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Google Releases GDS 2.0
FansofTech writes "Google (now $4bn richer) has released v2.0 of Google Desktop. Many new features are introduced including improved Outlook filtering, Gmail indexing, and the feature which is most likely to cause the largest stir...a new Sidebar which displays RSS feeds, a Gmail inbox, news, scratch pad and more. Plug-ins for the new Sidebar are also available including a to-do list, clock, and more. As one blogger pointed out this morning...the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
You know, it's quite sad that we refer to these people called "bloggers". They're not a real form of nerd. More than 85% of them are just idiots with a $400 PC running on Windows ME.
they better not bundle their media player with it, people might think they are getting monopolistic.
Google - Becoming the new Microsoft one day at a time :)
was starting to get worried ;)
What, no stupid comments yet?
Who wants to bet that the next release will contain a universal IM client, and the one after that will use a Google IM network?
Just in case, its Google Desktop 2 BETA.
But does it support OGG?
Is the Google Desktop open-source at all? If so, I might actually want to try it out.
as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated...
I'm not really sure who uses Google Desktop; I certainly don't. I had the last version for about a week, and then I got bored with it. This is true for about 90% of the things I find online. Plus, what Google is doing now is starting to be the same thing Microsoft has been doing for the last few years: trying to get their hands into everything.
It's only a matter of time and probable lawsuits before the geek community starts to have a little falling out over this love affair we all seem to have with Google.
*Year 2007: Commence with the pie'ing Paige and Brin jokes.
IGB: More fun than eating oatmeal!
It looks there's a good deal more then desktop search in there..
Maby throwing Google into the mix will finally kill IE!
When the client is hosted on a Windows platform, it still a bad idea...
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
It finally supports indexing of files from network shares natively. :)
So, does this indicate that Google is in fact moving into the realm of thin-clients? Sounds a bit like dashboard widgets to me.
I'm a signature virus. Copy me to your signature so I can replicate, and introduce your own mutations so I can evolve.
I am not a huge privacy kind of guy, but google is getting a little crazy with what they save about you now.
They are now recording click-throughs on their search pages. Why do they need this information? It wasn't too long ago that links on google.com went straight to the link... not back through the google servers...
Just remember to clean out your google desktop index history.
Is our privacy now worth more than free software?
(Tin-foil hat mode off)
For those having problem with the messed up layout:
Empty the browser cache
It won't install on XP 64-bit edition.
Since it doesn't run on Linux, I'll still need IE for a while yet.
Have they improved the size of the database files?
Is it true that it stops to work while offline? Why?
And more important, is this my first First Post?
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mind you
/. introduces borked slashcode 0.1a
read slashdot from GDS ?
Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.
Well it's a nice addition to the system but I don't think I'll replace Firefox with it. It'll take awhile for them to port extensions to the Google Desktop thing and even still it's not cross platform.
Have you metaroderated recently?
What's wrong with Slashdot today? You'd think they would be able to handle their own load by now.
I fail to see how this can eliminate the need for a browser. Don't the RSS news feed contain links to the whole story? And how do you access GMail without a browser?
But I can't seem to find any comments about this story
Didn't this use to be called 'Google Desktop Search' ? And now it's just 'Google Desktop'.
Wow! They're taking over with stealth! I like it.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Does the functionality of this program remind anyone else of dashboard for OSX?
Speaking of, widgets seem to be all the rage at the moment. Do they have any standards (other than program APIs), for say, the sake of portibility? Or would that be pointless?
I ask that because there seems to be a lot of duplication of functions (such as local weather) between various applications.
Am I open minded towards open source, or closed minded towards closed source?
I find no use for this tool. I would like to try it because it looks nice, but I tried v.1 and I had nothing to search for. Really, if you keep stuff well organised in a few folders I don't think you'll ever need to search for anything.
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
I don't know what the bloggers the submitter referred to are smoking. You still need a browser to get any information past the basic stuff you see on Google's sidebar.
"...the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated..."
:)
Other than that minor, troublesome web-browsing feature presumably?
Game dev and music blog
I think Taco forgot to pay the electric bill.
I want my GDA (Google Digital Assistant). Then I can wander around the world and if I have a question I can look it up in my GDA.
And it should look friendly and reassuring.
...a calendar...
...from Google, the big, big Linux user.
Their browser will come bundled with their operating system.
^ obsolete.
but if it doesn't work in 98Lite or Linux then I'm not interested. And I'm not kidding. Sticking to NT-based Windows in a world of Macs, Tux's and legacy OS users is surprisingly short-sighted for Google.
Since this sounds so intriguing I thought I'd take a quick look-see. Go to the downloads and what do I see? "Currently available for Windows computers only"
I hope some of their new-found wealth goes toward developing some of these nifty tools for other platforms (Fedora? BSD? MAC?)...
"Look, Smithers! I'm Davy Crockett!"
the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
What, exactly, does "almost eliminated" mean in this context?
has anyone had any experience with version 1. this sounds like it could be ok.
-- Karma Karma Karma Karma, Karma Chameleon - Boy George
I've been waiting for it to index Thunderbird mail, because Thunderbird's search is pretty slow. It claims to do that now. Yay!
...Before Google does use the Gecko rendering engine developed by the Mozilla Foundation and turn GDS into a full-blown web browser. They are almost there doing one with GDS 2.0 anyway.
"As one blogger pointed out this morning"
At least quote them!
But can it slice tomatoes so thin your inlaws will never come back?
--When it's my time, I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather -- not screaming like all the passengers in his car
it seems to support plugins, that'll mean good things for the future... maybe someone will integrate a browser somehow ^_^
Sounds (again) like Google is planning on getting into the browser/mail-client business. I think a new windows Shell developed by Google would be a nice hit too...but i wouldnt put too much hope in that idea coming through...
I was just about to post my first +5 insightfull comment and then everything went like, beep beep, and I was like, omg! gag me with a spoon...
for sure...
I for one welcome our new floating sidebar overlords...
Google Desktop 2.0 is still Windows only. So how can I use it?
In a time when the Open Source community and movement as a whole are gathering steam, I find it counterproductive for Google to release another competing browser. Firefox being open source, and being pretty darned good, is probably the best opponent to the dominance of IE. Google would be better supporting an ongoing OSS movement like the one Firefox has created in a short span of time. The brainpower of Google and their ability to create applications that are simple yet advanced would lend itself greatly to Firefox.
.NET, they challenge Windows as a 'necessity', and they make room for web applications that work wonderfully using the newly formed AJAX along with other existing technologies, and ones yet to be created.
I'm not hoping to see Firefox replaced by a , nor am I hoping to see IE replaced by it. By leveraging Firefox as a whole, they challenge
The "Do No Evil" philosphy would lend itself very well here.
The price is always right if someone else is paying.
I installed the deskbar 2.0 this morning and couldn't find a way to get through our proxy. Anyone figure this out yet?
Google to the rescue, on a Google story...recursion imminent...
GTRacer
- Hobbes rocks
Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
... after /. came back onto its feet.
And ontopic: The new GDS reminds me very much of the sidebar in earlier Longhorn/Windows Vista alphas.
"Slashdot - the one place on the internet where guys brag about how small it is." - that IT girl
All your Desktop are belong to... err... forget
Imagine a beowulf cluster of desktops... no...
In Soviet Russia, the desktop Googles YOU! Nah...
Nothing to say here, please move myself along ^^;
"All your indexable information are belong to us"
-Larry
Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. --Nietzsche
wasn't longtimehorn supposed to have some sort of sidebar like this... looks like once again google is doing what microsoft couldn't
GDS 2.0 is fantastic you did a good job google yeah :D
will this be released for MacOS X or any flavor of linux? it'd be useful, and I'm sure with google's programming talent, it would be done right.
-abstractism
It seems that as Google encourages developers to write windows-only plugins, and GDS comes to rely on third-party plugins for functionality, it'll become that much more difficult to ever see GDS on OS X or linux. Of course, OS X has Spotlight, but it looks like Google is gunning for more than just desktop search, and instead providing a platform that ties Google services and the Desktop together. (Those looking for a GoogleOS - this is probably the closest we're going to get.)
If Yahoo! gets serious with Konfabulator, it could provide a similar service, but in a cross-platform manner. Likely? Perhaps not. But Yahoo! seems to be shaking it's past history of Windows-only support and moving towards platform independence, while Google is bringing out more and more Windows-only products (GDS, Accelerator, Earth). Just another reason that Google seems to be losing geek mindshare while Yahoo! is gaining it. Just look at the rising number of comments on slashdot that are questioning Google's benevolence, or supporting Yahoo!'s newfound drive to openness - flawed though slashdot may be, the comments give you a good barometer for the geek world.
...write a "fix Slashdot's broken posting?" sidebar as well? :)
Game dev and music blog
Did you mean Transmogrifying?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
Does the new desktop search panel handle the RSS streams itself, or does it use a browser as the backend? If the panel does rely on a browser, then it's not eliminating the need for Firefox/Opera/IE; it's just cutting back on the amount of facetime those browsers get in their pure, uncut form.
Heard, but not seen...
Let the conspiracy theories begun.
Eh... If beagle wasn't mono, it would be better! :-D
FIRST POST ON A google Article.~!!
Oh, first post btw.
More than mere navel gazing.
It's been posted for 40 minutes and no comments. Something has to be wrong.
I know the comparison may not be entirely fair, as it's not exactly the same thing, but looking at the screenshots of Google Desktop and reading about it, I can't help thinking of Apple's Dashboard. And the feeling I get is that Google is looking PC/Windowsish and dull, while Dashboard looks Applish and smart.
On the other hand, I'm not that big a fan of Dashboard either, but seriously that Sidebar doesn't really look thought-out and well-designed...
:wq!
Y aca se supone que digo algo mas cinco funny.
wow?! with all the server errors /. is having i might get first post
beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated
Cor, this'll be the Google-enabled future that everyone's talking about! Sounds great!
I used IE back in the day because netscape & the rest were unwieldy. Then IE became difficult, so I switched to Mozilla. Then to Firefox, after Mozilla became clunky. This is almost perfect. So it would take something pretty damn special by Google to make me change. And searching a fem e-mails ain't it.
What happened to the site? There seems to be some technical difficulties. I am getting 404 pages and internal server errors.
No one wants to reply to a Google story? Not even trolls? It's been almost an hour since story was posted on frontpage. Is Slashdot broken?
I want to be able to search more than one lotus notes Databases, if that's not too much to ask.
The plugin we have will only search one, usually the mail file..
I'd like it to search my 5 archive files also.
Thank you.
Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
Did Google really release an IM client without messaging built-in?
First?!#^
pie
fp!
is it open source?
The best test environment is production. - Me
chrome://browser/content/browser.xul
Does anyone know if this can quickly search through Groupwise documents?
I love Google and all of the really cool things they've come up with. I love the fact that they've been able to make such intricate web applications and use very little bandwidth to present users with decent interfaces. But, I think the Google Desktop might be the wrong direction with it's toolbar. Part of the problem that I see with it is that it presents information to the user by default. This is a BAD thing. Users don't typically want or care for information unless they are interested in it right at the moment. By presenting it to them automatically, you make it invisible. Since they see it often enough to annoy them, they wind up ignoring (then worse) and forgetting that it's there.
If you think about it, how many times do you know users who actually use the clock that is displayed on their task bar? I've seen many people at various places I've worked, completely ignore their own PC and look at the clock on the wall. Or, they might even ask someone, "do you know what time it is"? when it's right there in front of them. It's not that they're stupid or that they don't understand what that clock does. It's that they've been OVEREXPOSED to it. This holds true for weather, and headlines as well. Rather than bombarding the user with information, let it agreggate the info in a hidden area with constant updates. Then (much like the Dashboard in Mac OS X) using a special key combo, function key or maybe a clickable area, present the information as a translucent area over the existing desktop. This will then force the user to focus on the new information without being able to interact or be distracted by what is now backgrounded.
My other concern is that by Google designing a full application that rests on top of Windows, they are putting themselves in two unenviable positions:
1. Due to the various interactions between programs from multiple vendors, they may get blamed for system instability if there is a negative interaction with another app that a user has installed. Where I work there is an app that users love that shifts their desktop background randomly and puts a "neat" calendar on their desktop. However, it's blamed for instability frequently. Maybe it is unstable, or maybe it's interacting poorly with another app. Who knows? But that's the problem with utilities that run in the background vs. apps that the user is focused on 100% when running.
2. Microsoft, since they percieve Google to be a threat are very likely going to make this Dekstop thing break. It's happened many times before and you know it will happen again. This tried and true Microsoft Tactic(tm) could result in extra work for the Google programmers who wrote this app.
Finally, they'd be better off designing a replacement shell for Windows if they really want to have a "Google Desktop". They would still be at the mercy of item two above, but item one would apply less since the Google Desktop would now be the shell that the user interacts with all the time. If it's well written, the user should only notice the benefits of an alternative shell to Microsoft's Explorer shell (which is pretty ugly and clunky). If they did this, they might be able to port to other OSes and possibly provide an avenue for people to exit the Windows fold and go with a GNU/Linux/Google Desktop distribution.
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
how come nobody frist psots?
I can't tell from my cursory review of the web page... So I'll ask here: The Google Desktop Search engine claims to index my "Outlook EMail." What does this mean? Does it contain an Exchange client? Is it going to sift through all my eleventy-million e-mails on my company's Exchange server?
If so: is this a good idea? What will my Exchange administrator think about this? What if lots of us start doing this? Exchange servers are notoriously flaky.
I would sure love to have a quick way to search for the butt-covering e-mail that I sent to Finster a year ago.
Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by mere idiocy.
...for losing their website yesterday?
A Google browser! Just what I always wanted!
Sig?
Bah!
After downloading and installing this version I can not find out which version I have installed now. The About box does't show anything.
its a Konfabulator without nice design...
Of course Google desktop has replaced the browser. Who reads slashdot anyway?
But I use hotmail you insensitive clod!
It automatically subscribes to RSS feeds, increasing bandwidth on those poor servers, without you telling it the feed is something you want.
But I guess "Do no evil" and geek chic overcome any privacy worries.
but will this run on linux?
All of the above was encrypted with a Quad ROT-13 method. Unauthorized decryption is in violation of the DMCA.
But why is the need for a browser almost eliminated? I suppose if all you do is visit websites with RSS feeds and just get your information in pure text...maybe? I think we'll still need browsers.
Whoda thunk it?
Personally I get enough strife from "stable" apps and despite being an "early adopter" I don't really have time to debug other people's stuff for them. But, hey, someone's got to do it and I'm very grateful for their efforts.
Phil McKerracher
This is starting to remind me of the bastard son of Samurize or some similar program and that really irritating Microsoft Office companion bar they were slinging for a few years
Sign of the exhaustion of /.'ers with Googledot?
S
I know Google have some Enterprise level appliances and tools...but we're only 25 people. That doesn't mean we don't generate butt loads of data - just that we can't afford the big kit. Google desktop would be great if it was just a bit more network friendly and configurable, but at the moment it seems targeted strictly for the home user.
I'm hoping that someone will tell me this version will prove me wrong, but I can't see anything to suggest that in the documentation yet...
Google - One step closer to the new Microsoft every day
So does anyone have any news on what information is being passed back to Google or what security settings to choose so that my privacy stays intact? Or is this one of those situations where you have go "give up a little freedom" for "increased convenience" a la "giving up a little freedom" for "increased safety and security?? Thanks.
A Google reference in a Google story...recursion imminent...
(And what happened to my original post? It never showed up here or in my history. Odd...)
GTracer
- Hobbes rocks
Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
Don't you need a web browser to well... browse/view content that is indexed by Google Desktop?
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Coming soon, Google Earth.. oh wait.
I'm trying to push the adoption of GDS here to help us wade through the unmanageable morass of emails and documents that accumulate in our interaction with customers. IT mandated that it was a security risk because it indexed our local information and sent it off to Google. I tried to tell them that it really did not do that, but they have already branded it and that is that. Help! I need some reliable references to bolster my position.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
first post!
Now just have to wait for the people to yell "arhh.. its stealing your information!"
It's funny how Google keep adding value to XP on the desktop by providing robust, well executed user orientated applications for Microsoft customers. I wouldn't use my Thinkpad at all (my iBook wears the pants in our relationship) if it weren't for Mozilla, Picassa, Google desktop, and the odd FPS now and then.
Somehow XP feels like the end of the road for Microsoft... Longhorn doesn't feel like it's ever coming. I'd like to see what Google could do with XP if Microsoft sold off it's OS division and concentrated on Xbox, Office etc
I guess the first I can say about this is POST.
I really don't see the point of all this stuff, although I realize a lot of folks to prefer it.
Now that Google Desktop does more than just searching, I wonder how long it takes before Google attempts conquering Mac OS X by having Google Desktop integrate with Spotlight! :D
Or is that a silly thought? Hmmm.
but alas, I don't have a computer capable of running it. Anyone know of a mozilla plugin or linux app that provides this functionality? I already have the gmail notifier, and KDEs news ticker allows searches and can possibly be docked to gnome or KDEs panel would be nice (i have computers running both as well as an old laptop running icewm)... It would be nice to have an open source equivalent to this...
When all else fails, try.
I particularly like the text-entry feature...
Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.
Windows only???!! WTF!
Software Wars
I only managed to install it halfway through and then it hangs... *dang* Just when the time I wanted to try it on my system.
.. let alone any more useful than Gdesklets or Gkrellm . For one these seem far more customiseable/extensible/useful in that they converge local system state (top) with social state (email/IM) with world state (news/RSS). I guess win32 users are missing out.
While I'm still not satisfied with the GUI side (Winamp-type-skins would be beautiful in later ver's of this util) I do love a lot of the features 'Gesktop' offers.
Yes, I could use pre-loaded options for some of what the Google Desktop offers, such as Winblows' built-in search... but a: I don't find it as effective at obscure files, and b: I hate M$'s search from the backbone to the GUI (let me choke that claymation dog!) I find it slow, counter-intuitive, and more frustrating than digging thru the files manually (almost as aggravating as using IE to browse the 'net.)
I'm wondering how far they intend to take this project. With 2 full version releases, I'm wondering what direction they hope to take this in.... more of a toolbar/client util, or more of a true desktop-replacement. Anyone who's run a different OS knows there are several things frustrating about the current state of the M$ dsktop, so it would be a market share they'd be welcome to...
All in all a solid release, which we have come to expect from the boys at Google.
A couple fans told me that my last journal entry was mint; give it a shot. Hope you like.
Apparently everyone else is west coast... If you disable advanced features on the desktop, does it also disable it on the IE toolbar?
come on Google... get it together for us... not to mention the fact that you're also ignoring a large chunk of windows users who're perfectly happy with 98SE or horror of horrors NT (yup, that's what I've got at work)
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
they came out with a Linux version. I have Spotlight envy...
Two stories posted and no comments... This is weird.
read anti-slash
Does it support network drives?
This was the big reason our department decided to go with Copernic instead. And even if GDS 2 does support network drives, Copernic is so good I don't see a compelling reason to switch back.
"Google Desktop 12.0 now includes tigter Gmail tie-ins, as well as tie-ins to Google Maps, Blogger, RSS 3.0, and a new replacement kernel for Windows."
I love how Google doesn't take over by force or monopoly - it just releases products that intice people, and quietly, those products replace the need for other applications which might be considered... you know... competition.
Excuse my speling.
Making The Bar Project
Suckas!!
I have a bad feeling about this...
Sure, these guys turn out some amazing technology...
Yes, they have the whole "do no evil" thing...
Ok, they run their whole setup on Linux...
Major karma points for the Google SOC project...
BUT, DAMN IT! I WANT GOOGLE EARTH FOR LINUX!
Not to mention, Google Desktop and the whole gamut of their desktop offerings. Someone at Google needs to step up and start making this stuff available to the Free desktops.
!!And to think that Google Earth was made with Qt!!
My guess is instant messaging.
way to go to google for makinga windows desktop slightly more functional!
i do belive they have delcared war on win32 desktop uselessness.
pity theres no linux version.. but then i would just complain that there is no source available.
ho hum.
first post?
is there any real use to a desktop manager that works like a browser? I tend to like changing windows every now an then, but even if someone is lazy as hell, doesn't really mean that firefox or IE aren't doing their job fine.
sooner or later, we will be getting Google's OS, or someone doubts that Google will stop with something as trivial as a desktop search engine.
they should change the name of slashdot to slashgoogle
This story has been here for an hour and still no comments??
Slashdot must be broken, because I know people aren't reading the article
transmorigying indeed
I can't believe they left out the kitchen sink. This tool is useless. Wake me up when 3.0 is out.
With these sidebar plugins it looks like Google are taking a stab against Microsoft Outlook.
Outlook Email = Gmail
Outlook Tasks = Todo Plugin
Outlook Calendar = Clock Plugin?
I for one would love to have my Outlook at work accessible over the web.
"the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
So the need for a web browser is being eliminated by a web browser .
Personally i prefer each of my apps to do a specific task or group of tasks
The only things certain in war are Propaganda and Death. You can never be sure which is which though
To make matters worse, the choice of technologies for the plugin SDK guarantees it will be difficult to write cross-platform plugins for any future non-Windows versions. You can hardly expect any plugin developers to rebuild each of their plugins for every platform, especially when they use Win32-specific APIs. This is a huge weakness in this product. I expected better from Google.
"the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated"
Funny, I didn't see a "browser" plugin. Of course, I'm sure there are folks that use Firefox and IE for everything BUT browsing...maybe not.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
It seems that a couple of the functions included with this toolbar are bringing the usability of OSX to windows.
IE functions like spotlight, quiksilver etc. are included in this package, not to mention some more features
has not happened yet. they have not sold the new stock. sheesh.
Google? What's that?
"Encrypt Google Desktop index and data files
This will reduce the performance of Google Desktop"
But no sign of a way to password protect the search. So if you're logged on anybody can still use it to easily find your hidden porn...
EOT ! :-)
Do you mean Transmogrifying?
Quantum materiae materietur marmota monax si marmota monax materiam possit materiari?
According to Google, the beta includes improved integration with Outlook. As a frequent user of Outlook who had many problems with the "View in Outlook" feature in 1.0, this is fantastic news.
I hope the sidebar could allow me to change the skin.
w00t
Erm, can I buy airline tickets with it? Or make bids on eBay?
Although the sidebar is nice, stating that it eliminates the need for IE or Firefox is just plain ridiculous...
Treo + Kaffi = Traffi
no one /. anymore
It doesn't really help me out unless they release linux version(s). I'm surprised that a company like Google is avoiding it
I've been using the Desktop Sidebar from Idea2 for years. Good to see Google take an interest. Thanks Google.
I'd hope to see the whole browser...
Apparently, there's a feature that the submitter missed out, and that GDS suggests things you might need while you work. Privacy advocates might raise concern over this, and perhaps rightly so. But the biggest concern:
Clippy GOOGLIZED!
"It looks like you're writing a letter..."
or is /. messing up and not showing comments?
It's spyware! Wake up, fools!
If google were to come up with their own IM client and protocol then this could be what will give them the big boost in numbers (kids, teens, young adults primarily) to switch to all of their products (gmail, desktop search, etc) because Microsoft is keeping everyone at hotmail since MSN Messenger is tied into it.
Until this occurs the vast majority of the younger generation will still be stuck in the MS world (at least in Canada, maybe AIM or Yahoo in the US?).
Maybe a highly intuitive integrated VoIP solution could give them the edge? I dunno, 1 hour of sleep last night so please be kind...
It feels kinda like Beagle + Dashboard. It seems to react as you do things by spawning related information. I'm fairly impressed with this and it finally gave me the chance to index my gmail.
Well, the first one truly helped me out at work, where hundreds of badly organized .c files lie. Just hope it's not too bloated.
Wonder if there will ever be something like this for linux...
Mu
Desktop Searching generates a lot of Data for Googles SAN
The sidebar looks interesting...
Otherwise, no real complaints with it so far. Ideally, I'd still like more advanced search options within GDS (for example: the ability to find all pictures taken within a range of dates like Chrismas).
Somewhat surprised it took this long for gmail search to be incorporated
http://hughgordon.com/
Will it run on Linux? Seriously, that would be nice.
Is that like a Debian package format or something? Anyone have a link to an RPM?
Everytime Google farts there has to be a /. story about it now.
Anonymous Coward: "This is slashdot. Accuracy is second class citizen here, unlike King Bias."
The only people who would want this are those users who like to clutter up their system tray with more bullshit. And is there an OS in the world that doesn't already come with a clock?! A clock plug-in! Now I've heard everything.
Support the First Amendment. Read at -1
for the Google OS.
Install it on a IBM Blue Brain, and Sarah Connor will be found for sure.
Is the google toolbar really necessary? is it useful? To me it seems like a waste of screen real-estate. Do we need to always see a picture of our kitten on the side of the screen, or have our inbox constantly open? Personaly, I like Konfabulator or Dashboard because the widgets are easily available but not wasting valuable screen space. Maybe the google toolbar has this type of easy-hide easy-show functaionaly, but I have never been able to use it since I don't have a windows machine. I am not sure google is going in the right direction with this type of desktop search, but then again, I didn't just make $4 billion dollars.
I downloaded and installed it this morning, and then immediately closed it and uninstalled it, it's irritating and ugly.
I was hoping for a Mac OS X version. I guess we will have to wait some more. *sigh*
Yes, I know it's all completely optional, but the default settings the Grandma's and random people will use mine an extreme amount of data. And the little side bar with "automatic rss feeds" and what not seems even more intrusive then ever before.
I'm excited!
Lucky me, I've still got the ForecastFox plugin for Firefox, which gives me detailed information for a tiny village in The Netherlands.
With all the money they have, they can't produce a version except for Window?
No Comments ....What happened?
Don't we deserve a link to that 'one blogger'? In any case, it's only a matter of time before Google conquers the internet, then the desktop, then computers and finally, world domination...
...why there isn't a Mac OS X version...
only beta
Keeping Red Pandas can be a pain, so I'm glad the need for them will be reduced.
I am amazed!
My automatic clock updater gives me all the sidebars I need, not to mention an on-desktop weather forecast!
Ok, they have 4 billion dollars, where the fuck is the Mac version?
Reviews with a twist! http://www.sardonicbastard.com
While Google is making steps forward, slashdot is making steps backwards...
I'll turn into a supernova and burn up everything. Well I'll turn into a black little hole and you'll turn into string.
Start of world domination... the focus is now on Desktop.
I've been hitting the "reload" button every half minute or so on these comments for a looonng time (in slashdot years) and I haven't seen any comments posted as yet? WTF??
I think i am one of those people who is becoming infomation overloaded, i am losing the patience to read a book or watch tv because they are too slow for me. This sidebar is awesome, I have been waiting for an rss agregator (like the one in the new mac OS) for sometime. The only problem is my workrate will plumet now.
As for google becoming too powerful, nah, you will always have geeks and users, and the geeks will always find away round the nasty stuff. Also maybe a third popular browser would finally force MS to conform to the standards of the web ?.
Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself
Insert another Google prediction right.... here.
Being funny is my sig nature.
When can we expect a Linux version?
I understand the market share of Windows vs. Linux, but it would really make a statement if they would implement it on Linux
Lucky to get a first post ;-)
Normal is Boring!! http://www.dealwithdeals.com/
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.
For me this contains nowhere near enough information or capabilities to be a browser. Want to see 5 or 6 google results (plus descriptions) at once and open them in tabs? How about running on *nix? What if I want to read a news article and visit several sites at once, or google something in a news article while not closing it and getting the information quickly? A lot of the time the information I need I find in the extract that google provides and so I don't want to have to click unnecessarily or visit other sites.
As one blogger pointed out this morning...the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated
I haven't tried it yet, but presumably GDS2 just uses the IE engine in the same way all these other Windows apps with a built in browser do?
Homme petit d'homme petit, s'attend, n'avale
"as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
Good. I'm reading this on a Safari.
I wouldn't call it a browser replacement anymore than I would call a pizza delivery a replacement for my car. It just puts a lot of things that you would normally use a browser for in an easily accessible location. I would imagine that you still have to have a browser if you want more info on the RSS feeds/weather/whatever.
Don't take life so seriously. No one makes it out alive.
They retrieve real-time stock info (not 15-min delay). That alone is really cool for anybody who has stocks. However, I'm more looking forward to what they plan to do with all the money they received from their own stocks. I hope they don't decide to just sit on it.
It is a nice thing the bar, I like widgets (Konfabulator or native in Tiger) from OS-X with all their possibilities better though than a single bar.
My wife's sketchblog Blob[p]: Gastrono-me
The sidebar reminds me of Gkrellm and Dashboard
Where are all the comments?
Gbrowser.com is already registred. :)
Seriously, just because google makes a browser, why would all other browser suddenly be obsolete?
In soviet Russia, Raymond loves Everybody, including, but not limited to, YOU!
The sidebar looks cool, but Trillian (w/ plugins) already does that stuff for me. I can't justify giving up another 10% of my real estate for it. Is there something I'm missing here?
Ok. So it still says "Our one trick pony is our search". And still no thunderbird indexing ?. I've been saved by Bloomba once because it indexed my Imap cache of my personal mail.
> a new Sidebar which displays RSS feeds, a Gmail inbox, news, scratch pad and more.How original .. I wonder if all these were google innovations or just re-acquired tools pushed into one window (like my firefox side-bar which acts as an RSS window, Javascript console and DOM inspector together). And what's a scratch pad, some kind of notepad in a window ?.
> Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.If it has Gecko or MSHTML inside and is web enabled, the lack of an addressbar does not make it any less of a browser. I slowly see an AOL'ish trend of google to draw customers into their all you need in one window approach which worked so well for AOL for many years. I don't like that kind of lock-in by anybody.
You know why I don't install Google toolbar, web-accelerator or Yahoo ! companions ?. I grew up in a web where everything was addressed and could be accessed by me with almost any capable tool in the market - these guys are trying to dictate tools for me according to their content marketing. They already know which websites I hit (Ads), what I look for (search), what I buy (froogle), whom I mail (gmail) and now they want in on the Desktop too. I want the freedom of choice !!.. The last time this happened , Windows 95 crept in being "cool GUI thing" by the happening company of that period - Microsoft.Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?an swer=22898
And then those links going nowhere..
What to do if one is bound to the Enterprise Edition for indexing Lotus Notes e-mail databases? It looks like the Enterprise Edition does not yet include the new features of GDS 2.0.
Now if they only had a Linux version... I don't want another application holding me to stick with Windows.
first post :D
No thank you. I'll replace Firefox with Google Desktop the day they open source it. Until then I like knowing exactly what I'm keying all of my information into...
"Google (now $4bn richer)"
OK, who else was trying to figure out what they misspelled in 1337? SABN?
According to this, the implications are enormous. Of late, I have been edgy about the amount of information about you on google's access. The sidebar alone will make me panic. What do ./ers think about the amount of individual info(search/browsing pattern, email, etc.,) under one roof. How strong are they about doing 'no evil' any more?
with the lack of comments today? It is almost 10AM, this story was posted around 8:30 and not a single comment is showing? Perhaps it is just my setting or something
where can I download the source or package file....
oh! this is for that other OS!
Yeah?
How come there are still no comments? /. got /.ed?
And I recieved several 500 errors here couple of hours ago...
The sidebar is a useful feature; of course, that is my opinion.
As I have multiple RSS feeds, a primary GMail account, and could use the scratch pad (I forget everything I don't write down), I find it useful.
However, the addition of these features might be a curse to those who just want desktop search.
Go Google!
I tried installing GDS2 on my system, only to have it complain about NOD32. Nothing like having to uninstall your virus scanner to run it!!! (not happening...)
n swer=22898
Further info:
http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?a
That seems a bit strong. Doesn't it still bring up your default browser when you click on a search result?
The need for a browser is hardly eliminated by this as the article suggests. What about the billions of websites that are not owned by Google? Sure, you could search Google for the content, but you'd still need a browser to actually view it.
Where is everybody?
They can count me out. I'll stick with 'find' and 'grep' and 'strings'.
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
I think it should be noted that this is a 2.0 Beta release according to the download page.
P.S. What happend to all the comments? I can't be first can I??
I love the idea of sidebars, but honestly, even on my 1280x1024, it feels like such a waste of space. Anyone else agree on this?
First
If Google decides to release a browser, they will likely use an open source rendering engine such as KHTML (think of Safari) or Gecko (Mozilla/Firefox for those of you that don't know). Tie in the Google Desktop to the yet unreleased browser, and they will have a product miles ahead of the upcoming IE7 and even be ahead of the currnet Firefox/Mozilla. The question no longer seems a matter of 'if?', but 'when?'
Hosting: as low as $5.95/Mo
Well thats rather premature considering that GDS is only for the Windows platform.
Am I first???
Google OS.....
Hmm....something must be wrong....its over an hour after this has been posted on slashdot and noone has posted a reply!!???
It doesn't look at all to me like anything I'd be caught dead using (at its current stage of development). Its also not even within the slightest possiblity of replacing a browser yet. Well that is unless you never leave the yahoo or google website. Then I guess its got everything you want to do.
It natually won't compete with weather bug though!
Looks like bloatware to me. While the search functionality (of the previous version) is excellent i'm not sure the other features really gives the user much added benefit. This is the same thing that happened with the once-omnipresent realplayer. It simply became too big, doing to too much stuff the user(Ok, Me) really didn't wan't. Mind you the added features probably makes sense from a marketing point-of-view, adding potential users as part of an overall google strategy to put their brand on more applications. But benefit will, IMHO, be short termed.Unless this really turns our to be the killer-app of the year of something... ...and one has to ask:
but does it run linux!?
We want a Linux version!! :)
At the rate they're going, Google is bound to be realeasing an OS any time soon. And we will hear about it in Slashdot when it does. Then again six months later when Slashdot needs its daily Google fix and doesnt have a story available.
I blog, they blog, do you
Is this only available on windows or is there a OSX and linux version somewhere? I cannot seem to locate either.
I love random hex numbers! Just like this one, 09f911029d74e35bd84156c5635688c0.
It seems inevitable that the concept of a desktop with a brand name will go the way of the dinosaur; how quickly firefox reached heights of publicity and just as quickly to become just another quiet project. Firefox may in the end be taken over by google. The consumer will not necessarily suffer, the product that offers the service will prevail, it's not a tragedy.
I've never used Google Desktop, but could you please clarify how Google Desktop is integrated with gmail? As the first 2 things it says in the paragraph above are related to mail, and apparently not about the dekstop
Has anyone else found that this breaks Mozzilla? and is that why its so quite round here at the moment?
Scared of flying, pointy things snce 1979!
I am still banging my head into my desk for not buying their stock when it went public....
I am failing to see how a browser is eliminated with this, anyone care to enlighten me?
How can it eliminate the need for a browser if you can't look at pr0n?
Seriously, I wouldn't say it replaces a browser until it stores favorites, which is the main thing I use in a browser.
...the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.
I know it says "almost" but it's more like "not."
You can't actually view webpages with it.
Check out the sidebar options (top-most down-pointing arrow) to add/remove panels. Click the "Show ActiveX Plugin" and there you go, you can IE, Media Player (ok, bad examples) or whatever ActiveX you want to your sidebar. Nice. I know, ActiveX sucks on lots of points, nevertheless this is a very clever addition to the sidebar. Lots of apps are instantly "compatible" with it. You can see the end result here
Seriously.
Rich in useful features without being cluttered by silly stuff the marketing department wanted. Plus it just works!
Aren't these features available in most of the messengers? Is it the cache doing wonders or am I really the first one posting comment on a Googe news? Or may be everybody is busy playing with the new Google Desktop.
Explore your creative side
Nonsense. Nifty the Google sidebar may be, but it still remains a simple facilitator between the browser and content suppliers (HTML, RSS, whatever). And, should Google build an HTML renderer of their own into the whole Google Desktop mangle, well... that's simply another flavour of browser to choose from.
You can just use google without all the crap being pushed on you. I'm just about sick of downloading a program for the one feature I need (Yahoo messenger to talk toa few people, real player for some old southpark epsisodes) and having to spend 10 minutes unchecking an ungodly amount of boxes just so the damn program doesn't take over my computer. DO YOU HEAR ME YAHOO, REAL NETWORK ET ALL?
yes. somebody did mention google to eat out ie.
so it is finally happening.
m$ beware!
first shit
How refreshing, slashdot stories and no comments! Whats left? After all, we dont RTFA
Repeat after me: We are all individuals
I find it interesting that Google is regarded even by many slashdotters (who are usually very wary of large companies) as a company that wants good for all humanity. Hey, wake up! Google is a company, its primary purpose is to create money (which they are doing really well, it appears). I definitely would say too that they have created some really nifty pieces of technologoy, but if you look at it, all it is is just a company, not a religion.
Axe me while I slumber
Does it still index private files and let other users see them on public machines? My guess is it still does...
Something must be wrong... No posts?
Anyways. It seems to me that google is trying to reach the desktop market in a good fashion. I highly doubt they are going to create their own browser to overtake IE. They seem to be focusing on just the desktop search realm. Adding RSS and news isn't that big a deal.
~Belly
from the transmorigying-data-services dept.?
dictionary.com says that's not a word, google says, "did you mean 'transmorgifying'?" and returns lots of results with it spelled that way.
However if you plug "transmorgifying" back into dictionary.com, it is not a word, either! It in turn sugggests "Did you mean transmogrifying?" which is the correct spelling. To me this implies that Google has found more examples of the incorrect spelling than the correct! (Although not as grotesquely misspelled as Hemos' spelling.)
That's one small step for a Google team, one giant leap for a Google Browser.
Google is making its way on to our desktops. It must drive MS nuts.
How long before we forget what a file path is?
Great.. doesn't work in x64 Edition. Come on Google, get with the times!
Yeah! A Scratchpad! I've been waiting to get one of these on my desktop forever!
I miss when Google was just Google. Just a simple webpage and a search, no nonsense. I know they want to expand, but please let me know when it's actually something that isn't going to clog my system up with this rubbish. How many programs out there have the bright idea to spam the weather and stock quotes, and have a little quick search bar on your screen? Google, let's get serious here: is this progress? If this is how you're going to build a technological empire, I think I'll stay clear away.
Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this: that you are dreadfully like other people. - James Russell Lowell
... and it still runs only on Windows. (Wine, etc don't count).
I don't see what's the difficulty in Google releasing versions for Linux.
I'm still waiting for one of these programs to allow me to configure what extensions should be indexed as text files. So far, I'm not aware of a program that allows you to specify certain extensions as being text-based file types for indexing purposes.
A community-oriented lyrics site
I think that statement is a bit presumptuous seeing as how "searching" and "indexing" are far from the only functions a browser performs. Just, IMHO. Google Desktop still has a while to go before being able replace traditional browsers. Maybe for a select few surfers it does what they need, but for me it does not.
"I do not have as much of a fear of dying as I do of not having lived."
Seems very quiet round here, has this tool crashed everyones desktop????
almost two hours since posting, and no comments?
hello?
our security/it department has blocked the the google desktop site as its deemed a potential security threat
i know google dont track personal data but installing third party advertising companies (google) software (who cares if they say they are not evil) to target advertisments based on keywords found in confidential data is a nono whatever their intentions (i know you can exclude files/directories but its opt-out not opt in and any information leakage (directory names etc) is seen as a risk
great for some home users but in the workplace or with business documents i can see why its blocked
A web application that only works on one operating system is pretty useless. It is surprising that Google, which built it's business on Linux, seems to be turning it's back on Linux users.
Its got loads of extensions and lots of them are actually useful, I've defiantly got room for this on my second monitor!
"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
i think i made it this time; if not, kiss my (|)
your denial is beneath you, and thanks to the use of hallucinogenic drugs...i see through you - another dead hero
I'd rather see it the other way around. Can Google can make that desktop run thru a browser, so it is totally and tranparently transportable? (woohoo! alliteration!)
No, I don't mean running VNC back to my desktop PC, either.
-Charles
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
... until the security issues of this new, attractive target for crackers have been worked through.
Can anyone comment on the size of the index's with GDS2? On my 40GB laptop with GDS1 the index's took up 1GB of space, which was not apparant till I dug through my Application Data or Local Data or whatever folder that stuff goes in.
I quickly deleted GDS after that, the disk space was worth more to me.
"Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door." - Emily Dickinson
Wacky. (Well, on a positive note, they didn't need to change the logo.)
Have fun: Join D.N.A. (National Dyslexics Association)
If you uninstall and peer into the google/google desktop/ folder in program files (in winders of curse) You'll notice that GoogleDesktop.exe changes into Troubleshoot Network.exe. Running this program is supposed to reset network winsock settings from before the installation of GDS and a few other network fixes that 'may require you to reboot your comptuer'. So... I don't know how badly or on what machines you might want to play with this new beta on.
Or, you know, something.
We've upped our standards. Up yours.
I'm not a fan of having "extra" features on my desktop all the time. I like keeping it simple and clean. But with all these features, I have to ask, does it use alot of CPU and/or memory?
I haven't tried the first one either, so I'm just wondering if anyone out there could shed a little light on this. (Kind of at work right now so I can't test it out) And also I would just like to see what other people think about it.
Is something wrong with slashdot's comments posting? This story's been out for 40 min and no comments yet?
Last time I tried, I could not get it working on my OWN account on PC. It worked only on the Admin account from where it was installed. And Admin acct is purely for admin activities.
Of all, this was coming from Google!!
Hope they have fixed it this time.
Being a Mac OS X user, I don't see how Google Desktop (even if it is written for OS X) can compete with spotlight which is embedded into OS (or atleast that what Steve said).
well you don't need IE or firefox... unless you actually want to browse the web
How is a sidebar with links taking shape as a browser? AFAIK, you still need to have IE or Firefox installed to see the links.
A google story and nobody cares? Hell froze over?
Does anyone know what the frell is going on with Gmail? I've gotten server errors for two days straight.
Even the Google geniuses can't keep their servers running.
That is, of course, unless you need to go to a website. No mention of any web browsing of normal sites on the internet, but hey... who nees that anyway, right?
Posted and hour and a half ago and no comments. Is there a Slashdot strike and no one told me?
Can it RSS feed me a daily dose of barelylegal.com?
Doing so would eliminate any need I have for a browser.
As one blogger pointed out this morning...the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated
;)
Well, if a [i]blogger[/i] said it then it must be true.
http://twitter.com/onion2k
just checking whats wrong with slashdot today.
Now all it needs is a plugin like SafeSex for the note taker.
I would have posted normally...but I wanna use my mod points.
In some respects the sidebar is pretty cool. It features the search-as-you-type facilities of Spotlight, and has all the features of the Windows Vista sidebar it seems.
But....
One thing where Google really missed out is that they only allowed one panel for RSS Feeds (the "Web Clips" one). Most users are going to have different collections of feeds: for example I've one for general news (BBC and RTE), Tech News (Slashdot, OSNews, the Dot, Ars Technica) and then one for general commentary (Bruce Scheider, Tim Bray etc.). Had Google allowed users to add duplicate "Web Clips" side-bars with customisable titles, they would have created the ultimate accessory.
As it is, they're making significant progress in the Desktop Search fight.
That is, of course, unless you need to go to a website, I suppose. I also would not be surprised if this software relies on the rendering engine of one of the browsers.
fp, off by one error
I'd rather have widgets in dashboard or Konfabulator than those tiny boring looking sidebar plugins any day.
"...as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated..."
Funny, the TFA doesn't mention a Slashdot-viewing plugin.
Would anyone care to see this on OS X or other OSes? At least for me, I already get the same fuctionality on my Mac that this offers (through Quicksilver/Spotlight, Gcount/GmailStatus, etc.).
Pity - looks worth spending a few minutes playing with ...
Hi?
surely not because of GDS? What does that piece of information have to do with anything?
can you please put some ads for microsoft and apple up here too?
"... the need for a Firefox [] is almost eliminated."
Blaspheme!
Ninjas don't carry tic tacs
fuck are the comments
Requires Windows XP or Windows 2000 SP 3+
no comments?
Only problem is ... it don't run (on) _insert_unix_os_of_choice !
it seems that it is still beta, although everything Google seems to be beta.
I never got the point of why I should care about the online search feature - if it's going to open up my browser anyway (which is still what 2.0 seems to do), why not just open Firefox and search from there? If it had it's own pop-up search results, that might be a little more interesting, but don't most of us have a browser open 90% of the time anyway?
Now that this has a sidebar, will this replace the functionality that many seek with programs such as Samurize, and object desktop?
Some of the plug-ins created do what I use samurize to monitor for already, now if they could make a reliable plug-in that can un-obtrusively track wi-fi signal strength I would be happy.
If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
No one has posted yet, so either /. is borked or you guys are all hard at work, heh.
h /Copernic DS a shot, and have been happy with it. It's fast, has its own UI so it doesn't have to hook into how Windows talks to the web to let me use it, and it indexes IM conversations (athlough you have to manually point its indexer to your chat log directory). My main complaint in memory use. At my previous job, it could take up to 120 megs of memory. Here, where I have been for only 2 months, it uses around 35.
Reading over their developer site (http://desktop.google.com/queryapi.html), it looks like the engine still listens on the same port the first version did, so I am guessing it still sits in the middle of the Windows TCP/DNS stack so that when you go to the normal Google homepage, you see the desktop search choice, and results from your own desktop. I would rather GDS run as a process that searches my drive, listen on a port for my brower to post a search to, and then dump the results back to a browser window. The page I linked basically describes that, however without installing, I can't tell if they still incorporate themselves into their internet site.
After playing with version 1 last year, I gave http://www.copernic.com/en/products/desktop-searc
With 4 billion bucks this is all they could come up with?
Jokes aside,
Another Google story?
Flame bat aside,
I like the linux version of desktop search better. GO Beagle GO!
maybe it has all those features, but I bet it doesn't have a java video ad that plays on mouseover! Sorry, not useful to me.
Buggy Slashdot.
Google is amazing! I can't wait for the day when they start making operating systems and suddenly there's no need for windows anymore either!!! Could this be my first first post and my first post???
It displays practically everything you'd need. I especially like the System Monitor plug-in. What I hope they do in the future is release a browser. I think that will put fire not only for Microsoft but also for Firefox to not only standardize but innovate.
sstevens2000@students.curry.edu
Thanks, the rest of this shiznit if just a filler for the lamness detector!!
Yes, they are upfront about it.
No, google desktop is not very private.
Yes, many don't care.
Yes, some people do.
No, you don't have to read a lot of legalize, just the first few lines to see that google will be gathering some of your information in exchange for the use of their software.
asdfasf
First post!
Why no frosty pisses? or failures. or slashbots?
am i first to comment?
Looks great though!
no, and no OSX either
oh well.
i for one, welcome our new desktop overlords.
Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
...but it won't replace the browser, it will work hand in hand with a browser.
However, not having a windows machine make it impossible for me to test it and make more informed comments.
I'm still waiting for Google messenger.. Everyone I know switched from ICQ to MSN messenger about 6 years ago, around the time when everyone had hotmail accounts and it was just so much more convenient to add an email address than a 8 digit number. Well, nobody uses hotmail accounts anymore.
Each processor would proceed sequentially as if it had been better for them not to rise against Saul.
FIRST POST!!!!
Comments b0rked?
First post!
I don't know about the sidebar... it just takes up too much damn space.
Petey
Like anyone alive in slashdot land?
Mod be off-topic if you want, but this is simply amazing!
Google Life (beta). Control your children, that nagging wife and even manage feeding the dog from the comfort of your desk! You get all of this (and a kitchensink!) with Google Life (beta). Download Now Warning: May cause instability resulting in death, loss of job, divorce and widespread hatred.
I always wondered where this setting was...
I find Google's new Sidebar to remind me a great deal of a Microsoft internal project that was leaked almost two years back, also called, curiously enough, "Sidebar." It was supposed to be a UI element in Longhorn.
Another day, another google story
somebody please say something relevant as a first post.
Anyone know if you can install just the sidebar feature without having to let the desktop search index your computer?
The epitome of revolution!
True confidence comes not from realising you are as good as your peers, but that your peers are as bad as you are.
The functions provided by the sidebar are currently found in many other tools though google (as usual) integrates all of them very well.
Email is integrated, so out goes the google email checker, ditto about my other notes taking program and outlook todo lists. RSS is integrated, so out goes my feedreader.
All in all, one program to replace at least 6 of mine, Im OK with it.
Now how about removing files from the index when they're deleted or moved... I don't really care if at one point in time my news reader had created 400 temp files that match the particular search I'm doing, I just want to find the real files on my hard drive.
In the category, yet another acronym goes ambiguous: gds2 is the name of a good-old vector file format for exchange of mask layout for production of integrated circuits. The thing use to be generated on tape, so that creating the file is refered to as "tapeing out" or "streaming out". The gds2 acronym is probably trademarked by cadence design systems.
I clicked the link, only saw a .exe file :(
everybody get ready for gOS.
"the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated"
Whomever said that should probably check the feature list for their browser again.
I'm schizophrenic; no I'm not.
Free Kevin!
hell yeah!
fp?
I bet it's not.
Anyone here?
The safest way to approach lava is to have another person with you and he goes first.
How does Google plan to make money with this? Push advertisements straight to the desktop? They are trading at $277. Can you say Internet bubble?
Since Google is basically a web technology company, wouldn't you think they would use web technology to make these desktop applets? Most desktop GUIs have the ability to embed webpage(s). You can open browser windows without the 'chrome' window.. I just don't understand why a (windows or any OS only) executable.
123
Looks like what they're really doing is competing with the Desktop Sidebar that Windows is planning on including with Vista--or was, a while ago.
Looks interesting, but I don't really need it. I have everything organized into folders on my computer. I find it easier that way because I know where (almost) everything is.
cool!
- Bill
omgomg!
Where do i download the .rpm from?
I don't have a sig.
Did I? Did I?
Are comment posts working?
There have been no comments on this story, so I suspect not.
is comment submission broken on slashdot today?
test testtest test
Two wrongs may not make a right, but three
the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated
...will it be standard compliant?
I know... We have Spotlight in Tiger -- and it works superbly I might add, but what about all those using older versions of the OS? I know I might have thought twice about upgrading so early if a Google Desktop Search were available to me.
3 Articles on the first page and not one frist posty. Whats wrong with /. today.
I for one welcome our new Google overlords
No 64 bit XP either - the installer borks with 'Google Desktop is not currently compatible with your operating system' - surely someone at Google has an AMD 64 bit processor...
fp
Finally, Outlook contact indexing. Also, you can delete entries from the index, which is nice as well for those of us using Google Desktop at work. Conspiracy theories aside, this looks like a pretty nice piece of software.
I wonder if there is a linux or mac version forthcoming. I could really use a piece of software like this on my linux box at home...
Just installed it and upon reboot, it seemed to disable some things from starting, Sidebar XP, SIMP and MSN, which was a bit odd. could be a coincidence .
So it's sat in the background, didn't look as good on the sidebar as what I have already
*Shrug*
News flash from the year 2006: Google releases v5.0 GDS OS, boasting backwards compatibility with all software that can run on vista (except for IE and Outlook express, and Street tips of course)!
i would like to see how this will integrate with the google browser we have heard rumors about (assuming it is real).
no comment yet?
first impressions.. very nice.. very slick and smooth.. way to go Google! I got everything working the way I wanted within a few minutes. I just wished they would support Firefox for indexing (unless it does and I completly missed that part) and that one day they'll have a linux version :)
Almost two hours without a comment...is this story that boring, or is posting broken?
It was only a matter of time before they released something with new features to stay competitive with the offerings from other companies. It's just too bad none of this has any bearing on us Linux and BSD users.
You use linux for everything, why is this only for windows?
keanmarine.com
Oh wait... is Google still OK or are they evil now too!? :)
Can't wait for Google OS 1.0!
So google makes spotlight for PC's. Usefull, I wonder when it will start showing advertising?
Google would like you to drink a nice big tankard of it.
oh dear, Bill is having a fit right now...but he'll recover...ain't software war grand.
The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it. -- G.B. Shaw
fp?
The sidebar opens eight panels for me by default and none are big enough to show me much useful information. Gee it's got weather and stocks. And the Web clips feature seems to auto-ID RSS and Atom feeds from pages I'm ALREADY LOOKING AT and show the feed items to me in a little, tiny window. Uh, that's useful. And the fact that it's watching what I'm doing is, as usual, comforting.
There are much better ways to get the same functionality -- Dashboard, Konfabulator, and Firefox extensions come to mind. All of these systems look much better (well at least Konfabulator and Dashboard do), work much better, and are already platforms, have tons of applets/extensions, have a ton more functionality, etc.
An while I, for one, welcome our new portal overlords, this seems pretty weak for a 2.0 beta product from the big G. Maybe they will add horoscopes next. :)
"as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
Uhm, let's calm down a little bit. An RSS reader is lightyears from a web browser.
You know its a good package when no /.'s have.... ..FRIST PSOT!
...the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated
I am so happy. Waiting for the day when the need for internet itself is eliminated.
This is computer-generated and does not require a signature.
... (apart from Groups 2) but I don't feel comfortable about installing this. It seems like 'too much'.
Don't quite know why. Perhaps its simply I don't feel it offers anything I need, yeah Windows search sucks, but I solved that before they invented this.
If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
'cause there is no posts. That, or /. has gone FUBAR again,.
Anyone else find it funny that Microsoft took the sidebar OUT of windows and Google put it back in?
Apart from a clock and scratch pad, what has this desktop got that FireFox doesn't? Don't think I need it.
I interviewed with them a few months ago, and most of the day went extremely well. However, things got icy when I started talking about their credo, and the sheer size of their service offering made it imperative that they move carefully as they extend into more and more aspects of the on-line world.
The difference between them and Wal-Mart is that I do believe that they mean well (and they're actually innovative), but that does not mean much to the people who have invested years of their lives into a technology which they suddenly can't give away because the might of Google offered something nearly identical for free...
The CB App. What's your 20?
I'm waiting for the GDS feature that will allow me to remember that hot chick at the bar's name.
Just in case you were wondering, because the poster didn't bother mentioning it, it's still only for Windowz.
posting anon so I can see comments
Maybe there was something to the whole gbrowser rumor after all... http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/27/223924 5&tid=217&tid=95&tid=1
Will I get up today? Prolly[.org]
What rendering engine does it use? Gecko, KHTML, IE or something completely new & Google-made? (I don't have Windows so I can't test it).
If the thing depends on another browser, it can never become a completely independent browser. It won't get IE source code and it would have to be GPLd if it wants to use Mozilla/KHTML, which I'm sure won't happen.
So Google would have to develop its own rendering engine if it wants to "take shape as a browser in itself" as the article's author thinks. Rather, a more likely scenario would be the creation of browser plugins to integrate Google Desktop as closely with modern browsers as possible.
Is this the beginning of the web desktop ? All aps web based and through google ?
Yet Another Slashdot Google Story
Justifying the diluted hyper-inflated shares from LNUX to GOOG.
some time ago there was speculation about google developing a brand new web browser, now it loooks like it already introduce its web browser into everybody desktops and nobody noticed it (not even microsoft)
[nt]
When can I connect to my GMail account with Evolution? If they're going to make the server as smart as their search farm, I want GIMAP! POP3 means installing GDS on every client I use, however briefly. Maybe that's their wicked plan...
--
make install -not war
Whoa slashdot got slashdotted frist prost...
last prost
Ubuntu is an African word meaning 'I can't configure Debian'
it's Google Desktop Search. Shame on you, submitter!
See pictures of tits
I've just installed this, and I have to say it looks very nice.
It's currently indexing my Gmail messages, is feeding me news streams and "Web Clips" from gprime.net (Although how it decided upon gprime.net is totally beyond me.)
The Scratch Pad will also save me opening Notepad every time I want to remember something. The photo slideshow is rather jerky, even with an ample graphics card.
The Weather feature looks almost identical to ForecastFox, which is nice.
Now, how long until Microsoft releases one of these...
I guess google is finally ready for the desktop.
I wonder how long it takes before advertisements are introduced...
ps can somebody write an ebay sniper for it...
I use the first version.
I think it is great and will go grab this one right away. Thanks for the heads up.
Google is making some of the best software available today, nowadays.
why no posts?
What is hapenning here?
Let that damnable sidebar be an option during install or at least hideable.
Anything wrong with slash?
Why is this the first post, two hours after the story was posted?
Anyone else wondering if they'll eventually use the new sidebar for another Hello-type client?
Sigs are for Terrorists.
That's a stretch if anything... Yes, you can receieve RSS feeds but hey, not all sites are in the format of newsfeed. There are - supposedly - sites that have actual content apart from rehashed press-releases and the noise generated from user comments.
Oh, I can't help quoting you because everything that you said rings true
This does look line a nice progression from the standard GDS1, but doesnt anyone know if it still does the reporting of searches back to google? I would love to use this at work, but dont want to risk it sending info back out of the company LAN.
only post!
C'mon, how difficult can it be? Use the slocate database, index /home/Chewbacca/Mail et presto - a genuine Linux version!
.... must work on linux
The plugins seem to have very similar functionality to the Konfabulator/Dashboard widgets that are popular as of late. (Check your gmail, control itunes, et cetera) Instead of running them along the bottom or top, they're merely fixed to the side...
When in doubt, parenthesize. At the very least it will let some poor schmuck bounce on the % key in vi. (Larry Wall)
I've very happy w/ Konfubulator as my desktop widget. Unless this thing does real-time stuff (which will trump RSS / Konfubulator) ... I don't see why they bothered. And I'm guessing that its windows only?.
_Vishal www.squad9.com
test comment
Is something wrong here? I see no commentary for most of the recent articles.
the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.
I've just downloaded the desktop search for the first time, and it seems that GDS relies heavily on the browser for all kinds of things.
When the policeman of the tie, rule you violate, hello punishment of the kitty?
Please please please....
Why would anyone want to use a text editor that is not vi?
Slashdot slashdotted ! The irony !
Hope I can find this later.
Phase 1 - Make search engine. Phase 2 - Replace IE/Firefox Phase 3 - Replace Windows/OSX Well it seems Google's plan for world domination is proceeding as planned.
Is the software really that good??? Or, is it so bad that everyone is still in shock? Well, I'll have to finish installing it and find out, I guess.
I wonder when the gbrowser would show up again
"If it's true that our species is alone in the universe, then I'd have to say that the universe aimed rather low
Judging from the screenshots, it looks very impressive. It definitely would be a handy tool for your average computer users.
However, I doubt I'll use it. Other slashdotters probably know what I'm talking about in that, I know exactly where all of my files are. I haven't used the search function in at least 2 years. I use folders to help me sort all of my data, and it's working well so far.
As for the other features, stock ticker, weather, news, photo, etc, I have programs for most of them already. I'm not saying that they're better than Google's implementation, but they are something I've used for a while and now used to. I don't feel the need to switch to something new when what I have now works perfectly well.
So kudos to Google for this. I'll probably recommend to most computer users. However, this geek don't see the need to use it.
Trust me on this one, boys. You'll be like Mr. Buttle in no more than ten-years time, wondering, "Why'd they get me? I never did anything wrong..."
Google is not cool, Google is not your "friend." Google is the NSA.
"Flyin' in just a sweet place,
Never been known to fail..."
How much do you trust Google is the qustion?
Rock n Roll bounce le gros
Mod me up! I had to get someone else to read the stupid grafitti to me
yeargh
t'would be interesting to see a Google-branded Linux.
It would also allow vertical integration inside their own company...
You can't talk about Wikipedia's flaws on Wikipedia
... kind of like the frog being slowly brought up to a boil, if you ask me ...
Version 2.0 and you still can't specify drives and folders to include in the index. Why does Google tink I keep all my stuff under "My Documents"? GDS is as pretty as anything from Google, but it's useless. Try Copernic (free), try Yahoo desktop search (likewise), try many others.
"Only the small secrets need to be protected. The big ones are kept secret by public incredulity." - Marshall McLuhan
Though the new GDS looks very interesting to me, this summary failed to mention it is still in beta stage.kool
" Google Desktop sends Google non-personal data about how you're using the program, along with reports if it ever crashes. It also sends information about the websites you visit so that Sidebar can show personalized info, such as personalized news. Analyzing this data from many users helps our engineers better understand how people actually use Google Desktop and therefore how we can improve it." Makes me a little nervous... Not nervous enough to uninstall it however.
cool.
"The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." ~Plato (427-347 BC)
...or Google is starting to make GDS into some kind of browser alternative? Which would make sense to some extent, I guess, in order to Web-enable your desktop via a central point without depending on various browsers' and various websites' particular quirks.
I wonder if this will affect adoption of browsers such as Firefox, which already have the potential to offer similar features on their own. I mean, if you're going to keep the browser open most of the time you're at the computer (you know you do!), isn't the browser the ultimate web connection?
I guess what I'm driving at is, what do they hope to achieve by picking on browsers, which are one of the most unquestionable pieces of software around?
i ate crayons when i was a kid and now i have two braincells and the blue ones taste nicer
That GDS 2.0 is almost exactly like Beagle. I wonder if Google is planning to release Linux version of GDS...
matid
Story posted at 8:40am.
No comments as of 10:50.
Like a web browser, it appears that the need for Slashdot comments on a Google Empire Expansion story are also irrelevant.
"Nokia is not a country, it's the capital of Finland!" -Moderated "Informative". Yeesh.
So where does Google desktop stand on privacy issues? That has become the first thing I think about when the topic of personalized Google services come up - if Google is going to retain vast amounts of data forever then any privacy problems are multiplied.
I noticed that this and the following couple of stories have no comments. Is something broken, or am I the only one on /.?
--Mike Boos
My first ever First Post!
new google tool and /. doesn't have any posts..
looks like you drove all your traffic away.. except for me..
'...if only "Jumping to a Conclusion" was an event in the Olympics.'
or is something disabled here..
"When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail." - Abraham Maslow (1908-1970)
A google browser would really be the ultimate surfing habits collection tool for them. They already have my email, and searching habits. They tried to collect my surfing habits with their proxy, but I reformatted, and when I tried to download it for a second time, there was a message about how they had reached their maximum user limit.
In any case, I wonder what slashdotters think about the privacy implications associated with this. I would venture to say that at this point, google is not going to be abusing our information that they hold. But all it takes is one evil board of directors, right?
They are a public corporation now. They actually have a legal responsibility to maximize their profits, in any way that they can.
James
...does it finally allow me to search my USER\Application Settings directory so I can have it index my GAIM logs without running a GDS plugin for GAIM?
Is anyone else experiencing some weird commenting problems?
This has been posted 2 hours ago and there are no comments? What is going on!!
First post? Wierd.
This definitely looks cool - I hope it will work better for Gmail than the notifier did, I was quite underwhelmed by it.
How is it beginning to look more like a broswer? RSS feeds, a Gmail inbox, news, scratch pad and more?! My browser have any of these... I guess I need to upgrade my IE 4.0... nah.. maybe next month.
- Your stupidity got you into this mess, why can't it get you out? -Will Rogers
I'm disappointed they've taken the portal path and I'll take a Luddite approach to this service as I don't want to have Google datamine thru *all* my data I don't keep on my PC (to that end, for example, I uninstalled Google Toolbar 1.x and installed A9 toolbar instead - as long as those two don't enter alliance or acquire each other, I'll be fine). They know enough about me as is.
So, thanks, but no thanks. I'll rather use the second best solution than put all my eggs in a single (BETA!) basket.
From the business side, it's going to cost them a pretty penny to get lazy portal users to migrate to Google services. Cost of acquisition of search users (Step 1: copy-and-paste your query here, Step 2: Hit Search) was next to nill, but to get users to move their data to Google... hmmm... it's definitively going to be harder.
I had thought they'd use that $4b to buy Skype. Yahoo and Hotmail are already free, how are they going to motivate people to use their services? (Don't tell me Gmail is better - I've got an account and I'm not impressed. Besides, for how much I use it, I could as well be using Yahoo or any other free email provider).
If they buy Skype, they'd get some 100m subscribers, that would be a nice way to catch-up with the other big guys. If they don't, well, we'll see how they plan to do pull that one off.
Even slashdot is too complex and confusing to me. I dont see any posts on this topic. So I dont need another desktop to confuse me even more. World: Leave me alone. I myself am confusing enough. I dont need no additional input.
What the hell is going on around here? Someone fall asleep at the switch?
What you say? *STILL* no fr|st p0st?
Somebody set GDS up the bomb.
Installed it, like the sidebar and the add-ins. Indexing hasnt finished yet so i can't tell.. BTW I cant see any comment.. why?? /. is bugged!
The price is certainly affordable. Wonder how many struggling shareware authors they just erased from the planet with this new freebie?
Doesn't seem to get through the firewall where I work. A bit strange as version 1 worked just fine.
Come on Google, just release a friggin operating system already, that or a sharks with friggin laser beams!
hahahahahaha
oh wow
google desktop
thats great
by the way. fp.
Ah excellent. I'll run this, give it some decent screen estate, dig out the Office toolbar, run my creative taskbar thingy that came with the soundcard, run quicken and get my permanent 'I'm worth nothing to noone' reminder box, tick the "always on top" checkbox on my media player, keep my windows taskbar on the screen and then discover a vacant square inch on my desktop. What can I cover it with?? It's a puzzler.
that is terriffic, now where is the google os at?
I'm a bit worried how annoying a window like this can be though. Can't say too much else about it until I get home and download it. I'm looking forward to taking it out for a test drive =p --http://www.kunae.blogspot.com/
Google is 4 billion richer... and slashdot posts 4 stories at the same time...
Go number 4!
j0b.org - A famous domain name for sale
FP!
I like Google because their search engine rocks and their products serve great needs - they fill holes in my otherwise complete digital world. But Windows only for so much stuff? Come on ... you're the company whose recent stock offering had the same number of shares the first eight digits of pi.
The Luddites were ahead of their time.
will it do PDF's now?
[sig] 10 + 10 = 100 [/sig]
so, under the name of google they're trying to create a browser that has many functionalities of firefox, email filtering like thunderbird, and some cheezy extensions to integrate it into the core of your system?
Why does this sound like a monopoly waiting to happen? Or are they trying to take over microsoft?
random thoughts before I go get my caffeine for the day
w00tw00t!
Guys?. Hello? Hey, were did everybody go?
This is not an automated signature. I type this in to the bottom of every message.
400th post.. I hope so.
but seriously... we like to visit other websites too... google is great and all but it's all white. i need a bit of variety.
wtf
It might be nice to use some plug-ins to make GDS capable of replacing Explorer.
It needs to list processes who want to be listed, provide a system tray, and offer application launching.
It still doesn't work with my NOD32 antivirus.
"Plug-ins for the new Sidebar are also available including a to-do list, clock, and more.
Yes, but do we trust those plug-ins? Google doesn't and says so on the plug-in page.
What if a plug-in author (for example) sneaks in features like this plug-in has but doesn't mention it? Will the average firewall notice a problem once Google Desktop has been given permission to access the internet?:
What's New in Laplink Everywhere 4
* Remote desktop search powered by Google Desktop Search from any web-enabled device with the ability to act on the search results directly from a browser.
* Native integration of Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol to extend Remote Desktop to allow remote control over the Internet and through firewalls.
* Ability to send files of any size or type using a secure, click-and-download web link from any web-connected PC or handheld device.
* New, easier to use Laplink Everywhere website.
* Streamlined user interface for handheld devices to enable fast access to each Laplink Everywhere service.
* Support for leading web browsers including Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox and Opera.
* Support for leading operating systems used by web-enabled PDA and Smartphones including Windows Mobile, PocketPC, Palm and Symbian.
This is not a dream, not a dream...we are transmitting from the year 1-9-9-9.
first postness?
This release looks promising. One of my biggest complaints about GDS 1.0 is that it does not have the Quick Find feature. The sidebar concept is interesting though... it looks insanely useful, although it emulates a lot of the features from Konfabulator. I guess Google has the sidebar and Yahoo has Konfabulator. And the search battle rages on!
The speed at which you can find email compared to outlooks find makes this a worth while install. Too bad the interface is starting to look a bit Real Inc... which is never a good thing.
1) Clever Sig 2) ????? 3) Profit!
For anyone else like me who previously found GDS useless because it only worked in one single account per system, 2.0 is multi-user compatible, with independent indexes per user, so you can use it with priveleged files, EFS, etc.
After Trying it out for a bit and perusing their available add ons, I have to say I am extremely impressed, even for Google. First off, they dont try to shove the sidebar down your throat, as u can still just use it like before and not have problems. Second, they took a page from Firefox's book and make it completely customizable. With all these first party extensions from day one, I have my sidebar my way, and all the extensions are located in one place, just like for firefox. The only thing I have not found yet (or maybe its not there yet) is a way to have my RSS feeds onto the bar, but Ill find out soon enough) That said, google is probably the only company who could pull off such a product, as I think that if M$ or any other company were to try it, it would not come off as polished, customizable, and user friendly. I also think that the sidebar and all its features wont be for everyone. Its probably only gonna appeal to ~50% of users, because the other half wont want the 'clutter' it brings, or to lose precious desktop real estate. As for replacing your webbrowser.... I think not at all. it makes surfing the webv easier in some ways, such as not having to access your gmail web pages, rather u can just look to the sidebar, but it definitley cant replace my daily browsing activities. Although, I think that the next logical step would be for google to take firefox and the sidebar, plus some google genious ideas and features, and make the google browser. With the 4 billion they now have, I could see that happening very easily.
Anyway, my $0.02 is that Google is on the right track. Let developers write plugins for the Google desktop, and keep expanding it to eventually be the GoogleOS.
I like it.
I loved GDS and used it for quite awhile (and installed it on the 10 other systems I maintain). But the lack of ability to search across the network and the insistance of returning multiple copies of the same emails posed a problem. I switched to the MS search but would love to switch back (if only there was some other way to use tabbed browsing in MSIE... the sites I am forced to use are designed to require MSIE with no way around it that I've found so far). I haven't found anything that says "yes it indexes across the network" or "no it does not" - anybody know the answer? And did they fix the show-the-same-email-twice bug?
If the g'vt kept the data on you that google does you'd better believe you'd be calling it "doing evil"
I installed GD2 last night, here are some observations of the Sidebar:
#1 After 8 hours, "Email" still says "Currently indexing Gmail..." Why?
#2 "Photos" feature looks cute. Love it.
#3 "News" feature shows me 5-hour old news, and not something I'm interested in. Not good.
#4 "What's Hot" feature looks suspiciously like ads.
#5 When the Sidebar is minimized down to the task bar, the icon is gone, replaced by a generic folder.
Otherwise, it looks like a nifty device I can use.
Sun and Fun
I would really like to try it. Looks neat.
No first post posts? Did the internet go down?
Anyways, nice app. What I don't get though is why the search bar doesn't just look up things locally by default instead of the google website.
- sigs are for wimps.
Is it any good? I shy away from such products and try to keep my installed software to a minimal level.
For some reason I refuse to use either spell check or the spacebar properly.
I'll wait for the final ... if there is one ...
dammit
Now, if the GDS worked on a desktop that I used rather than the one I dispise, it would be that much better.
test.. server malfunction...
The download page shows it as a beta, so technically 2.0 has not been released yet.
"Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart, he dreams himself your master."
What kind of sneaky stuff are they trying to put on my poor little machine? Looked like a helpful tool; thought I'd give it a try. Need admin rights to install, though. No way am I giving the beta of some software I thought looked cool the ability to install whatever it wants when my machine thinks I'm an admin.
End the FUD
More companies should do what Google does - keep apps in beta. This way, it remains "unsupported" and thereby reducing costs that'd otherwise be needed. Unless, of course, part of your revenue comes from support.
First post?
Why do none of the recent stories have posts?
I can't add BRK-B to the stock quotes. What does it say when it's easier to report a bug to slashdot than to google? (Could this be a future Joel on Software article?)
Frist psot!!
FP baby!
There is 4 stories on the front page with not a single comment in any of them. What is going on?
Sidebar is some neat stuff.. News, Weather, Notes, Recent Searches... All they need now is to be a trillian with aim, icq, yahoo messanger and i'll be set.
My Blog
FIRST POST LOOL
my mac already does all that
What's going on?
What's happened to the comments? This story has been up for at least an hour and there are no comments.
And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour Isaiah 3:5
Is this thing on?
Yeah sure this will do away with the need for a web browser except for the fact that you can't use it to browse the interweb.
"...the need for Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
Except for, you know, reading web pages. Funny that.
Boo.
and still no linux/mac version?
Is comment posting broken then?
the sky is falling!!!!!!
Google have this nice Desktop (looks a lot like a sidebar to me); Early Longhorn screendumps had this type of thing; and you can find all manner of sidebars to add to your Win98 setup if you wish.
Now, I like the idea that my computer encourages me to do one thing at once (pretty much). Does anyone else feel that all this info on a sidebar would just be a disraction?
Imagine how the productivity of womenfolk would drop if the images section included some fluffy kittens or a little dog.
Anyone checked out Copernic Desktop Search? It really works better than the GDS format, for searchign local files and content.
If only Copernic could create something similar that interfaced with CDS. Oh well.
JP
Stiny! Get me a danish!
I was not required to be poweruser or Administrator of my XP to install and use this. Thats new!!
Senthil
Sounds good - What about a Mac solution (sidebar style widget)?
Sound waves should be free!
Test
is it just me or does everyone wish google would just stop trying to make all sorts of crap that we don't need? sure gmail was cool and yea the desktop search is needed if you use M$, but there is a reason why everyone loved the clean white page of google. It looked nice and say, "Hi, I'm just a search engine. I don't want your money." But now, every day, google labs gets closer to inventing a new version of microsoft that people actually love. I'm sure /. will lead the coverage all decked out in their google garmets (rss built-in!!!).
[an error occurred while processing this sig]
Looks like this will give us Vista's sidebar and WinFS-like searching a year or more before Vista comes out. Pretty cool.
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
oooh, a clock.. I always wanted one of those on my desktop..
At least until I find out more about google tracking us. http://mboffin.com/post.aspx?id=1830
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
Perhaps the rumors of Google hiring Firefox developer Ben Goodger so they could make their own browser are true...
Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
As long as Google apps are writen for windows only, Firefox has a role.
posted over 3 hours ago, no replies
Looks a lot better than the last revision though. Scratchpad alone seems worth it.
Is everyone asleep this morning or what?
!first post!
Is it just a matter of time until Google desktop becomes a full featured GUI that can run on the OS of your choice? That could be a clever end-run around the MS monopoly. If Google desktop becomes popular enough and has indentical (from the user's perspective) versions for Windows and *NIX this could get interesting.
These people look deep into my soul and assign me a number based on the order I joined.
GoogleOS is hotly anticipated by me =)
This is definately the first step toward goozilla. Now all we need is GooIM and GooOS!
Is this going to be a good reason for someone to switch over to Windows?
Is this evil? No wait, it's google, it must be OK....
Wow, I guess either no one cares, or everyone is too busy trying this out.
The deskbar is really slick, nice look. Browser? We don't need no stinking browser...
Sorry, but I'm keeping my browser, thanks. RSS feeds are nice, but they don't replace a genuine web browser for me.
...does it run on Linux?
:-/
Seriously, I'm beginning to get tired of this Google trend of releasing windows-only software
Lots of people are having big troubles to actually get into gmail the last couple of days
o ss+your+fingers+and+try+again+in+a+few+minutes%22& qt_s=Search
see: http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&q=%22Cr
Google is taking over slowly but smartly...
This is an unbelievably late first post, if not...
Testing 1 2 3... Is this on??
What will microsoft do, to respond to this update ? A version with IE, IM and Microsoft Search options (that cannot be minimised), or will they dig up a patent on the whole idea of desktop sidebars. Microsoft's new mission statement :- Google must be stopped.
They're going to slowly move GDS towards being a browser replacement?
Personally, I welcome another player in the browser (non-browser?) market. An important aspect is that this new app can get me to the things I want from the web without having to enter a url, click a bookmark or even open a browser. It isn't a new concept, but maybe this one will catch on.
What's going on here?
Wait... how does that make sense? Why would they want to take over the browser market with a desktop search utility?
Broken Slashdot FP
When will we see a Mac OS X or a Linux version?
where are all the posts?
Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
I cant play with this at work, but why has no one at all commented here??
Wait... how does that make sense? Why would Google masquerade their desktop search utility as a browser?
Google Desktop appears to include some kind of "Live Search" functionality, bringing Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger's "Spotlight" experience to Windows.
I wonder how it'll fare in terms of integration-- Spotlight gets updated whenever you touch a file (giving always-live info, but at the expense of constant DB updates). GD claims (FAQ) to update the DB only when the computer is not in use (removing the performance drag some people experience with Spotlight, but at the expense of missing recent files).
Any current users of both GD on Windows and Spotlight on Tiger that care to compare?
--
Why not drop the the redundant term 'search'.... and just make a Google Desktop? After all, it has the word google - which makes the term search redundant. The gmail interface has the glimmerings of a word processor already with its rich text interface, theres already a video player... the real google desktop can't be too far behind. Sad sad sad though that theres no linux support.
woohoo!
Is Slashdot broken?
wtf... no posts?
How is this replacing the browser if you can't do simple things like web browsing?
Ok. So it still says "Our one trick pony is our search". And still no thunderbird indexing ?. I've been saved by Bloomba once because it indexed my Imap cache of my personal mail.
> a new Sidebar which displays RSS feeds, a Gmail inbox, news, scratch pad and more.How original .. I wonder if all these were google innovations or just re-acquired tools pushed into one window (like my firefox side-bar which acts as an RSS window, Javascript console and DOM inspector together). And what's a scratch pad, some kind of notepad in a window ?.
> Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated.If it has Gecko or MSHTML inside and is web enabled, the lack of an addressbar does not make it any less of a browser. I slowly see an AOL'ish trend of google to draw customers into their all you need in one window approach which worked so well for AOL for many years. I don't like that kind of lock-in by anybody.
You know why I don't install Google toolbar, web-accelerator or Yahoo ! companions ?. I grew up in a web where everything was addressed and could be accessed by me with almost any capable tool in the market - these guys are trying to dictate tools for me according to their content marketing. They already know which websites I hit (Ads), what I look for (search), what I buy (froogle), whom I mail (gmail) and now they want in on the Desktop too. I don't want them to be the know-all spooks.Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum videtur
Is this really a failed first post? i think it is!
http://stretch.ragingfist.net/
Thanks.
Sadly I won't be testing it today. Seriously though - this is where Google have done things right until now, offering universally available services through an ordinary web browser. Why the sudden direction towards desktop apps?
Does it run on linux?
200GB/2TB $7.95 Coupon: SAVE90DOLLAR
Windoze-only code, a closed source black box, and you're touting it as a "replacement" for open-source browsers that run on multiple platforms? Ummm... no thanks.
The real news here, is that the product is now called "Google Desktop" -- and not "Google Desktop Search". This is a major change towards a Google desktop OS.
Is this going to work or is slashdot shagged?
Thank you.
What's up with all the stories and no comments?
Google Linux? Rather than writing plug-ins for the most popular Desktop OS, it'd be nice if Google released a complete desktop OS - with plug-ins / replacements for Outlook and Office. -
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
first post muthafukas
No workie.
...then I still won't use it. I don't save everything on my main PC, I keep a lot of stuff on my file server (makes it easier to use Mac, Linux, and Windows, having my files centralized). And that whole indexing-everything-including-every-web-page-you-g o-to-and-email-you-read thing kinda creeps me out too. Am I just being paranoid there?
I saw it on Slashdot, it must be true!
Microsoft is already working on IE7. Somebody please tell them...
Whoop-de-do. Last I checked it still had a few glaring bugs. Whats with teh feature-itis, adding new crap and leaving the old crap unfixed? Does it still requires 2 gigs free on your C: drive - even when windows is installed on D: ?
Caesar si viveret, ad remum dareris.
Google Linux? Instead of plug-ins for the most common desktop OS, it'd be nice if Google actually released a complete desktop - open source, fully configurable and fast!
-
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
When is it coming for linux?
the way google creates programs or integratres them into everyday life, i currently use a few different pieces of software from google, like Gmail Notifier and Desktop search, i am going to check out GDS 2.0 though
*resistance is futile, or fuzzy, i dunno*
I use Desktop Search at least every day. The email search indexing is wonderful and light years faster than native Outlook. It's great for those client requests "hey remember that email I sent you three months ago."
85% of Americans think this signature sucks
Surprised not to see even a single post after 3 hours!!
raj
Sarovar.org Hosting for open source projects in Indi
So the search bar can render HTML? Yeah I didn't think so.
Why do i not see any comments?
Noticed this happening on several articles..?
OT:
I tried GDS, and most of the plugins, are not integrated in GDS at all, but merely feature a small box in which you 'can' search.
No sidebar, just some socalled 'plugins' which are actually stand-alone apps.
Hivemind harvest in progress..
I just noticed that Google began displaying more links for some of the results (as I searched for "qemu", "vmware" or "fedora") and came to slashdot to see if there would be any google news about it.
Well, it seems like Google are making a web browser for real, eh?
Two words: Bit Torrent
Or one: Shareaza
Is a program that monitors activity really what you want? Is providing relevant information a service or a distraction? And what of privacy? What if users become dependent on the service and require it on another machine-- would there be a way to migrate? If so, what guarantee do we have that Google is secure (after all, GDS1 had severe cache serving problems)?
It's reported that the Yahoo toolbar accounts for half of all toolbar search traffic. Is GDS a corporate pissing match or does the tool really allign with Google's mission?
*shrug*
Just some food for thought.
Where are all the comments??? I guess everyone has gotten tired of the google stories?
Dear Google. Include a calendar, and I can finally get rid of this sh*t called Outlook.
Other players are KlipFolio, Yahoo Widgets (Konfabulator), and Samurize.
KlipFolio and Yahoo use a JavaScript runtime to let developers quickly build Klips/Widgets. Google and Saumrize use a C++/DLL system for building modules.
Anyone have experience will some of the above consumer dashboards and would like to share their thoughts?
Regards,... Fred
Life is NP-Complete
three stories without any replies ?
is slashdot broken?
What's wrong with slashdot today? There are no comments. Could people actually be getting work done today??
Why aren't there any posts? There isn't even one complaining about yet another google story.
Move along, no sig to see here.
whoo!
"a new Sidebar which displays RSS feeds, a Gmail inbox, news, scratch pad and more. Plug-ins for the new Sidebar are also available including a to-do list, clock, and more. As one blogger pointed out this morning...the release of Google Desktop 2.0 is beginning to take shape as a browser in itself as the need for a Firefox or IE is almost eliminated."
Because as we all know, the only things browsers are used for are a clock, todo list, scratch pad, and viewing various parts of the Google website.
Google could very well release its own browser, either by branding Mozilla/Firefox or writing its own, but this isn't it.
Alphanos
A google news and no comments?
Is it just me or something wrong with the reply system of Slashdot - I see no replies for the last 5 stories...
Omgili - Find out what people are saying.
It still doesn't treat itself as a normal application, you cannot choose where it installs or stores its cache file.
This is a big problem for those of us who use a small fast drive for the windows and like to keep all of our applications, data, etc. on seperate partitions.
(I used 1.0 until its index bloated to about 3 gig filling out my windows OS partition)
OMG! Somebody broke teh interweb!!1!!11!!
Is this post bugged?
Does anyone else think this looks like Longhorn's sidebar? The only difference is, it actually looks useful in Google's version.
any one want to give me $4bn? just thought I'd ask.
887321 = 337*2633
Are posts showing up?
Get it from an old MSDN set. It's not in the new ones as I'm sure you've found.
Or just forget it and upgrade to Windows 2000... that's only 5 years out of date..
Or does it use mshtml.dll for it's underpinnings?
If so then it is just as bad as IE is in general (with a useful face on it).
Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion, you must set yourself on fire.
Here it is:
http://desktop.google.com/plugins/c/all.html
None of them stood out as very useful to me, but I can imagine they could be great for some people.
With all the plug-ins for this, it's beginning to look an awful lot like a platform for widgets like Tiger and Konfabulator.
I think it'd be nice to have such a program available on all major platforms.
Am I the only one that noticed that their stock was going down on the screenshots page as an example of the stocks option for GDS? That doesn't look like very good marketing to me....
Will this thing index Outlook journals for me? I know MSN would do this, but I uninstalled that because the sidebar is so freaking cool. Will the sidebar ever match the installed theme in Windows XP? Will they ever include automatic update with this stuff?
Yes you are
Seems to just like the other Windows sidebar projects out there...
Sadly the whole idea is taken from Longhorn.
Get your Unix fortune now!
> "hey remember that email I sent you three months ago."
I don't know what MUA you use (Outlook Express?) but most normal clients can search by themselves just fine:
- Setup (IMAP) folders (auto sorting rule by "From:")
- To find a particular message, scroll in the folder around the date/week or even search by keyword in the whole folder
Why would I install crap on my PC for something I can accomplish with a single CTRL+F?
Because that 'crap' works better and faster than the native search in most email clients. Especially when dealing with large numbers of emails?
Search for a message in an inbox of 1000 messages in an ordinary MUA such as Outlook (IIRC, OE can do it, too).
Then, install Google Desktop Search or Lookout (in Outlook), and do the same.
Which one is faster?
Because Google's Desktop search is much more elegant and efficient.
But not "light years" ahead of the MS desktop search, which, unlike google, does not spy on you and send your local search results back to google for processing!
Google's takeover of the desktop is the biggest opt-in privacy invasion in history. The way they have managed to do so much evil and still remain "respected" is uncanny.
There's some hardware that Win2K is a dog on (*cough*original Pentiums with not much RAM*cough*)
That's what this guy probably wants it for...
.. because I've taken a whiff and don't think I want to drink it. I dunno if my cup is a bad one or what. I love google, and their desktop search seemed ok in the last version, but this thing looks like one of those annoying things that come on the HP's and Compaq's that go by "Compaq organize" or whatever. Does this thing just suck resources and realestate? Or is it something someone is gonna actually use. When I read the summary, I thought of something like Apple's Dashboard, but this doesn't seem anything near it. I've been starting to get not so keen on that too, it seems to use a lot of power. Must be the Java. That aside, I don't see myself installing this google deskbar on any of my windows machines anytime soon.
Sig: I stole this sig.
(I am a PM now and have learnt the hard way never to delete a mail)
is that you, Prime Minister Martin!? You certainly learned it the hard way.
I have 79,000 messages in my outlook inbox and I can search through them all in about 3 seconds.
Balls - my Outlook must be screwed, I can't get it to search 200 messages in less than 30 seconds generally. I also find the webpage retrieval really useful - better than the history and really helps me locate stuff. Am giving this sidebar thing a go at the moment, it's nothing special as yet.
The old version required you to be admin in order to run, which makes it tantalizing but ultimately useless in a business environment. Did they fix this?
Why is this funny? That's 1 user who's got the guts to post his opinion about social engineering going on in this site, and it gets modded funny! Read my first journal on this subject and mod the parent up so it gets seen prominently.
Cheers
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
About a year or so ago, I installed the google desktop bar, and I noticed that it also installed spyware on my machine.
Anyone else notice this? Or does the google desktop bar not do this anymore?
Google filed a registration statement that it's going to sell 14,159,265 shares. It hasn't done so yet. So, no, it's not $4bn richer. It will be (perhaps), just not right now.
"I didn't RTFA. Could somebody please read it for me?"
I've installed it and from my initial impressions it looks like a response to Yahoo's recent purchase of Konfabulator which does very similar things (brings a variety of different information directed towards the consumer to the desktop in one piece). Perhaps "response" is not the right word, but it's interesting to note how the two companies are converging in this direction. I'm not aware of a Microsoft application that's very similar. Maybe there is one.. if not, then expect one very soon.
The other thing that really, really bothered me is that I can't get the Google Desktop to work for firewall reasons (blame work). I couldn't find any proxy settings to muck with so now I'm dead in the water. (I'll try it at home, later.) Konfabulator, though, does work. Just something to note.
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Way to go, early birdie...
Ooh, you have a low Slashdot ID, yes you do, ooh!
Google's bar does NOT send the data back to Google for processing. Bullshit is not insightful.
Does anyone else see this as pretty much the same thing as the Desktop Sidebar? That's what I use, and I love it. It can even be integrated with ver. 1.0 of google desktop search.
Do you think that Google is trying to steal this for their own use, or are they claiming that it's completely their own idea? As a note, Desktop Sidebar stole the idea from the Longhorn betas.
Another thing, I sincerely do not think this will ever replace a browser... I will always use a browser.
Firefox is a memory-hogging piece of crap, crashes every time if open for more than two hours. The fact that it's free doesn't make it a great software app.
I knew this was going to happen.
Yeah, that's great that you got all of Window Maker Applets all lined up in a column there and it has a *few* of the things that was supposed to be in Longhorn. I still used Gkrellm a lot... ugghh. (I wonder how you've got Thunderbird 1.0 *and* Firefox 1.0 on your desktop - I never used Thunderbird under Linux so I don't know the version numbers but they didn't match up in the Windows world... did they?)
Geez, you don't have to convince me, I'm not 'Windoze fanboi'... just pointing out to the GP that this "Google Sidebar" is very similar to the Longhorn Sidebar.
Get your Unix fortune now!
This sounds a lot like that Netscape Desktop thing that never actually made it out the door. Constellation was it? Around 1997 I sent an email to a Netscape engineer and told him I thought they should make Netscape into a shell for linux and he replied that I wasn't alone and to keep my eye's open. Maybe this is finally it!
"You do not support the root but the root supports you." - Romans 11:18
actually, according to their docs, this new version gives users RSS feeds without the user even having to know wtf RSS is. It automatically sets the stuff up for you. So it isn't just another RSS feed reader, the feature sounds like it'd be rather handy and I don't know of any other doing this.
I tend to agree with your basic premise that a toolbar might not really be the ideal direction for Google - at least, if you want to see them remain known for their stark, but useful/powerful web pages.
.... that's probably just because it is so unobtrusive. But I've certainly used mine to see what time it is - and it's also a really quick way to realize if a given PC has an incorrectly set date/time which could cause strange errors in some applications.
But my main issue with toolbars are the fact that by their nature, they're gaudy "OS hacks". In essense, every time you see a "toolbar" on a system, it's a 3rd. party "after the fact" workaround for a perceived lack/failing of the OS itself.
A "system utility", "accessory" or "application", by contrast, would be a program that sits on the hard drive someplace and isn't seen or heard from until you specifically launch it.
You recently saw this illustrated in Mac OS X with all the whining over Apple's inclusion of the new "Dashboard" feature in v10.4. (Basically, it was amazingly similar in concept and execution to a shareware app that existed long before.) But ultimately, you see Dashboard winning people over. Why? Because obviously, it's a better situation to have such a thing integrated into the OS itself, even if it has some weaknesses compared to the 3rd. party "add ons". For starters, it's a "level playing field" because *all* users of that version of the OS have the same tool. You also have one less product on your computer supported by a separate party - so less chance of it suddenly becoming "unsupported" or incompatible, forcing you to wait for a fix.
I'm not necessarily against placing items of potential interest right on the user's desktop. I think the Windows clock in the taskbar is perfectly fine and unobtrusive. If people don't think to look at it when they want to know what time it is, well
Just get your favorite porn sites to offer up RSS feeds and you're there.
http://desktop.google.com/features.html
Photos: Watch a slideshow of photos from the web and from your computer. You can click on an image to see a larger view. In Options, you can add photos to the slideshow by selecting folders on your computer and RSS/Atom feeds from the web.
Watch out for this one though. Wouldn't want your browsing habits to sneak up on you at an inopportune time.
Photos from RSS/Atom feeds on frequently visited web pages are also automatically added to the Photos panel by default.
The Stone Age did not end because humans ran out of stones. - William McDonough
That is what F-Secure antivirus perceives it to be:
NAME: Istbar
ALIAS: TrojanDownloader.Win32.IstBar
VARIANT: TrojanDownloader.Win32.IstBar.bu
Istbar is an adware, which modifies Internet Explorer settings. It might install a new IE toolbar and change your default start page. It might also start new ad popups, typicaly advertising porn sites.
Istbar is not a virus and does not spread further from affected machines.
Maurice W. Hilarius Voice: (778) 347-9907
"MS desktop search does not spy on you and send your local search results back to google for processing!"
they don't need to. they own your desktop by default. they do whatever they want, whenever they see fit. btw, your OS has a serial number, did you know that?
I don't feel like it...
My thunderbird is indexed... in fact the email viewer in the toolbar works as well. There is a help article if it does not work here:
n swer=22957&topic=209
http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?a
Religion and politics, without the flame. godgab.org
Does their desktop search thing index file names yet? Seems like that's a key bit of meta-data they neglected, and the reason I uninstalled it months ago.
The link on answer to this question leads nowhere, moron!
By installing GDS you agree to any future version of Google's privacy policy, and they don't have to notify you when the update their privacy policy.
You agree not to hack around on GDS - no reverse engineering, decompiling, etc.
Google can modify the "terms and conditions" at any time, without notice. As long as GDS is still installed on your system you are bound by the new terms and conditions you don't know about.
Google makes no real attept to warn you about these terms and conditons, encouraging you not to read what you are agreeing to by putting a big blue "Agree and Download" button on their GDS page.
This will then force the user to focus on the new information without being able to interact or be distracted by what is now backgrounded.
I think we have mostly Apple to thank for that kind of overexposure, since they were primarily responsible for introducing overburdened user interfaces with title bars, lots of little buttons, menu bars, desk accessories, etc. With Konfabulator, Dashboard, and Expose, we are actually getting back to the kind of window management styles that were popular before Apple came out with that. However, it will be a long road back, given that everybody is so used to it now.
Due to the various interactions between programs from multiple vendors, they may get blamed for system instability if there is a negative interaction with another app that a user has installed.
Welcome to the real world: that's what happens when you deliver desktop software to real users.
Microsoft, since they percieve Google to be a threat are very likely going to make this Dekstop thing break.
There are limits to what Microsoft can do technically without annoying a lot of other developers, and they are under legal scrutiny. Also, what's the risk to Google? It's not like GDS is the core of their business. If Microsoft did anything to break GDS, the cost and fallout to Microsoft would be much worse than the loss of business to Google.
Finally, they'd be better off designing a replacement shell for Windows if they really want to have a "Google Desktop".
If Google did that, they would really be entering dangerous territory and put themselves at risk. No, creating a standard Windows application is their safest bet.
Why would I install crap on my PC for something I can accomplish with a single CTRL+F?
Because, like, it's google!! And like...they have ALLL of those really really neat engineers that do stuff for money! And...they're, like, totally not microsoft of sun (HAHAH SLOWLARIS!!!). And..like..GOOGLE! C'mon, like, they're not evil!!! OMG!
I just tried the link they suggested, copied and pasted the link, and it showed up as to boingboing.net.
Maybe this happens when you log into Google, or have some special personalized options set, but by no means is it on by default.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
Tripe. They have clearly-stated privacy policies. Why aren't you complaining about Microsoft? They have email, chat, and search services too! Heavens! Why aren't you up-in-arms that they control your desktop?
Google provides useful services. Your snide remarks about whether the sidebar has any innovation are unwarranted -- it indexes my Thunderbird mail (nice fact-checking, by the way) and provides a todo list among other things. I find it useful, even though it's been done before.
If you want to whine and moan about something, at least know what you're talking about. You'll sound more competent.
I can't tell from my cursory review of the web page... So I'll ask here: The Google Desktop Search engine claims to index my "Outlook EMail." What does this mean? Does it contain an Exchange client? Is it going to sift through all my eleventy-million e-mails on my company's Exchange server
GDS indexes your Outlook mail by communicating directly with Outlook. It should index anything that's in an Outlook folder, including IMAP, POP, or Exchange mail. It doesn't have any ability to talk directly to your Exchange server, though if you don't keep a local copy of your mail, it's going to hit the server quite a bit as it retrieves each and every message in your Exchange folders and indexes them.
You should DEFINITELY check with your company network admin before you install GDS -- most of them are not big fans, because of the potential security risks.
Great, just what we (your system administrators) need. This is like "calculate all folder sizes" on the Mac...all over again.
I think I just heard the RAID array have a conniption.
Please help metamoderate.
My machine has locked a half dozen times since I installed 2.0 beta this morning, and is now uninstalled. More testing before calling this stuff "beta", please...
In fact, it has been fairly well debunked [proudlyserving.com] for years now... yet people continue to cite it as proof of MS' evil empire.
Give it a rest.
You're so full of shit that your eyes are brown.
Go get some MS-DOS 6.22 disks and look for a file called os2.txt. Take a look at all of Microsoft's resolutions for installing MS-DOS while OS/2 is on a separate partition. All of Microsoft's options require the complete REMOVAL of OS/2 from the system! Yes, all of them!
I was so furious that I went out and bought IBM PC-DOS 7, which is IBM's repackaging of MS-DOS. Worked without a problem with OS/2 on a separate partition.
Care to repeat your highly ignorant statement again about Microsoft not intentionally breaking competitors' products? Well, in this case you're right. Microsoft didn't break OS/2 - it required the obliteration of OS/2.
The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.