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Started by Boyd, September 16, 2021, 08:18:52 AM

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Boyd

Some of you are probably familiar with the GPSReview forums, I have been a moderator there for many years. Starting on September 13, I have been getting "Invalid URL" error messages when I go to http://forums.gpsreview.net

It's unclear at this point exactly what is happening, but there's a good chance the company that owns the site just decided to pull the plug without warning. I'm in touch with someone who should know, he is also uncertain what's going on but says he hopes to know more soon.

Anyway, this may very well be the end. Last year the plug was pulled on the the GPSPassion forums in a similar way with no warning. LaptopGPS also shut down last year, but that was announced in advance.

This sure feels like the beginning of the end of dedicated GPS devices. Not something that will happen overnight, but the trajectory seems pretty clear. Garmin is the only company that still makes handheld devices for the US market, giving them a de-facto monopoly.

We shall see. My Montana 600 died several years ago and I am not going to replace it. Still use a Garmin DriveTrack 71 in the car and like it. But I am no longer offering Garmin format maps on my own site and am developing my own free GPS web app as an alternative.

Interesting times, for sure. Let's hope the lights stay on here at GPSFileDepot!  :)

gatorguy

Yup, I think the power is off at GPSReview. Did you message Tim to confirm? I may still have his phone number unless it's been changed.
Dakota 10 / Map76

Boyd

Hi Gator! Yes we have been in touch, he had no idea what was going on either but said he would see what he could find out. Last e-mail I got from him was Sept 15 and he said he hoped to know more "soon". Obviously, that didn't happen so I haven't bothered him again.

Oh well, we all knew it was going to happen eventually. The owners of the site obviously didn't care, Tim said he was trying to get them to move to HTTPS last year but they weren't interested. From what I could tell, Tim was not really involved with site management anymore, I think it was pretty much on "automatic" and this is the result. Just like GPSPassion, I suspect very few people will actually miss it.

So.... on to the "next big thing". Spending all my time finishing up my own new web app. The Garmin era is over (for me at least).  ;)

gatorguy

Yeah, unless you're into running and workouts and smartwatches the Garmin era as we knew it has sunsetted. Surprisingly though Garmin is still very profitable.
Dakota 10 / Map76

Boyd

Gator, I'm wondering if gpsfiledepot will be the next casualty? It appears that nobody is minding the store and the site has become a playground for spammers, 12 spam posts in this forum alone. I report them but nothing happens. There hasn't been any active moderation on this site for years, but at least my reported posts would eventually be deleted.

Such a shame, let's hope Dan cleans this up.  :(

-Oz-

We're still good. I get the e-mails and normally delete the spam and block them. Doesn't help my time zone is (again) likely 8-12 hours off of you guys. 

With that said, I have a lot of Garmin smart watches but not too many of the handheld GPS units anymore. I think if I hiked more I would use them but my current profession doesn't really lend itself to that.

This site will stay alive for quite awhile though. It still gets a lot of traffic with a lot of downloads so it is worth it. Maybe in the future something will change again.

Dan Blomberg
Administrator - GPSFileDepot
GPS Units: Garmin Dakota 20, Garmin GPSMap 60csx, Nuvi 255W, Nuvi 250W, ForeRunner 110, Fenix 2, Tactix Bravo, Foretrex 401
See/Download My Maps!

Boyd

That is great! Thanks for the update Dan, and Happy New Year!!!  :)