So you're trying to tell me DOS applications ran with full mouse abilities on Windows 10 years ago? Drag+Drop and everything? Linux console applications in an Xterm?
Who's charging for what? Windows Anti-spyware is a free download, Microsoft has said the final release will continue to be free, and Microsoft is integrating it for free into all versions of Vista that are going to be released.
I'm sorry, I'm no Microsoft apologist, but Microsoft is trying here to improve the security of Windows. It may still be an add-on for Windows and not fixing the core problem, but nobody held a gun to their head and forced them to aquire the anti-spyware company they did (who's name eludes me at the moment). And nobody held a gun to their head and forced them to release it for free download on their website either.
I do see where you are coming from though. Pretty much all of the security add-ons for Linux are free.
Stick an idiot behind any operating system and a lot of damage can be caused.
If my mom were running Linux for instance, it probably wouldn't be too hard to name a script somerandompogogame.sh (of course using a real POGO game name) containing this:
#!/bin/bash rm -rf /
Tell her to run it as root (even be nice enough to provide instructions) and she may just do it.
Name me one serious application used by businesses that Google has put out?
Google Earth -- Nope Google Video Player -- Nope Google Desktop -- While, actually, they have an enterprise version of this, which isn't in beta. The stable home version isn't either. I doubt many businesses use it anyways. Picasa -- I doubt very many businesses rely on this one.
You are absolutely right. By trading with a dictatorship, you are funding companies that use child and slave labour. By Google censoring results from their search engine, they are merely providing a somewhat limited service for free to the Chinese people. And let's not forget the fact that www.google.com is still available to the Chinese in a Chinese language edition hosted on American servers, uncensored. The www.google.cn domain is there to provide better service to people in China, with more stability and uptime, due to problems caused by China's internet filters.
I never have said that Google should open source any of their software, and I have never said Microsoft should either. I agree it would be a noble gesture on the parts of both companies, but I'm indifferent as to whether they actually do it or not. They wrote the software, own the copyrights, its up to them and last but not least, it is none of my business.
That's my view anyways.
And to address number 1, if Microsoft wants to shut out 10% of their potential market, let them. I just won't use their services, as I have now been doing for the last couple months.
I am not against Microsoft. If Windows Live Mail was good enough to convince me to switch back from Gmail and worked in Firefox, I would definately use it. I guess I'll have to see when it comes out of Beta, seeing as I opted out.
This feature is awesome and I use it all the time. I used to have a Hotmail account before I switched to Gmail, but when I switched, I didn't want all of my contacts knowing my new email address. I simply installed Getmail+FreePOPs to forward my Hotmail email to my Gmail account, and added my Hotmail account as an option for the From: field.
Ummm, the article blurb simply stated Google would be offering this service. How exactly is this "worship". And why is it that people posting comments like this are always AC?
You know, OSNews recently banned anonymous posting. The site instantly became a lot more bearable.
Well Microsoft better make Windows Live Mail work reasonably well if they want that service to be successful. I spent two months trying to get into the beta program, and about 2 hours using it before I opted out and went back to Hotmail. And then 2 weeks later, I got a Gmail invite. So this was back in December, it probably has improved since then.
My beefs:
1) Shitty Firefox support 2)Sending emails wouldn't work, kept clicking Send (waiting a minute between clicks), then I would end up sending the email 5 times. Gmail is instant 99.9% of the time when I click Send, and for the other.1% of the time, it normally only takes 5-10 seconds. 3)Windows Live better offer a reasonably priced pay product for organizations, because the ads are freaking unbearable. 4)Not really a gripe, but more along the lines of a feature request. I love Gmail's way of holding down shift to open everything in new windows. If I want to type up a very long email and want a lot of space to work in, I simply hold down shift and click compose. This works good for professional emails (such as one I recently sent to my Alderman) where you want to have it looking a certain way with regards to formatting. I still use the normal compose box though for quick 3 line personal emails. Also, opening a conversation in a new window removes all of the ads from it (which aren't exactly intrusive in the first place).
Well, Gmail, like Google's other services, is run on Linux servers, just like their Search Appliance. They could offer internal Gmail as an add-on for the search appliance/mini, or make a whole new Gmail appliance. It could be a new business model for Google.
When you consider the hardware is already in place at Google with their search appliance, they wouldn't lose too much money if it wasn't successful. And it's not like Google doesn't have lots of money to piss away ($8 billion with zero debt currently according to Yahoo! Finance) anyways.
Mine never called home for upgrades. I was running GDS 2 Beta for well over a month after GDS 2 Final was released before I happened to go to desktop.google.com to look for a new plugin and noticed that the final had been released. I noticed that even Google Updater doesn't always update your Google Software (which is kind of weird when you think about it).
Well, considering the index is stored on your harddrive, there couldn't be very many places it goes. Again, for the reading impaired, your files are only stored on Google's servers if you go into the preferences and SPECIFICALLY TELL THE PROGRAM TO DO SO. I have the new version I just downloaded an hour or so ago on my computer, and can verify this.
GDS actually doesn't call home unless you tell it to.
GDS doesn't display ads ever. Not once have I ever seen an ad using GDS.
Simply don't enable the feature (which is disabled by default, but try telling that to the tards running this site) and don't enable Advanced Features. Done, no problems.
Assuming you enable the feature, which is disabled by default, sure!
I blame your idiotic comment partly on the dumb ass Slashdot mods who don't check links before accepting submissions, and partly on your laziness and/or inability to RTFA.
I just installed the new version. It is NOT enabled by default. This is the text displayed right next to where you click to enable the feature:
Index and search my documents and viewed web pages from across all my computers.
(This feature stores your indexed files on Google Desktop servers for copying to your other computers. Learn more about this feature or our Privacy Policy.)
They provide links to both. Much more upfront than say, Bonzai Buddy.
Had you RTFA, you would notice the EFF did exactly that. Blame your misunderstanding on Slashdot's editors not knowing how to check links before posting stories, not on the EFF. From TFA:
San Francisco - Google today announced a new "feature" of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new "Search Across Computers" feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.
Windows Live is an unstable joke. None of Google's betas are as unstable as Windows Live Beta. It is the only portal that I have used that can't even remember when I add content to it the next time I log in. I added Windows Live Mail preview to it 6 times before I gave up and switched back to My Yahoo! (from there, I switched to Igoogle).
MSN Search is a joke, and a not very often used joke at that. I have never seen a single person use MSN search. I know one person who uses Yahoo! search. The rest use Google. Case in point, I am involved in a civil lawsuit right now (I'm one of the plaintiffs). I did a Google search on the entity I'm sueing, and had more than enough information in seconds. I was able to track properties the entity owned by viewing building permits available in Google Cache. Yahoo....0 results. MSN....0 results.
I know my demographic isn't very large, but after using both services myself (including Hotmail, Windows Live Mail and Gmail), I doubt Google is too worried. Windows Live Mail isn't even out of beta yet, and there are so many ads plastered all over it, it is almost unbearable.
Then, add onto that the fact that Microsoft is the only major internet company who couldn't make a cross-browser site if their life depended on it. Gmail works perfectly in Firefox and IE, relatively well in Opera, and as far as I have seen, fairly well in Safari. Try using Windows Live Mail in Firefox and see what happens.
Despite what people say here, Microsoft does Operating Systems relatively well. Web applications on the other hand.....well, I think Microsoft should start stealing Google's talent. The only way I can see Microsoft winning this war is by integrating Windows Live incredibly deep into Windows. And when you consider MSN ships as the default site in IE, and people still go out of their way to use Google, I doubt it will hurt Google that much.
Ummmm, since when is Gmail searchable by anyone other than the original owner (assuming, for the sake of arguement, that the owner isn't dumb and doesn't give out their login information)?
And this is a feature you have to enable in the software. Oh, and it is only searchable by people you authorize it to be searchable by. It doesn't show up in Google Search results.
This is one of those instances where you should RTFA.
As far as I can tell, you can disable the option. However, I sincerely hope it is disabled by default, with you being able to turn it on if you wish. If Google has this option enabled by default, I definately will go out of my way to make sure people don't use this tool.
Essentially, if this feature is disabled by default, I'm fine with it being available (assuming their is a notice for people about to turn it on). If it is enabled by default, in my opinion, Google has produced their first piece of spyware.
It's an option you have to go out of your way to enable, it tells you right in the preferences what it does, and their privacy policy tells you not only that the files are stored on Google's servers, but the policies Google has for deleting said files. On top of that, Google offers a way for you to manually delete your files.
I can't imagine Google pushing too far with this, without tripping over privacy laws, or being labelled a producer of spyware.
I use and love Google Desktop, and if I upgrade to this version, I will just make sure right when I install it that this option isn't enabled.
I can imagine the binaries for Google Desktop are now going to be decompiled and checked to see if disabling that option actually prevents the files from being sent to Google. So we should know whether or not Google is evil in a short time.
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Wasn't replying to you. Go to my original post and click "Parent". He was modded down, which is why you aren't seeing him.
So you're trying to tell me DOS applications ran with full mouse abilities on Windows 10 years ago? Drag+Drop and everything? Linux console applications in an Xterm?
Actually, I didn't say BETA, but I meant to :-P
Who's charging for what? Windows Anti-spyware is a free download, Microsoft has said the final release will continue to be free, and Microsoft is integrating it for free into all versions of Vista that are going to be released.
I'm sorry, I'm no Microsoft apologist, but Microsoft is trying here to improve the security of Windows. It may still be an add-on for Windows and not fixing the core problem, but nobody held a gun to their head and forced them to aquire the anti-spyware company they did (who's name eludes me at the moment). And nobody held a gun to their head and forced them to release it for free download on their website either.
I do see where you are coming from though. Pretty much all of the security add-ons for Linux are free.
Stick an idiot behind any operating system and a lot of damage can be caused.
If my mom were running Linux for instance, it probably wouldn't be too hard to name a script somerandompogogame.sh (of course using a real POGO game name) containing this:
#!/bin/bash
rm -rf /
Tell her to run it as root (even be nice enough to provide instructions) and she may just do it.
Name me one serious application used by businesses that Google has put out?
Google Earth -- Nope
Google Video Player -- Nope
Google Desktop -- While, actually, they have an enterprise version of this, which isn't in beta. The stable home version isn't either. I doubt many businesses use it anyways.
Picasa -- I doubt very many businesses rely on this one.
Catch my drift?
You are absolutely right. By trading with a dictatorship, you are funding companies that use child and slave labour. By Google censoring results from their search engine, they are merely providing a somewhat limited service for free to the Chinese people. And let's not forget the fact that www.google.com is still available to the Chinese in a Chinese language edition hosted on American servers, uncensored. The www.google.cn domain is there to provide better service to people in China, with more stability and uptime, due to problems caused by China's internet filters.
& lr=&q=Tiananmen+square
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=zh-CN
To address your post further, this was the first sentence of my post.
Well Microsoft better make Windows Live Mail work reasonably well if they want that service to be successful
I was kind of hinting in the future when it comes out of BETA. I should have made it clearer what I meant though. My bad!
I never have said that Google should open source any of their software, and I have never said Microsoft should either. I agree it would be a noble gesture on the parts of both companies, but I'm indifferent as to whether they actually do it or not. They wrote the software, own the copyrights, its up to them and last but not least, it is none of my business.
That's my view anyways.
And to address number 1, if Microsoft wants to shut out 10% of their potential market, let them. I just won't use their services, as I have now been doing for the last couple months.
I am not against Microsoft. If Windows Live Mail was good enough to convince me to switch back from Gmail and worked in Firefox, I would definately use it.
I guess I'll have to see when it comes out of Beta, seeing as I opted out.
This feature is awesome and I use it all the time. I used to have a Hotmail account before I switched to Gmail, but when I switched, I didn't want all of my contacts knowing my new email address. I simply installed Getmail+FreePOPs to forward my Hotmail email to my Gmail account, and added my Hotmail account as an option for the From: field.
Wouldn't Google's search appliance also defeat this mission then?
Ummm, the article blurb simply stated Google would be offering this service. How exactly is this "worship". And why is it that people posting comments like this are always AC?
You know, OSNews recently banned anonymous posting. The site instantly became a lot more bearable.
Well Microsoft better make Windows Live Mail work reasonably well if they want that service to be successful. I spent two months trying to get into the beta program, and about 2 hours using it before I opted out and went back to Hotmail. And then 2 weeks later, I got a Gmail invite. So this was back in December, it probably has improved since then.
.1% of the time, it normally only takes 5-10 seconds.
My beefs:
1) Shitty Firefox support
2)Sending emails wouldn't work, kept clicking Send (waiting a minute between clicks), then I would end up sending the email 5 times. Gmail is instant 99.9% of the time when I click Send, and for the other
3)Windows Live better offer a reasonably priced pay product for organizations, because the ads are freaking unbearable.
4)Not really a gripe, but more along the lines of a feature request. I love Gmail's way of holding down shift to open everything in new windows. If I want to type up a very long email and want a lot of space to work in, I simply hold down shift and click compose. This works good for professional emails (such as one I recently sent to my Alderman) where you want to have it looking a certain way with regards to formatting. I still use the normal compose box though for quick 3 line personal emails. Also, opening a conversation in a new window removes all of the ads from it (which aren't exactly intrusive in the first place).
Well, Gmail, like Google's other services, is run on Linux servers, just like their Search Appliance. They could offer internal Gmail as an add-on for the search appliance/mini, or make a whole new Gmail appliance. It could be a new business model for Google.
When you consider the hardware is already in place at Google with their search appliance, they wouldn't lose too much money if it wasn't successful. And it's not like Google doesn't have lots of money to piss away ($8 billion with zero debt currently according to Yahoo! Finance) anyways.
Mine never called home for upgrades. I was running GDS 2 Beta for well over a month after GDS 2 Final was released before I happened to go to desktop.google.com to look for a new plugin and noticed that the final had been released. I noticed that even Google Updater doesn't always update your Google Software (which is kind of weird when you think about it).
Most people won't go out of their way to enable this feature, considering it is disabled by default, so I doubt it will be much of an issue.
Well, considering the index is stored on your harddrive, there couldn't be very many places it goes. Again, for the reading impaired, your files are only stored on Google's servers if you go into the preferences and SPECIFICALLY TELL THE PROGRAM TO DO SO. I have the new version I just downloaded an hour or so ago on my computer, and can verify this.
GDS actually doesn't call home unless you tell it to.
GDS doesn't display ads ever. Not once have I ever seen an ad using GDS.
Simply don't enable the feature (which is disabled by default, but try telling that to the tards running this site) and don't enable Advanced Features. Done, no problems.
Assuming you enable the feature, which is disabled by default, sure!
I blame your idiotic comment partly on the dumb ass Slashdot mods who don't check links before accepting submissions, and partly on your laziness and/or inability to RTFA.
I just installed the new version. It is NOT enabled by default. This is the text displayed right next to where you click to enable the feature:
Index and search my documents and viewed web pages from across all my computers.
(This feature stores your indexed files on Google Desktop servers for copying to your other computers. Learn more about this feature or our Privacy Policy.)
They provide links to both. Much more upfront than say, Bonzai Buddy.
Had you RTFA, you would notice the EFF did exactly that. Blame your misunderstanding on Slashdot's editors not knowing how to check links before posting stories, not on the EFF. From TFA:
San Francisco - Google today announced a new "feature" of its Google Desktop software that greatly increases the risk to consumer privacy. If a consumer chooses to use it, the new "Search Across Computers" feature will store copies of the user's Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets and other text-based documents on Google's own servers, to enable searching from any one of the user's computers. EFF urges consumers not to use this feature, because it will make their personal data more vulnerable to subpoenas from the government and possibly private litigants, while providing a convenient one-stop-shop for hackers who've obtained a user's Google password.
Windows Live is an unstable joke. None of Google's betas are as unstable as Windows Live Beta. It is the only portal that I have used that can't even remember when I add content to it the next time I log in. I added Windows Live Mail preview to it 6 times before I gave up and switched back to My Yahoo! (from there, I switched to Igoogle).
MSN Search is a joke, and a not very often used joke at that. I have never seen a single person use MSN search. I know one person who uses Yahoo! search. The rest use Google. Case in point, I am involved in a civil lawsuit right now (I'm one of the plaintiffs). I did a Google search on the entity I'm sueing, and had more than enough information in seconds. I was able to track properties the entity owned by viewing building permits available in Google Cache. Yahoo....0 results. MSN....0 results.
I know my demographic isn't very large, but after using both services myself (including Hotmail, Windows Live Mail and Gmail), I doubt Google is too worried. Windows Live Mail isn't even out of beta yet, and there are so many ads plastered all over it, it is almost unbearable.
Then, add onto that the fact that Microsoft is the only major internet company who couldn't make a cross-browser site if their life depended on it. Gmail works perfectly in Firefox and IE, relatively well in Opera, and as far as I have seen, fairly well in Safari. Try using Windows Live Mail in Firefox and see what happens.
Despite what people say here, Microsoft does Operating Systems relatively well. Web applications on the other hand.....well, I think Microsoft should start stealing Google's talent. The only way I can see Microsoft winning this war is by integrating Windows Live incredibly deep into Windows. And when you consider MSN ships as the default site in IE, and people still go out of their way to use Google, I doubt it will hurt Google that much.
Ummmm, since when is Gmail searchable by anyone other than the original owner (assuming, for the sake of arguement, that the owner isn't dumb and doesn't give out their login information)?
And this is a feature you have to enable in the software. Oh, and it is only searchable by people you authorize it to be searchable by. It doesn't show up in Google Search results.
This is one of those instances where you should RTFA.
As far as I can tell, you can disable the option. However, I sincerely hope it is disabled by default, with you being able to turn it on if you wish. If Google has this option enabled by default, I definately will go out of my way to make sure people don't use this tool.
Essentially, if this feature is disabled by default, I'm fine with it being available (assuming their is a notice for people about to turn it on). If it is enabled by default, in my opinion, Google has produced their first piece of spyware.
It's an option you have to go out of your way to enable, it tells you right in the preferences what it does, and their privacy policy tells you not only that the files are stored on Google's servers, but the policies Google has for deleting said files. On top of that, Google offers a way for you to manually delete your files.
I can't imagine Google pushing too far with this, without tripping over privacy laws, or being labelled a producer of spyware.
I use and love Google Desktop, and if I upgrade to this version, I will just make sure right when I install it that this option isn't enabled.
I can imagine the binaries for Google Desktop are now going to be decompiled and checked to see if disabling that option actually prevents the files from being sent to Google. So we should know whether or not Google is evil in a short time.