate version to make further donations but he declined.

But time passes and things get more complicated, managing half a dozen versions scattered around various stores, each with its own rules becomes impossible. Just to make an example the free version was removed not by Jose but by Google itself because it was in violation of some unspecified payment rule (we suppose it was the link to Paypal donations, but it's only speculation because they never justify their decisions). Plus each new Android version creates additional restrictions and challenges.

Also, the more users you have the more support you are asked for. I've been the translator for the Italian version and I know the amount of help request you get just because your email is listed in the credits. And believe me some people can be very arrogant in their requests.

Meanwhile Jose got a family which is a wonderful thing in itself but as you can read in this post it came with some challenges that I think we all agree are more important than our beloved app being free or not.
https://oruxmaps.org/forum/index.php?topic=40163.msg52315#msg52315
To be clear, I'm not implying Jose's silence is related to this, and I hope not of course.
In the end Jose had to trim the free stuff but that doesn't mean the app is going fully commercial. It still is a side project and he does what he can which is a lot; if you compare what he accomplished working alone vs big software companies I think you'll agree. Betas always expire for obvious reasons, no need to state it, it's been the case for every software I tested in the last 30 years. It's not a free version, it's a test version and should be used as such, if anything because of the probable bugs.

All this to say you are not facing yet another greedy big company, but a single very nice person that stands behind his product as much as he can for very little compensation. The regular version 10 from the Play Store works well, is very similar to the Beta and is very affordable both in itself and compared to the competitors. You can be sure it will be maintained for as long as possible, but even if were to be abandoned all you have lost is 5€.

Tronpo · May 14, 2025, 11:23:40 AM

Quote from: Maki on May 14, 2025, 10:46:27 AMSandy, yes, Jose is basically the only developer. He gets help from others, for translations for sure, maybe for interface design too, but mostly he manages the app alone.

Of course not anybody is using OM from the beginning and cannot know the history of the app. In brief, it started when things were simple, and the author had a lot of freedom. On Google Play you did find a free and a "Donate" version that allowed people to show appreciation but the two version were identical. You could download from the oruxmaps website, Amazon and other sources I cannot remember. Back then Jose always said that he didn't care about reaching millions of users and/or making a business out of it, it was a side project and he was happy with a few thousand happy devoted users. I remember we asked for an option inside the Donate version to make further donations but he declined.

But time passes and things get more complicated, managing half a dozen versions scattered around various stores, each with its own rules becomes impossible. Just to make an example the free version was removed not by Jose but by Google itself because it was in violation of some unspecified payment rule (we suppose it was the link to Paypal donations, but it's only speculation because they never justify their decisions). Plus each new Android version creates additional restrictions and challenges.

Also, the more users you have the more support you are asked for. I've been the translator for the Italian version and I know the amount of help request you get just because your email is listed in the credits. And believe me some people can be very arrogant in their requests.

Meanwhile Jose got a family which is a wonderful thing in itself but as you can read in this post it came with some challenges that I think we all agree are more important than our beloved app being free or not.
https://oruxmaps.org/forum/index.php?topic=40163.msg52315#msg52315
To be clear, I'm not implying Jose's silence is related to this, and I hope not of course.
In the end Jose had to trim the free stuff but that doesn't mean the app is going fully commercial. It still is a side project and he does what he can which is a lot; if you compare what he accomplished working alone vs big software companies I think you'll agree. Betas always expire for obvious reasons, no need to state it, it's been the case for every software I tested in the last 30 years. It's not a free version, it's a test version and should be used as such, if anything because of the probable bugs.

All this to say you are not facing yet another greedy big company, but a single very nice person that stands behind his product as much as he can for very little compensation. The regular version 10 from the Play Store works well, is very similar to the Beta and is very affordable both in itself and compared to the competitors. You can be sure it will be maintained for as long as possible, but even if were to be abandoned all you have lost is 5€.

Great explanation.
Just add that there has been a version 11.0.1 of OruxMaps in the Amazon store for months.
With the pros and cons that this store offers.
I am very clear that the OruxMaps project has not come to an end.
Greetings and a little patience.
PS: without more updates in the future Oruxmaps GP would be more than enough to continue performing at the highest level.
That's my opinion.

adetogni · May 14, 2025, 03:14:58 PM

hi, my little 2 cents. I've been an avid user of Orux since years, and in the past I've been a single-developer of a large application used by thousands people here in Italy. I can relate with Jose, I can understand it's overwhelming doing the app, bugfixes, releases, documentation ecc. ecc.

I also can relate with Jose since I have two children and one of them has special needs, which I need to care for (and that is the reasons why I always refuse offers from people "you're good at developing, why don't you develop this and that app...". No, I want my 'free time' for me and family).

Unfortunately for example Orux (10 and 11 beta) does not work well on my device (does not load map themes) but I do understand that my use case is so marginal that it won't be prioritized.

But since Jose is rightfully busy and Orux is large and complex and used A LOT, I'm asking to Jose if he had ever considered moving to opensource? He can still keep donations, but any developer could join in and support. Even myself, maybe