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Google Launches Desktop Search Tool

Posted by michael on from the finding-it-with-both-hands-and-a-flashlight dept.

hanky writes "Google brings search to your very desktop with Google Desktop, a mini Google index of your own. Search your filesystem, Outlook or Outlook Express inbox, AIM instant message transcripts, and Internet Explorer cache. There's a full introduction to the Google Desktop over at the O'Reilly Network. It's Windows-only, but still cool enough for this Mac guy to find it intriguing."

16 of 715 comments (clear)

  1. Gee - if only I used MS products.... by rueger · · Score: 5, Informative

    Doesn't work with Mozilla, or Opera, or Pegasus mail, or Eudora..... Guess I'll wait for something less MS centric.

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    Three Squirrels
    1. Re:Gee - if only I used MS products.... by TheJavaGuy · · Score: 5, Informative
      Google does support (partially) other browsers. I copied the url into opera and I got the following message:

      Our software suggests that you're using a browser incompatible with Google Desktop Search. Google Desktop Search currently supports the following:
      Microsoft IE 5 and newer (Download)
      While we're still testing Google Desktop Search, you can also click here to use your unsupported browser, though you likely will encounter some areas that don't work as expected. You need to have Javascript enabled, regardless of the browser you use.
      We hope to expand this list in the near future and announce new browsers as they become available. In the meantime, you can use IE 5 and newer.

      It seems to work fine in opera (for now).

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      Opera Watch - An Opera browser blog.
    2. Re:Gee - if only I used MS products.... by balster+neb · · Score: 5, Informative

      Firefox 'partially' supported. See this:

      http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?an swer=10135&topic=96

      Anyway, hope they someday release it for an OS other than Windows.

    3. Re:Gee - if only I used MS products.... by stevey · · Score: 4, Informative

      I tested this as soon as I noticed. Seems to bind itself to 127.0.0.1 only.

  2. From the TOS: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative
    Unless you choose to opt out, either during installation or at any time after installation, non-personal information collected will be sent to Google.
    No thank you.
  3. Re:I've installed this by antifoidulus · · Score: 5, Informative

    Already two Mac people in my office are fairly jealous, because this is what they thought Sherlock would be- but wasn't.
    It's also what Spotlight should be...(next release of OS X, Tiger)

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    Monstar L
  4. Tell Google what you'd like to see, then by theluckyleper · · Score: 5, Informative

    The product is still in beta, and on the About Google Desktop page, they say:

    "Google Desktop Search is still under development as a beta product. We intend to add new file, email, and chat formats and browsers as Google Desktop Search evolves, and when new formats are created and used. If there's a format you'd like Google Desktop Search to be able to search, please let us know. We can't guarantee that we'll add every type that's suggested, but your suggestions will let us know what formats are important to you."

    I'm going to go suggest a couple right now, and get in on the ground floor :)

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    Visit the Game Programming Wiki!
  5. Request new file formats by illuin · · Score: 5, Informative
    According to the FAQ, you can request that Google Desktop support new file formats.

    Of course, what would be really nice is if new formats were supported via plugins, and if google would distribute a simple API so the open source community could contribute new plugins rather than waiting for google to implement them.

  6. Spotlight by Jon+Abbott · · Score: 4, Informative
    It's Windows-only, but still cool enough for this Mac guy to find it intriguing
    Apple will be offering a somewhat similar feature called Spotlight in OS X 10.4 next year. The one immediate difference I see between the Google Desktop and Spotlight is that Spotlight will index text contained in PDFs.
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    Slashdot's first reaction to VMware
  7. Re:The horns of a dilemma... by eyeball · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm a Mac user, and this made me shrug. The next version of OSX due out (early next year I think) has this feature built-in. What's neat is it's integrated into the OS, and the APIs are exposed, so developers can easily take advantage of it.

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  8. Re:The horns of a dilemma... by benjj · · Score: 4, Informative

    I assume that means it integrates with Firefox too.
    not really.

  9. Re:The horns of a dilemma... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative
    Milo of Kroton is a known troll that switched from perfectly fluent English (and something saying he took German in high school) to Gerlish.
    I wouldn't have believed this if I hadn't checked on it myself, but it's true. This guy used to type perfectly fluently.

    Hmm, wonder what happened.
  10. For the mac by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    The is a better tool out there for the mac: QuickSilver

    http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/

    I have been using that for months now and don't know how I could get by without it.

  11. Re:The horns of a dilemma... by Destoo · · Score: 4, Informative

    It does integrate, but is not fully functionnal yet.

    >>
    Q: I can't find webpages I viewed with Mozilla Firefox.

    A:
    Google Desktop Search is only partially compatible with Mozilla Firefox. If you install Desktop Search and open a Firefox browser window, you'll see a 'Desktop' link appear on the Google homepage. You can click this link to go to the Desktop Search homepage whenever you want to search with Desktop Search.

    Web pages which you view in Firefox aren't added to your Desktop Search index, however, so you won't be able to find them with Desktop Search.

    We realize that many of our users use Mozilla Firefox as their primary browser, and we may consider adding increased Firefox support in a future version of Desktop Search.

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    Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
  12. Re:The horns of a dilemma... by anaesthetica · · Score: 5, Informative

    You don't have to wait until next year to have this type of application on your Mac actually. Check out Launchbar, Quicksilver and Butler. All do exactly what the Google Desktop does, only they are able to search through more types of files and items, and are better integrated with the filesystem. It's nice that Google threw Window's users a bone though. I may use it at work.

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    The Rise and Fall of Online Community
  13. Re:The horns of a dilemma... by marshall_j · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/request.py

    Look! They have a specific category on their feedback page for asking to Firefox support.

    Why not jump on and ask them to hurry up and support it. They aren't psychic (or maybe they are. gooogle is pretty damn good).