Slashdot Mirror
Glitch Has Users Fuming, Google 'Frantic'
netbuzz writes "A problem with Google's Personalized Home Page feature has apparently cost a lot of users their carefully crafted doors to the Internet. And Google, which says it is frantically searching for a fix, also acknowledges that it is not sure if it will be able to recover the lost settings. 'The problem is the latest in what seems a regular stream of technical glitches and availability problems affecting Google's online services. In the past six months, Google services like Blogger, Gmail and Google Apps have all experienced significant technical issues that have left users fuming. The problems highlight one of the risks of relying on hosted applications providers, which offer to house software and its data for individuals and organizations. Google is one of the biggest cheerleaders for this software provisioning model, which many see as a viable option to the traditional approach of having users install applications on their own PCs and servers.'"
So your company is running Windows?
You clearly aren't considering admin salary cost for administering a box and are underestimating the amount of work involved (e.g. backups are not zero cost even if automated), which leads me to conclude you aren't experienced in what you're talking about. In-house servers may work fine for the large firm you used to work IT at, but you're on crack if you're recommending that every business set up and administer their own boxes rather than take an essentially free service with zero hw, sw & admin costs.
I always cringe when kids try to estimate costs for setting up & adminning a server based primarily on what the components cost on Newegg.
A truly properly maintained and secured system should shit on online apps for reliability of access.
Here, let me help you with that:
A truly properly maintained and secured hosted system should shit on desktop apps for reliability of access.
There. Now, you prove your version, and I'll prove mine.
Yeah? Well I think you're overrated too.
"It's almost a lock in."
..... Google Lock In is the only explanation I can proffer.
Uhh.. No, actually this _IS_ lock-in. It's the very definition of lock-in. Not only do they store your data in a proprietary format, they don't even give you access to download the data at all, even in their proprietary formats.
Like it or not (and I'm sure i'll get modded down by at least one google fanboy), Google uses lock-in just like Microsoft and Adobe and practically every other software company. People deride MSFT for their techniques, but turn the other cheek when Google does it. I should be able to click a link and download a tar with all my GMail messages, likewise for their Documents, Spreadsheets, Calendar, etc. If they're worried about bandwidth, maybe only allow people to d/l the archive once a month or so.
There's no reason they can't do this... so you have to ask yourself why they HAVEN'T done it yet.