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Google Eliminates Gizmo5 Client For Linux

Posted by kdawson on from the poor-relation dept.

cuttheredwire writes "Evidence on the Gizmo5 forum (login required) confirms that since Google's takeover of Gizmo5, only the Windows, Mac, and iPhone clients are available for download from the official Web page. The Linux download link no longer works. This is a potential problem for happy Linux users with paid-up credit in their Gizmo5 accounts if they need to reinstall the software. A back-door download is still available, although it is speculated on the forums that it will go away soon. Does this mean that (as with other Google projects such as Google Talk) Linux will be the poor relation for Google Voice also?"

8 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Chrome OS? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Since Google is busy on its own linux-based Chrome OS, I would be surprised if they weren't planning on providing a linux client anytime soon. My guess would be that they're making a linux client to ship with ChromeOS that is kickass, compared to the Gizmo5 builds of windows/mac.

    1. Re:Chrome OS? by WindBourne · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yes, but that may be a serious mistake for Google. MS is looking to take on Google by using their monopoly. They have nearly 40 years of showing that they have NO ISSUE with doing illegal and immoral actions to win to destroy another company (I would NOT be surprised to find out that those 2 bozos have had ppl murdered). The only way to win long term with ANY monopoly like this is to the fight out of their backyard. That is what happened to us @ IBM when I worked there. Basically, Google should be make a concerted effort to have the best stuff ported to Linux (even *nix) where they will force MS to compete FAIRLY.

      --
      I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
    2. Re:Chrome OS? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Modded troll. Hmmm. Fanbois bite.

      The fact is, I like Google. I use a good bit of their stuff. But, another fact is, they make tons of money. They also answer to investors. Could ChromeOS be the ultimate spyware? Yes, it COULD!! Do I expect it to be? Not really. But, all the same, why don't we wait and see just how much spying it does in it's final version? I know for a fact that Google has a ton of spy crap watching us on the web. This is why I have AdBlock Plus - I don't like Google Analytics analyzing every move I make on the web.

      Come on, children, let's stop being fanbois, and do our own analysis. And, someone mod Johnsie back up to at least a zero.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    3. Re:Chrome OS? by Runaway1956 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, I didn't see much of Gnu in ChromeOS. It's a freaking kernel with a browser. Gno Gnome, gno Gnash, gno gnothing. Just Linux and Chrome. That may be subject to change, but from the things I've read, gnot freaking likely.

      --
      "Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
    4. Re:Chrome OS? by Smallpond · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So we need to write an OSS distributed search engine called Gnugle? It could run as the idle task in your browser or screensaver and replace the centralized ad-supported search with distributed free software. Time to take back the internet from Google.

      Listen up ICANN, DNS would be next.

    5. Re:Chrome OS? by selven · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Chrome OS probably won't spy on you itself, it doesn't need to. It's the web applications which Chrome OS encourages you to use that spy on you. That privacy-intruding experience is available on every browser and every operating system, it's which web app you use that matters.

  2. ok now more seriously-- by daveb1 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Personally, i am no interested in any voip solution that isn't a standard (sip etc.). If i can't connect my ATA up to it, im not interested.

  3. Re:Google: Community Taker, Not So Much Giver by chabotc · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Actually Google does not strut about mouthing "Do no evil", it's in the "Ten things we know to be true" (http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html) that it believes it can do business without being evil, but the strutting around mouthing the "Do no evil" mantra is done by the people who want to use it as some kind of perverted emotional blackmail to force a company to do their bidding.

    Now evil is not an objective term, what to one could be considered 'evil' might be perfectly normal to others (drinking alcohol or seeing a woman's hair is 'evil' in some cultures, while heavenly in others) so it is an easy term to abuse.

    However calling Google hypocritical while they are the #1 investor in open web protocols (openid, oauth, portablecontacts, opensocial, hyrbid openid/oauth, webfinger, salmon, etc), one of the largest contributors to open source (even though not everything is open source, or anywhere near perfect, they have more people working and contributing to opensource then say red hat, novel or any of the other classic OS companies), they actively sponsor Apache, OS events and motivate people to become OS contributors through the Summer of Code program, and on top of all of that they have released quite a bit over 100 large open source products and libraries.

    So ok in your opinion Google's primary business should be desktop software, with Linux ports for each and every one of those products.. Ok and if you were a majority owner of Google that opinion might matter

    In reality how ever Google is a web company, and most of the engineers at Google are working on web products that all work fine in Safari, Chrome, FF and even IE, so that really includes all major OS's, and thus sidestepping the 'platform wars' entirely. A smart move i.m.o.