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About two years ago, my colleagues and I at Cape Clear devised something called GoogleMail. It was an extremely simple email interface to the Google API. You just send an email to google@capeclear.com and receive a reply with the top ten search results. I just checked it, and it still works. As you can see by the news coverage (scroll down), everyone loved the idea, even though it was practically useless. The only exceptions seemed to be visually-disabled people and those in countries whose governments blocked Web access to Google. We were contacted by Google and asked to change the name, which was fair enough. It now goes by CapeMail. I imagine a scenario, though, where somebody at Google brings up our little invention at a meeting. "GoogleMail? They can't call it that. Get legal on the phone." Legal calls us, and we change the name. However, the phrase GoogleMail sticks in somebody's head back at Google corporate HQ. Two years later, Gmail is borne. Coincidence? Probably, but it's fun to speculate.

About two years ago, my colleagues and I at Cape Clear devised something called GoogleMail. It was an extremely simple email interface to the Google API. You just send an email to google@capeclear.com and receive a reply with the top ten search results. I just checked it, and it still works. As you can see by the news coverage (scroll down), everyone loved the idea, even though it was practically useless. The only exceptions seemed to be visually-disabled people and those in countries whose governments blocked Web access to Google. We were contacted by Google and asked to change the name, which was fair enough. It now goes by CapeMail. I imagine a scenario, though, where somebody at Google brings up our little invention at a meeting. "GoogleMail? They can't call it that. Get legal on the phone." Legal calls us, and we change the name. However, the phrase GoogleMail sticks in somebody's head back at Google corporate HQ. Two years later, Gmail is borne. Coincidence? Probably, but it's fun to speculate.

Thank god there are tools to make it and consume it. For the uninitiated, it's not fun. It's not fun at all.

I've been using this tool for a few months, and even with its auto-magical bits, the WSDL still regularly gives me a headache. Oh, for the days of CORBA IDL.

Can't get Google?

Try the recently released Googlemail
http://www.capescience.com/google/index.shtml

send an e-mail to: google@capeclear.comwith your query in the subject line.

Of course, google cache is probably not accessible

We've built an email interface to Google. Actually, the folks in Marketing built it, which says a lot about the simplicity of Web services.

Seen here, or just try it yourself

CapeScience built this GoogleMail to show off the Web Services interface of Google. Email your keyword on the subject line to google@capeclear.com and it will reply you the search results.

It's not meant to get through censorships, but, you see, the Net is filled with creative ideas.

It's sad to learn that things like sourceforge.net are also blocked.

Can't get Google?

Try the recently released Googlemai;
http://www.capescience.com/google/index.shtml

send an e-mail to: google@capeclear.com with your query in the subject line.

Of course, google cache is probably not accessible