tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post7678512148853184603..comments2024-03-18T02:14:57.204-07:00Comments on Google Operating System: In Google We TrustAlex Chituhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02618542750965508582noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-31295980220306082572011-01-05T00:53:43.620-08:002011-01-05T00:53:43.620-08:00I am coming somewhat late to the party, but I did ...I am coming somewhat late to the party, but I did exactly as you did: I threw my heart and soul to Google. As my account grows with apps, if I lost Notebook, it would be a serious disappointment. Some things, like notes, or conversations I need to remember, are best placed there, not Docs. Also, the removal of tracking by Google Reader turned my blogs inside out! I have long bloglists that updated on their own. Now I had to switch everything to RSS. I even use Chromium, even though if's a bit over my head, the development part, that is. I haven't programmed in over 12 years, and I have a head injury. But I love Chromium; my extensions didn't work in Chrome. But today, I updated Chrome, and I'm considering importing all my bookmarks into Chrome.<br />I've been having a terrible experience with Twitter using my identity to sell products. I always read the EULA, but this slipped past me. Because I'm an advocate and activist, I need the social networks. Google Buzz accepted the Twitter "identity theft." So now, we know they keep our data for 18 months (60 minutes show.) And I, too, fear they will turn into Microsoft. I'm so familiar with Blogger, and all the rest, that I don't want to switch. But, I did recently resurrect my Yahoo and Hotmail (now live.com) email accounts. That's what computers have really been about since the late '80's: things change at the drop of a hat. I sympathize. And I'm considering going to Linux, and to hell with Chrome OS. sighscribadivahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10241719853564280117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-77760650198573450202010-12-01T14:50:16.259-08:002010-12-01T14:50:16.259-08:00aw I miss google pages. Although to be fair they d...aw I miss google pages. Although to be fair they did replace it with google sites. But google sites is more restrictive. =(<br />I can't upload .exe or .html on there unless its zipped up.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-10631743174046302762009-04-04T04:21:00.000-07:002009-04-04T04:21:00.000-07:00Free cheese in a mousetrap !!Free cheese in a mousetrap !!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-33890663216980817492009-03-29T23:05:00.000-07:002009-03-29T23:05:00.000-07:00They also stopped googlepages...They also stopped googlepages...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-6496795459027054302009-03-29T16:27:00.000-07:002009-03-29T16:27:00.000-07:00really loved the read and a truly interesting pers...really loved the read and a truly interesting perspective!Liz McCoyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15840876295443579392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-20243936500346673042009-03-28T13:03:00.000-07:002009-03-28T13:03:00.000-07:00Stopping a free service I wouldn't class as evil (...Stopping a free service I wouldn't class as evil (though I found notebook very useful). <BR/><BR/>Regarding them auctioning off search histories, is this anonymous or linked to the user? Google has always clearly been a profit driven organisation that makes money through advertising - but i would class it as 'evil territory' if there taking information without making it clear and then selling it to others. However, as far as i'm aware there not doing this. I guess it could be clearer though that if you sign up to any of there services or use any of there software that they will be monitoring, storing and possibly selling that information.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09569636718298330103noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-16039400593059293512009-03-26T16:53:00.000-07:002009-03-26T16:53:00.000-07:00Who trusts the US government? We expect them to d...Who trusts the US government? We expect them to do all those nasty things. But, Google built its empire on TRUST. You know, "don't be evil." It's like, we all know that there are nasty people out there doing nasty things all the time, but if our friend did something a little bit nasty, well, we'd notice.<BR/><BR/>Well, we notice when Google slips from the high perch that they put themselves on. That's the problem with being on top, there's a long way to fall. That there are a near-infinite number of other scummy groups below them is irrelevant. Get it? ... "In Google We Trust"Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06871828550629252076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-84492883122277649122009-03-26T15:42:00.000-07:002009-03-26T15:42:00.000-07:00People... I am astounded. As others have pointed o...People... I am astounded. As others have pointed out, what GOOG does, others also do in spades and with less disclosure. What really blows me away is the amount of concern about GOOG vs the amount of concern about the GOVERNMENT. Ahem. Who is bigger? Who has more resources? Who has the ability to confiscate property, conduct 'extraordinary rendition,' intercept ALL your electronic communications without a warrant, 'coercively interrogate' aka torture you, etc etc? Not GOOG, people! Uncle Sam! What have all you nerds been smoking since 9-11? You are worrried about targeted advertising. Holy crap, you are all nucking futs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-7819279168591791622009-03-26T11:31:00.000-07:002009-03-26T11:31:00.000-07:00eternal vigilance is the price of...basically this...eternal vigilance is the price of...<BR/><BR/>basically this is good that everyone is expressing themselves. but as another poster mentioned, TINSTAaFL(there is no such thing as a free lunch).<BR/><BR/>I think it is important to offer Google Corp other options by expressing what there services are worth in dollar amounts. If every Googler had the option to "give their soul for free services" OR pay $100 per year to use the services without giving their information to Google, that might be something they could offer and make money at. <BR/><BR/>But everybody wants FREE, and that is impossible to deliver. It is unreasonable to expect that a company can deliver inventive and cutting edge products with NO OVERHEAD. I think they are trying to monetize however they can right now because they have to to weather the storm. Not that they aren't also allowing themselves to be dominated by stock prices.<BR/><BR/>But I just hope that we have learned from our economic turbulence right now that focusing on stock prices in the next quarter ends up getting you into trouble in the long run. You have to keep feeding the Goose "that lays the golden eggs."<BR/><BR/>And guess what, we are the one of the Geese. If the users don't exist, they have no business. <BR/><BR/>again, eternal vigilance is the price of...fill in the blank.meanderingthemazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06498220513118305559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-30058137195226167522009-03-26T10:03:00.000-07:002009-03-26T10:03:00.000-07:00RoninTDK said:...then it's just 'normal' ...And, t...RoninTDK said:<BR/><BR/>...then it's just 'normal' ...<BR/><BR/>And, that's the whole point. When did Google become normal? Google was always:<BR/> "What, are they crazy?"<BR/> "How are they going to make money at THAT?"<BR/> "They're giving it away for free?"<BR/> "No one is going to get away with that!"<BR/><BR/>Normal? I always thought the people running Google thought 'normal' was just a setting on a dryer.<BR/><BR/>You're right though, it had to happen sooner or later. I suppose if I owned a lot of stock in Google, I'd be happy with their corporate maturation. But, I'm just an opinionated user, and it's, well, kind of sad.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-10801784007396381452009-03-26T08:14:00.000-07:002009-03-26T08:14:00.000-07:00We're in the middle of an economic crisis people. ...We're in the middle of an economic crisis people. Every company, even google needs to stop with activities that are least profitable. I'm a fanatic Google Notebook user, but if the reality is that not so many people use it and that it is not profitable, then it's just 'normal' that is no longer developed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-23152131303758424822009-03-26T03:14:00.000-07:002009-03-26T03:14:00.000-07:00And what does Google have to say about this?I'd li...And what does Google have to say about this?<BR/><BR/>I'd like to hear some answers from them in some continous post.iPowerBoY93https://www.blogger.com/profile/15782254156318187829noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-8616698891636446692009-03-26T01:39:00.000-07:002009-03-26T01:39:00.000-07:00Totally agree with most comments, this is an aweso...Totally agree with most comments, this is an awesome post and I definitely agree that Google is loosing it's edge as "the friendly corporation". I think they are being a little pushed into these corners though, just look at the UK press response to Street View being implemented in out country.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-13467800052275836442009-03-26T01:32:00.000-07:002009-03-26T01:32:00.000-07:00Hands down excellent post.Hands down excellent post.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-30742234411111573192009-03-25T20:28:00.000-07:002009-03-25T20:28:00.000-07:00> Pretty soon some other startup will come alon...> Pretty soon some other startup will come along...<BR/><BR/>Well, if you find one, send 'em to me. I'll show them how to flip advertising on its head, get people actively trying to attract the attention of the best advertisers. We'll get rich together, without being evil. Google's heading in the wrong direction...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-74804723835171442732009-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:002009-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:00I hate to tell you this, but it's not the bean cou...I hate to tell you this, but it's not the bean counters who gain control (they're just drones). It's the shareholders who buy into a corporation and the board of directors who get to chart the course for their company. Unfortunately this happens to nearly every corporation that starts out with vision and ingenuity. <BR/><BR/>Pretty soon some other startup will come along and we'll like and trust them more than Google; then they'll become too big for their britches, and we'll have to assign our loyalties to someone else, ad infinitum.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-87134937725426794572009-03-25T19:32:00.000-07:002009-03-25T19:32:00.000-07:00dualsub2006 said ......or this direct quote from t...dualsub2006 said ...<BR/><BR/>...or this direct quote from the guest:<BR/><BR/>"package up these histories and then auctioning them off to advertisers does bother me, a lot actually. That's just a little bit evil, don't you think?"<BR/><BR/>This is a total misstatement of the facts.<BR/>...<BR/>That means that Ionut has allowed a guest blogger to post false and misleading statements.<BR/><BR/>----<BR/><BR/>In my own defense, I think this is a little harsh. While it may be a generalization, even an over-generalization, I don't think it's false. I was trying to keep the entry short, believe it or not, and cut out a lot of details. Anyway, my understanding is that Google will be using my history to place me into various "Interest Categories" (the packaging) and then selling advertising space on those categories to the highest bidder (the auction). And, yes, I find this a little bit creepy. Yes, I am well aware that many other companies attempt the same thing, and are perhaps far more invasive in their attempts, but this is Google we're talking about here.<BR/><BR/>Flipping this around, do you think Microsoft could have gotten away with machine-reading emails to place context-sensitive advertising? I don't think so. Google is special because they worked very hard at building trust. Is Google becoming evil like Microsoft? Of course not, and Microsoft is watered-down meek on any scale of true evil. It's not like Mr. Bill overthrew governments or set up forced labor camps to make his money. I mean, the guy played a little business hardball and he gets lumped in with the Borg.<BR/><BR/>The web is built on trust and it doesn't take much to earn the "Evil Empire" label. I'm just saying that Google is "most trusted" at the moment, and they have a lot to lose. Interest-based advertising is not the right way to go, especially when there are far better alternatives that are more inline with the published or at least perceived Google ethic. If they had taken a different path, they could have been making a lot more money and people would be cheering them on.<BR/><BR/>As for Notebook, well, I'm not exactly shopping around for a replacement. It still works and will continue to do so, at least until the Firefox plug-in is incompatible with any usable version. By that time, I expect there will be much better alternatives. The issue is not that a good service is going away, it's that, well, it's hard to put into words. It's like the very first scratch on a new car; it hurts way out of proportion to the actual damage. It's just not new anymore.<BR/><BR/>The next time Google stops a service, it will be "oh well, there goes another one..." And, after that... sigh. But, the first one, well, that always sets a person back. Google isn't new anymore, it's a little less shiny, heading down that path to "business casual" dress-codes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-53246156819009991822009-03-25T15:11:00.000-07:002009-03-25T15:11:00.000-07:00I like Google Notebook very much. I wish Google do...I like Google Notebook very much. I wish Google don't stop it. Please~~marschenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10551202562707073192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-91394715539034430302009-03-25T12:35:00.000-07:002009-03-25T12:35:00.000-07:00Google has its own ad service so Google would gain...Google has its own ad service so Google would gain nothing by selling user data. They use the data to provide personalized ads to you but they could check your browser history and offer you ads based on the history and believe me, you don't want that because it would be much more irrelevant to your actual interests and you could get ads based on sites you have accidentally opened. (Porn, spam, viruses.)<BR/><BR/>Google closes down some services? Well, they do, but all companies lose services which gain no profit. You can't blame them for it.<BR/><BR/>IMO Google's greatest problem is that it is updating its applications (Chrome for example) without asking/notifying you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-9743911129176141652009-03-25T12:12:00.000-07:002009-03-25T12:12:00.000-07:00I rather surprised at how many people think Google...I rather surprised at how many people think Google is really this other type of company that isn't interested in making money. <BR/><BR/>"Do no evil" is a marketing slogan. Google is a company in the business of making money. Of course, its leaders should try to do good while they make that money, and Google does a lot of good. But Google is not a charity. They will do what helps Google. (For example, they are willing to support government censorship in China.) And even when they mean to do good, they sometimes cause a lot of harm. (Such as their support of the radical redefinition of marriage which, if successful, will cause immense suffering for many generations.)<BR/><BR/>To think that Google is somehow exempt from normal economic forces is naive in the extreme. If you find their services and applications useful, use them. But don't be shocked to discover that Google is actually a business.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08999599420983854165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-7288386581532963312009-03-25T11:56:00.000-07:002009-03-25T11:56:00.000-07:00Ugh, I couldn't only get halfway through these com...Ugh, I couldn't only get halfway through these comments (just don't have the time to read 'em all). <BR/><BR/>I'm glad that I can still use Notebook, and I'm sorry new sign-ups were discontinued. I'll look into Everlast (thanks for the tip).<BR/><BR/>Someone said that Google is more powerful than Microsoft in its heyday. You know, there is NO comparison between the Google we know today and the Microsoft we saw in its prime -- these companies have two entirely different cultures. I work in Marketing and have to say that the ads I've seen over the years from Google are far more useful to me than the crap I see anywhere else on the Net. Personalized ads are the future; some of you are just having a hard time adjusting to it and spinning this story into a huge privacy conspiracy that is more Hollywood bullshit than reality.<BR/><BR/>You're free to walk away from Google's services. Have fun on your way back to 1997....TBolthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16437761344556510893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-56583616062711067142009-03-25T11:37:00.000-07:002009-03-25T11:37:00.000-07:00Errghhh...I had signed up for Google Notebook some...Errghhh...I had signed up for Google Notebook some time ago, but never had a use for it until I stumbled across an iPhone app that allowed you to sync your notes with Google Notes. (Quite beautifully, by the way.) Prior to that, I was using Evernote, but was disappointed in the functionality of it on the iPhone (read, but not edit). I was very disappointed to learn that Google was no longer going to support Notebook, and was frustrated by trying to transition over to their other services that claim to support Notebooks functionality (IMHO Google Bookmarks should have been killed, as it doesn't support importing bulk bookmarks from my web browser and doesn't seem to have much support; likewise, Google Docs doesn't have much support on the iphone, in terms of being able to write as opposed to just reading). Google has great ideas, but the development seems to fizzle after a time; their focus, understandably, is on Search, Gmail, and Docs (in that order), and to a lesser extent on peripheral apps like Picasa, that will actually make them money. However, their "vision" of a cloud-based future seems to be getting a little cloudy, especially when it is canceling services that support moving data into the cloud. While I continue to use Google Notebook, I am expecting its eventual demise, and have prepared to move the data off-site, if need be. I think if Google had thrown 1% of the support into Notebook that it has thrown into Gmail, it could have developed it into a stronger, better app.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps Google can buy Evernote?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-31909004007057694312009-03-25T09:31:00.000-07:002009-03-25T09:31:00.000-07:00My 2 cents, I've tried both evernote and zoho note...My 2 cents, I've tried both evernote and zoho notebook, and I came back to notebook, hoping that google will change their minds and keep it.<BR/>I also got a new google account and I was able to use notebook, I'm not sure where the comment "no new users can sign up"<BR/><BR/>The other service that was useful, and I'm really sad to see go is google video, unless youtube finally incorporates long video<BR/><BR/>The thing is that even though google is becoming less benevolent, by suffocating notebook, encroaching into firefox's territory, etc, it's still way ahead of the other online companies, both in terms of "doing good", and in terms of making useful stuff.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04110294681722238634noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-16754743489460979852009-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:002009-03-25T09:29:00.000-07:00Excellent article; couldn't agree more!I loved Goo...Excellent article; couldn't agree more!<BR/><BR/>I loved Google Notebook and ever since that announcement I constantly search for an equally good tool -- in vain. For bookmarks, I've started to use and fell in love with Del.icio.us, which is truly clean, fast, simply fantastic, but it does not do clippings and notes in general.<BR/><BR/>It's a complete mystery to me why did they kill just Google Notebook (yes, they did - its availability for existing users is just extending its agony!) Why did they not, instead, remove some of the boring services that are better solved elsewhere (e.g. who cares about Orkut?!)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16111912597242138838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18157064.post-83162093867105241172009-03-25T09:00:00.000-07:002009-03-25T09:00:00.000-07:00I, too, was disappointed in the demise of Notebook...I, too, was disappointed in the demise of Notebook, especially its usefulness as a means of organizing GoOgle bookmarks. GoOgle: BWC. I was disappointed in GoOgle re-arrangement of the iGoOgle start page (addition of widget tags to the left). BWC. Many GoOgle users objected. GoOgle's reaction? "Use it or don't." A free service is worth about what one pays for it. <BR/><BR/>Cloud computing puts the cloud user at the mercy of cloud software versioning and cloud server security. Section 11 of GoOgle's TOS tells us firmly of GoOgle's concern for intellectual property and personal privacy. And a careful search through sections of GoOgle Groups will reveal GoOgle responsiveness(!) to user needs.<BR/><BR/>Yes, we we must recognize that "monetization" is "not evil". I had been under that "do no evil" was the same as "do good". Hah!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com