OpenStreetMap
I'm beginning to get the hang of the basics of adding POIs to the map and enjoy adding stuff to OSM. Potlatch2 is my tool of choice (as it seems much easier to use than JOSM etc) but it's giving me grief with frequent errors (couldn't load map) and Flash crashes that make it a challenge to use.
I'm documenting whatever I understand, to help other newbies, capture POIs whenever I cycle around and comment on bug reports on Potlatch2. Not much more I can do at this point.
Just hope everything is usable again soon!
Discussion
Comment from Richard on 7 April 2011 at 14:11
Great stuff; documentation is probably OSM's single weakest point. "Couldn't load the map" usually means that you're zoomed out a long way in a city - so the API will refuse to deliver the data to P2 as there's simply too much. If you get a Flash crash otherwise then let us know - either by a trac ticket (http://trac.osm.org/) or on IRC.
Comment from Richard on 7 April 2011 at 14:11
Great stuff; documentation is probably OSM's single weakest point. "Couldn't load the map" usually means that you're zoomed out a long way in a city - so the API will refuse to deliver the data to P2 as there's simply too much. If you get a Flash crash otherwise then let us know - either by a trac ticket (http://trac.osm.org/) or on IRC.
Comment from Vincent de Phily on 8 April 2011 at 08:49
I have to admit I never tried potlatch2, but when I started with potlatch1 it was a real pain to use, in good part because of the flash technology. I gave JOSM a try and never looked back. Don't be turned off by the number of tools displayed by default in JOSM, it is actually very easy to use, and quite stable. Give it another try even if just for curiosity's sake, and I promise I'll give potlatch2 and meerkartor a proper try too :)
Comment from Alex-P on 8 April 2011 at 15:04
Vincent, you're on! I'll definitely give JOSM another try - what would get me started is some task-oriented documentation. I think I'll try the video tutorials. Please also have in mind I'm gearing up my mapping skills in preparation for a roadtrip in South America, so I need to keep my toolkit as slim as possible. Having to count on a mobile version of JOSM for use in Internet Cafes (I won't carry a laptop) is far fiddlier than having Potlatch on demand.
My effort at making P2 more usable to newbies for a single task is here: osm.wiki/Upload_Waypoints