Is beta version is still working ??

[kkolesar]

he was last active on 27th of October 2025

[Maki]

for example as OSM-mapper, rewriting parts the QGIS-xyz-export-plugin to produce maps for Orux, etc.

Sorry for the off-topic but it isn't entirely off-topic. At the beginning of the year I wasted two months trying to switch to Linux. Despite really liking the Gnome workflow I eventually went back to Windows, amongst other things, because I'm stuck with QGIS 3.28 exactly because the XYZ export is seriously broken in later versions *and* installing an older version with the repository system was a PITA, and let's not even talk about making a backup copy of the app. With the evil, closed source, Windows I just run an installer from my archive and I'm done. I filed an issue about this on GitHub (https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/62319) and nobody cared. This is to say, it's not that opensourcing something automagically solves every problem, or grants that a project goes forward: ask Tilemill users for reference. I have serious doubts that someone would pick up the job for free if Jose opensourced the app.

[mash-graz]

I'm stuck with QGIS 3.28 exactly because the XYZ export is seriously broken in later versions

My personal contribution to this particular plugin is already a while ago:

https://github.com/lutraconsulting/qgis-xyz-tiles/issues/30
https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/issues/32471
https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/pull/32499

I wasted two months trying to switch to Linux. Despite really liking the Gnome workflow I eventually went back to Windows, amongst other things, because...

I only use [debian] Linux and in case of QGIS always the most recent upstream versions. It usually works more or less acceptable, but not all QGIS plugins made by various authors are of perfect quality. Often they don't play well with all releases and on all operating systems.

This is to say, it's not that opensourcing something automagically solves every problem, or grants that a project goes forward.

Sure! It's not granted. But if a project attracts competent users, there are always some of them reporting issues and others fixing one or the other bug or adding a missing feature whenever they are interested in a particular topic.

You can't enforce this kind of voluntary participation and code contribution by any form of pressure, but it's an unmistakable sign of healthy open source projects. It's a very complex dynamic system of mutual exchange, perhaps harder to cultivate and keep growing than just lonesome and silently writing code.

[Andrea65]

Hello Orux and DevTeam,
I would like to buy the new version 11.xx, but on the Google Play I cannot get/find it.
Can you help me about?
Thanks and regards, Andrea

[Vudun]

I'd also like to know if the app is still active. It's a shame the author isn't communicating about it; a quick message to his fans wouldn't take much time or energy and could quickly put an end to the questioning. That being said, I hope he's doing well.

[Maki]

AFAIK the iOS version got an update recently, so I suppose the project is still alive. If you read the last messages from Orux on the forum I think it' pretty clear the current slowdown in developement is mostly due to lack of time and issues in dealing with Google.

[thewisa]

Hi, it's been a long time since the last update, and the filtering criteria for climber segments (very useful in cycling) in the GP app are quite limited. It currently offers only two options:

minimum segment distance (in meters)

minimum segment grade (in %)

It would be necessary to add the following configurable fields:

minimum elevation gain (to select, for example, segments with at least 30 m of climbing)

allowed descent, to configure, for instance, up to 5 m of downhill within a climbing segment

I actually bought the GP version mainly for the climber segments, but since the beta version was more complete, I kept using the beta — although now the beta no longer works for me.

Orux, could you give any estimate of when the next GP update will be released? Thank you.

[Vudun]

If I'm not mistaken, Orux's last post dates back to July 24, 2025. That's a really long time since his last communication. If the iOS version has had a recent update, I understand even less why José isn't keeping Android users informed about future developments to his application.

[Tronpo]

[cita autor=Sandy link=msg=60199 fecha=1770174825] OruxMaps ESTÁ MUERTO. Lo siento, tenía todo el entendimiento si las cosas "simplemente tardan más" debido a la familia, la salud o lo que sea. ¡Pero todavía debe haber tiempo para publicar al menos 1 o 2 oraciones cada POCOS MESES! No he oído nada en absoluto de Orux, las versiones Beta han caducado, ya no hay una versión gratuita disponible y la versión de Google Play de septiembre de 2024, sin ninguna actualización, este proyecto está HECHO. Es triste, estuvo bien, pero se acabó. Toda esperanza se ha ido, un proyecto y un foro como está ahora ya no tiene sentido. Quería comprar OruxMaps para 2 personas, pero por supuesto no lo haré para el software muerto, que ya no está actualizado y en Google Play es mucho más antiguo / con menos funcionalidad que las Betas. Espero que al menos el propio Orux esté bien. [/cita]

Hello, in part I understand your frustration, but I do not share it in its entirety, I will not go into details about the silence of Orux or the functionalities of the official version, but if I would like to express that this forum continues to maintain its function as it is to help us between users, many new users or with less experience will come looking for solutions to their doubts, basic or complex doubts without having to do with actions, and as always veteran users will try to solve their doubts and problems as has always happened. There are many users who do not need more than the app has been doing for many, many years. Greetings. I respect your point of view, sincerely.

[mash-graz]

OruxMaps IS DEAD. Sorry, ...

Yes, I have to agree and I already wanted to write a very similar final summary a few days ago.

It's a rather sad time for all of us looking for acceptable "free" (<=in the GNU sense) outdoor mapping solutions:

* Oruxmaps finally collapsed after a long process of successive enshittification.

* OsmAnd~ still doesn't support custom made offline maps in a comfortable manner and wastes too much battery while recording tracks.

* CoMaps [like so many other road and car-oriented navigation solutions for inhabitants of a flat earth] still doesn't come with hill shading and similar essential features required for adventures out in the wild.

* Trekarta had to stop the development mainly because of stupid political reasons.

etc.

But I found at least one rather new and unknown multiplatform map viewer project, that could perhaps be of interest to other ex-Oruxmap users as well: Ascend Maps. It's a really crazy project! It uses a set of extraordinary minimalist software components and Tangram-ES map rendering at its core to create a very efficient and resource saving application. It's running and looking the same on Android, iPhone, Windows, OSX, and Linux. Well, it's definitely not the perfect choice for everyone (e.g., you have to edit some important preferences by text editor in YAML config files, etc. ), but it's nevertheless a very powerful and flexible tool. I personally only have some doubts concerning actually chosen technical ingredients and development decisions, but I may be wrong in this regard.

[Maki]

Please folks, be kind.
Jose has always been clear about his passion and dedication to this project. I don't know what's going on, and I don't feel like asking, but I'm sure that if he pauses it he has very good reasons and he will do anything he can to keep the project alive. The current version costs next to nothing, works very well and will likely continue to do so for the foreseable future, I really see no reason to complain. You don't like it? Just switch to something else, if you can find it, or build your own.

[Tronpo]

Thank you Maki, I can't agree more, I also don't understand this interest in giving up an app that works well, an iOS version is being developed which makes me understand that the project is not dead. Obviously each user is free to use the app they want, but talking without knowledge of the cause only confuses other users. If you find alternatives that you like, use them if the actuality of orux is not enough for you. Meanwhile, there are users who continue to enjoy and learn from everything that OruxMaps already does.

[mash-graz]

Because I was looking for some very old postings, where I asked the author of oruxmaps about open source access to the code base, I used the archive.org wayback machine to compare the public self-presentation of this software by watching the changes on its homepage from 2012 up to now.

It's fascinating. For a very long time it looked and promised always just the same:

Always this link to the newest test/development version in larger letters than the play store and previous public variant.

And this unmistakable sentence: "OruxMaps is a FREE application [...]"

Well, the author of oruxmaps always had a slightly different understanding of the term 'FREE' than richard m. stallman, but as capable developer of his time he was at least aware, that writing brilliant software isn't just a question of successful business and therefore emphasized this little unspectacular word in his announcements, too.

I was always a bit unhappy about this situation, because otherwise I really try to use only software of this other kind of "free" open source software on my linux boxes and /e/.os driven phones, but oruxmaps and its author looked at least somehow trustworthy and acceptable as a real world compromise.

This worked for a very long time.

But it was definitely a time before some fanboys have taken over this forum, speak like the one and only voice to represent this project and refuse any other critical point of view.

Different also from those days, when oruxmaps was not only seen as a commercial offer, but more as a nice software full of features, which has its value in itself -- just like many other brilliant "free" software (e.g. the linux operating system I'm using to write this message...).

Sure, things are changing... but not always to the better...

[Tronpo]

Aaaa then the problem is that there is no longer a free product....for me it's all said. Regarding what can be referred to, my interventions only seek to help and collaborate with the project, help those who expose a problem and collaborate by reporting errors and proposals for improvement. I make several products in order to improve or make easier this app that I am also passionate about for others, without any profit or recognition. Fortunately, I still have a lot to learn. I respect all points of view, believe me.

[mash-graz]

Aaaa then the problem is that there is no longer a free product...

I wouldn't say "free product", because this sound more like a contradiction to me. One important aspect of freedom in software use and ownership simply has to be seen in the fact, that users are able to change, debug, refine and work themselves on the computer programs they use.

That was once in the past the original motivation behind the proclamation of the GNU manifesto -- a broken printer driver, that couldn't be fixed by its owner, because the code wasn't available.

But what's perhaps more important, this kind of rather restrictive copyleft licenses really worked in practice to protect at least some extraordinary valuable software projects over decades against silently and slowly change over time in a very similar way like this particular project here in question, which now isn't seen as anything else than an arbitrary "commercial product" by some of us.