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Author Topic: Google maps (un-needed) slow down the site Post a Reply Back to Topics
cupboy

Champion Author
Salt Lake City

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 10:26:44 AM

Most people don't need a map to find a gas station. These maps slow down the refreshing of pages. Just delete them or make it an option to show them.
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 4:20:51 PM


Yes, it's not GB specific but seems to be standard behavior on most sites that have a map, usually google's maps but I've also encountered it with Yahoo's maps.

I'm using FF, and can't find any setting in it or IE to override this behavior. Many people won't notice this because they're not using a scroll wheel mouse and don't navigate with the keyboard.
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kwzh
Champion Author San Jose

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Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:01:29 AM

I've observed the same annoyance on other sites that include a map -- I scroll the page and suddenly find myself zooming a map instead. (I use GNU/Linux, not Windows; I would assume that it's system-independent, though possibly blockable by a browser setting.)
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scoutmaster
Champion Author Pittsburgh

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Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 5:10:25 AM

The way I read your #5 is when you scroll over the map the map scrolls. It doesn't.
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 2:40:12 AM


So scout, your mouse behavior is not only not the same as mine, it doesn't match the description in the map help. I get the same behavior on two different desktop machines with different versions of windows and of course different drivers.

There's no setting I can change for this since it seems to be by design, probably google's map. The map help seems to confirm this.

For comparison, what does your mouse scroll wheel do when you spin it while pointing to the Areas List or Stations List in the Search Gas Prices page ?
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scoutmaster
Champion Author Pittsburgh

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Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 10:08:57 PM

I did what you posted GGG and the only time the map moves is if I click and drag. Just scrolling over the map just scrolls over the map. It sounds like a setting in your mouse, not the site.
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 9:54:04 PM


Reproduce the problem:

Prerequisites: Keyboard. Mouse pointing device with a scroll wheel. If applicable, the mouse driver or operating system set to have wheel function scroll a web page up and down in the browser without using the vertical scroll bar, while the mouse pointer hovers anywhere on the scrollable page. Web browser on desktop or laptop PC accessing the full GB website.

1. Login to GB.

2. Using the menu bar near top of screen, goto GAS PRICES, then SEARCH GAS PRICES.

3. In the resulting list of stations "Lowest Regular Gas Prices in the Last 24 hours" click on hyperlink of any station name to display the STATION PROFILE.

4. Hover the mouse pointer within the left-most 1/3 of the STATION PROFILE page. Use the mouse scroll wheel to scroll the page down slowly.

5. When the page scrolls down enough the map becomes visible AND the mouse pointer will hover somewhere over the map. The page scrolling in the web browser will stop, and any further scroll wheel movement will cause the map to zoom in or out. Large scroll wheel moves will zoom the map to it's extremes in steps, and a delay is observed while all the gas station locations are placed on the visible part of the map.

6. Notice also that the keyboard arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right) and (Home, End, PageUp, PageDown) keys do not cause the STATION PROFILE page to move, instead they scroll the map. This is by design as noted in the help area at the top right corner of the map.

--

I can't explain it any better than this. Taking over the keyboard and scroll wheel may be a google map thing, and is yet another reason to make the map display optional. Similar behavior may be noted on other GB pages where a map is displayed.
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miser73
Champion Author Gary

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Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 2:16:19 PM

Looks like GoGoGoodyear is the only one who reports seeing the same thing as cupboy.

I don't understand what they're complaining about. I don't see a map until I ask for one, and whenever I do, it seems to work just fine. Maybe GGG and cupboy bookmarked the heat map page instead of the GB home page? That's easy enough to fix, but they'll have to take care of that themselves!
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GoGoGoodyear
Champion Author Los Angeles

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Message Posted: Jul 5, 2012 2:52:58 AM


I have sometimes seen a delay bringing up the entire page when waiting for the map to finish painting and putting up the locations, mostly on the MSL.

But more annoying is this: I use a mouse with a scroll wheel. If I'm scrolling down and the mouse pointer happens to be on the left half of the page, when I scroll far enough that the pointer lands over the map, the scroll wheel action changes to zooming the map instead of scrolling. This sudden lack of scrolling is annoying, especially if the map is almost off screen at the bottom, except for a tiny sliver, and the pointer happens to be at the bottom edge of the left part of the screen. Then the map is zooming but I don't see that and think there's something else wrong until I move the pointer.

It also creates a delay because each detent click of the scroll wheel is one level of in/out zoom on the map, so the average spin I give the scroll wheel is many detent clicks or equivalent to going to the +/- limits of map zoom. When scrolling stops working and I move the scroll wheel back and forth a few times, I need to wait while all the in/out zoom actions are played out with their corresponding adding of the station locations on the map before the browser responds.

The map should be a non-display item until it is called by clicking a link. There should be a placeholder rectangle instead.

My workaround at this time is to block maps.gstatic.com in NoScript until I need to see the map, but that means changing the setting and reloading the page. Also that doesn't work to block the map on the Station Profile page unless I block google.com entirely.
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CampKohler
Champion Author Sacramento

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Message Posted: Jun 30, 2012 2:23:43 PM

Cupboy, we need a response from you.
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abiyeye
Rookie Author Connecticut

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Message Posted: Jun 30, 2012 1:42:57 PM

Same here I do not have a slower connection .It,s going speedy and smooth
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TxJeans
Champion Author Tampa

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Message Posted: Jun 30, 2012 7:39:35 AM

APP or Web? I have seen no speed issues.
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maxstar
Champion Author Chicago

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 11:15:53 PM

I am in the camp of no speed issues because of the maps.
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scoutmaster
Champion Author Pittsburgh

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 9:15:18 PM

I'm in agreement with everyone else. I have not seen the maps slow anything done, even on the mobile app.
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Gas_Buddy
Champion Author Maryland

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 9:13:28 PM

Not being a broken record (for those that remember such things), but I agree with rbrk02's post. I, too, haven't seen or had any issue with the maps, or the maps slowing down refreshing of pages. For me to see them, I have to click on a link, thus there's no "option" necessary for me.

While I don't use them, I can see how they'd be helpful to someone new to the area/neighborhood, trying to locate a specific gas station. And, because it's no problem for me, I don't see any reason to delete them.

To paraphrase plastic, what specific problems are you having with the maps? Are they significantly slowing down your "refresh"? Or is it perception?
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rbrk02
Champion Author Rhode Island

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 6:46:33 PM

I've got to agree with the posters below. I've new seen any real issue with the maps.

I have the same question as plastic asked, "Where do you run into having to deal with a map?"
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CampKohler
Champion Author Sacramento

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 5:27:42 PM

The only place I know where a map shows by default is the MSL. Is that it?
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plastic
Champion Author Virginia

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 10:37:57 AM

I've never had a problem with the map slowing anything down. Your idea of giving an option to show the map is a good one but I'm having trouble understanding what you mean. Where do you run into having to deal with a map?
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Scrapheap
Champion Author Virginia

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Message Posted: Jun 29, 2012 10:31:29 AM

What am I missing here? Aren't they pretty much an option now? Unless you click on Gas Price Maps, the 'map' link next to a price listing, or click on the station itself, you do not see a map.
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