"useStaticMap:false" option is not working

[bratliff]

I am trying to suppress the hidden static map at:

maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js/StaticMapService.GetMapImage

The undocumented "useStaticMap:false" has been working for the past
year but now it is failing.

[en4ce]

yeah, google staff members tell all the time that you should not use
undocumented features, so might it come back, might not

[bratliff]

Perhaps Ben Appleton can comment.

http://groups.google.com/group/google-maps-js-api-v3/browse_thread/thread/ef18621a2ab0bfc3

The static map causes extra network traffic. I am trying to avoid
it. It is obsolete once I drag or pan or zoom the tiled map.

[bratliff]

For the past year, I was able to use "useStaticMap:false" to suppress
the unwanted static map. Because of its "token" parameter, it may not
be cacheable. It competes for bandwidth with the tiles. It is a
nuisance. How do I eliminate it ?

[bratliff]

I am usually able to obliterate the unwanted static maps in an "idle"
event listener. Unfortunately, several still leak through despite
corresponding tiles already in my browser's cache. It is extremely
annoying.

Will someone from Google please let me know what to do to eliminate
the superfluous static maps.

The following sequence generates two totally useless static maps.

Doubleclick zoom to the next level where the mouse location is
slightly different than a previous visit to the same zoom level.

Return to the previous zoom level.

The relevant tiles are already cached. Both static maps differ by a
few pixels from other static maps for the same zoom level already
cached. Bandwidth is wasted to retrieve a static map at
style.zIndex=0 covered by tiles at style.zIndex=1;

[bratliff]

The option name seems to have been changed from "useStaticMap" to
"useStaticMapImpl". It can really improve performance. It reduces
bandwidth usage by almost half if the required tiles are missing. It
is totally superfluous if the required tiles are cached. Anyone not
using it ought to experiment with it.