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Google Adds Features and Plugin to Desktop Search
Matthew Bischoff writes "Today Google added new features to its popular desktop software. Google
Desktop now supports alternative Netscape based browsers like Firefox,
PDFs, images, video, and music files. Google also added a plug-ins
feature so that developers can integrate their software into the Google Desktop
catalog. Another new addition is a supported way to search from Google's deskbar
software. It's probably a matter of time until we see desktop search integrated
into all of the Google products including the controversial Google
Toolbar 3." Google Desktop is also officially now out of beta.
No thanks i'm keepin it off my machine!
Why is it annoying? Your not losing any functionality because its labeled "Beta". What they are doing is saying "hey this product is good, and its gonna be even better some day investors". Its alot better, I think then releasing a product a la "Windows" with bugs and its share of flaws.
The rate Google is making strides to take over and redefine people's www interaction is quite alarming. From the original "just another search engine" beginnings, Google have made a lot of inroads. I see Google ads all over the place. I load the Google toolbar into IE to get an easier search and now I have intrusive "nannyware" that watches over my shoulder like Clippy does: "I see you've done xxxx a few times, do you want to create a shortcut?".
Tinfoil hat time folks.
Engineering is the art of compromise.
I guess I've been using a computer for too long because I have no use for desktop search tools. I learned to make folders and file my files appropriate a long time ago, and as a result, I never have to search for anything.
Don't get me wrong I installed the first Google Desktop Search, thought it was cool as hell, then never used it again. I just don't have a need.
It's controversial because some idiots can't tell the difference between an enabled-by-default feature on the default browser on a monopoly OS and a disabled-by-default feature on an optional additional program.
I'm hoping that they updated the caching mechanism, as IIRC it didn't remove documents that you had moved or deleted. While this is handy sometimes for retrieving accidentally lost information, it does present a bit of a problem in that sometimes you really *want* that information gone.
That was about it, IIRC. Maybe there will be a plug-in for it so that if it is still around, there will be an add-on to allow full updates.
You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
It tells you upfront when you install it that it will upload certain information (the sites you visit) to Google. You have to make the choice when installing it of what version to use -- there is no default for whether Advanced Settings are turned on or off -- and Google clearly spells it out.
Spyware does not clearly spell out what it's doing, or what it does with the information, or even that it is being installed. Big difference.
You can never go home again... but I guess you can shop there.
Why doesn't it also search GMail? That would be a real benefit. Or does it already and i just don't see this listed anywhere?
Kyle
http://www.unlogikal.net/
a) The data on your hard disk isn't encrypted so having an index encrypted doesn't buy you any real security.
b) Even if it was encrypted, the decryption key would have to also be on your computer for Google Desktop to use it anyway so would be fairly easily snarfable by someone who had enough access to get at the index.
c) Google Desktop runs as an http server on localhost. Anyone with enough access to get to the index could more easily query the Google interface directly for whatever they are interested in.
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
I'm very familiar with google watch and I've actually quoted the very same exerpt that you have but what do you think this proves? I can link dozen's of pages that claim creationism has been scientifically proven and anything else that I'd like to prove. You said:
"Google's privacy policies state that:
1.) Any information on you is fair game.
2.) They will happily turn over any information they have on you at any government request.
3.) Your Gmail may reside on their servers indefinitely, even after you delete it. This may also be "indexed" on their servers and the contents read at any time."
Someone asked you to show them where google's privacy policy makes these claims and then you post from googlewatch.org That's almost (well not really but you get the point) like quoting Microsoft on Linux's total cost of ownership
http://nyamenation.org/
And these ways to prevent stuff like AutoLink are also dumb.
How many of you use bookmarklets/favelets? Mozilla/Firefox extensions? Opera's web designer things? User-defined stylesheets? Would you like them to cease functioning just because the author didn't want you to be able to muck with the content or the presentation locally? Doing that is the stupidest thing since the scripts that go out of their way to prohibit me from viewing source - if I'm viewing it, I have it saved as a file in cache (or at least in a location in memory). I can get at it.
I'm doing absolutely nothing wrong when I'm trying to view source, or manipulate the temporary image of the downloaded copy of your original web site, because it's my right as a user to make sure I can read the content I have access to comfortably. It's when I'm trying to change your content at the server that you should be worried.