The title is sensationalized from "The Mobile Map App" to "Why Openstreetmap's product fails to compete". There also is no singular OSM app (or any other product aimed at end users) so this is misleading as a headline for those not already familiar with the database vs. user software distinction, and OP seems to not have read the article because OSM is arguably used more widely than Google Maps. See the list of uses mentioned in the article, or compare the map completeness beyond the USA's borders: it's quite a large gap and Google isn't winning.

But also the article is weirdly skeptical:

> no map was accessible without downloading the region

Google could mandate this as well... maybe file a feature request with the developers of the app you were using (maps.me, unaffiliated with OSM)?

> ["]What map is this? Where can we see it?["] It’s a bit easier to explain such an impact if you contribute to something like Linux

Erm, yeah try that with my parents (only ever heard of Linux because of me) or my grandparents. They have zero trouble understanding the concept of a map. Moreover, I was over at my grandma recently and she doesn't even know what a website is, not even conceptually. She doesn't use the internet at all. Explaining how I can contribute to a map, any map, digitally, is a challenge.

So I asked if she had a map of the area. She pulls one out that she got from the municipality. I point at a parking lot: I drew that lot.

I take out my phone, pull op the OSM website, and show the history view for the object. "Added by [me] 4 years ago".

Ooooh how what so cool -- really, /you/ drew that? She was flabbergasted and amazed.

Compared to the Linux kernel... I'm not convinced the concept of a kernel would be easier to frankly almost anyone, let alone non-techies. Why bother when there is Windows and macOS? That's not even a (near) monopoly like Google has! Even many tech people barely know what a kernel is, and I don't mean in casual use (I call my OS "Linux" all the time) but also in understanding. When someone asked about killing PID 1 for some reason, I said that you'd be left with just a kernel if anything. They assumed that means you get a bash shell as only thing on the screen, and this person is absolutely not unfamiliar with Linux-based OSes in general.

> I can tell people that they’ve seen this map that us OSM contributors produce when they use Facebook apps. Many people find that acceptable, acknowledging our painstaking map editing is relevant.

Saying "it's used here" doesn't give much perspective as to why this "painstaking" map editing (to me it's enjoyable) is useful. I don't do it just because someone (especially Facebook) uses it. They could very well use Google's expensive data if OSM did not exist.

The reason is that Google spends a billion every year to update their map, lets people view it but only in ways they like, and wins back the money by using your data. It's not open for purposes that don't serve the ad market like researchers, and some people would frankly prefer an alternative to needing Google for everything. That's the reason why people contribute to OSM (aside from it being a strangely enjoyable hobby).