Google Earth Pro is now free

Years ago before I started at my current job some people had Google Earth (free) on their PCs. But then someone read an updated Terms of Use and determined that we actually needed to be using the paid version of Google Earth so many people had their copies removed from their PCs. Then around the time I started someone read an updated Terms of Use and it was determined that there was no problem using the regular version of Google Earth. So it became part of the standard build. Then about a year ago someone read another updated Terms of Use and determined that we were out of compliance and so we removed all copies of Google Earth from all computers. And then we purchased licenses for Google Earth Pro for only those users who really relied on it. For a yearly per-user fee. And now apparently we can install it for everyone once again. For free.<p>I wonder if Google realized that a lot of companies and government organizations were confused about licensing or ignorantly non-compliant or just gave up and tried some other program. I know in my department we already installed alternative software for most people. Although nothing is as nice or easy for exploring or creating KML files as Google Earth in my experience.

Linux support is pretty ambiguous. The download link says &quot;Download Google Earth Pro for PC or Mac,&quot; the minimum specifications link gives specifications for Linux, the actual download gives you a binary called GoogleEarthLinux.bin, but when installed gives you an outdated (3 years) and non-pro copy of google earth.

Good, but it&#x27;s still missing the one key feature that I really need: offline satellite imagery. I guide off-road driving adventures in the western deserts for groups of friends every year. Trip planning is done primary in Google Maps and USGS topos but I occasionally find myself out in the desert and needing to scout a route for a last-minute change but with no way of doing it without Internet and satellite imagery. Yes, it&#x27;s possible to (legally) cache small amounts of imagery with the stock app but I really want the ability to cache larger areas at high detail. I would pay for this feature, up two a few hundred dollars.

This page has some info on the differences between the regular edition and Pro. <a href="https://www.google.com/work/mapsearth/products/earthpro.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.google.com&#x2F;work&#x2F;mapsearth&#x2F;products&#x2F;earthpro.html</a>

I notice the link &quot;grab a free key&quot; leads to a URL ending with free_<i>trial</i>.html, and that page is a form that asks for plenty of information. The lack of any justification for why something that used to be $399 is now free also feels a bit odd to me... like it&#x27;s somehow implying that giving Google your name, company, phone number, and other information is, to them, worth more than $399?

Discussed earlier today: <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8973020" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=8973020</a>.

Can we get proper Linux support, please?<p>The current Linux situation with Google Earth is a joke -- 3 years old, crashes, based on wine, no pro features.

This sounds really awesome, but does anyone have an explanation as to why they are doing it? Building something like Google Earth Pro must take many millions of dollars, so why would a company release it for free?

Anybody knows a good alternative to this that runs without trouble on Ubuntu and Arch 64 bit Linux machines? Nothing in AUR and I do not feel like hunting for PPA right now.<p>Meanwhile it would be great if Google could provide a repository with a linux version that runs flawlessly.<p>Thanks!

How worried should I be that Google will discontinue Google Earth? It hasn&#x27;t been updated in a long time, Google prefers web apps, and now this. I prefer native apps, and Google maps can&#x27;t do everything Earth can do.

The picture in the page, btw, is of downtown Portland, OR. That&#x27;s the Willamette river. A fun place to look at in Google Earth.

Registration is failing for me at the moment.

glad i just paid the $400 like a month ago.

yes, but when will it stop crashing?

are google dev working on PC machines? what&#x27;s up with Retina support?

Beware -- this feels like an email fishing expedition. Sadly, I fell for it and got to the same screen everyone else gets too; poorly worded error with no key.