Mixed responses to this notice from Google around the ending of GE Pro desktop downloads. It feels like it has been a long time coming. Over the past few years more and more features have been copied to the browser edition and more updates were going to the browser version than the desktop one. Given that, the GE's browser version now has the same main capabilities: historical imagery, KMZ storage, measurements etc. Some concerns remain valid, such as uploading sensitive KMLs and KMZs onto a browser-based platform, given GE Pro desktop was locally stored. And the possibility of subscriptions, or 'paid features', making it a commercially viable product. GE browser edition already has a 'standard', 'professional' and 'professional advanced' tier system with the additions being specialised data layers, modelling data layers and gemini/automation integrations. For the analysts out there, you'll already know of the alternatives. But here's two good free desktop tools to start checking out, in combination with the imagery streamed through Google Earth: - @qgis which has been around for a while, but self-hosted with streaming integrations and a great community of devs creating new plugins and workflows. qgis.org/ - GeoLibre by @giswqs which is a new open sourced project with a promising future (both web-based for the less technically-inclined and open sourced) geolibre.app/ (video below is a demo of it)