Google Desktop Search

[viscousmemories]

So I'd heard about this product from Google but like Gmail I avoided it because I thought it was a little creepy to put all my eggs in Google's basket. But with this they have really, really outdone themselves. I installed it, it spent a few hours indexing my hard drive (while I watched a movie) and now all my files (including my Outlook folders) are searchable from a browser interface.

Just to test it I did a search on a particular software product I own and within seconds a page of links popped up, I quickly found the one that said "registration" and clicked it, and I was looking at an html formatted copy of an e-mail I received in 1999 that contained my registration info. I don't know how I've lived without this.

[Beth]

Could you give us the linky, please?

[Corona688]

http://desktop.google.com (desktop.google.com)

And I don't like it.

Not because of the privacy issues, google's always been discreet with that, but because for the first time in their history they've made a product that screams "fuck you non-windows world, you need not apply". Even realplayer and macromedia have been forced to accept the existence of other platforms somewhat, and things like skype (skype.com) revel in it, but google desktop search is still mired in the '90s. Not promising.

[Beth]

Well, I installed it, thank you, Corona. :)

[viscousmemories]

Oh sure, thank the naysayer 'cause he gives you a link. Link whore.

[JoeP]

The privacy concerns as in secretly transmitting information back to Google and advertisers don't worry me. That's either eventually unavoidable or a matter of legal cases and personal firewall protection.

It's the right here privacy that gets me. I have some password protected documents (not just personal stuff, also work things) - and GDS caches the entire contents of every document you edit. Not good if someone's working with you and sees the secret personnel review.

Also it caused problems with removable drives like thumb drives - it kept hold of them so the OS always thought a process was accessing them.

Basically to fix these issues you have to restrict it to specific drive letters and move anything you don't want it to fiddle with elsewhere. It's not low-configuration, it's high-interference.

Plus it assured me that it would not use more than 4GB for its index. 4GB! I don't want to sacrifice that much. Plus in several days of use it did not build enough index to make the searches actually useful. I don't use it any more.

[Beth]

Well, thank you Tom for telling me about it. I apologise for not thanking you, as well.:)

[viscousmemories]

Well damn, Joe. Maybe you should think about how badly you really need all that private data and convenient access to it! If you just get rid of all your high-security files it sounds like you can clear up at LEAST 4gb in no time, then just throw out those thumbscrew drives or whatever and you're golden. A small price to pay for GDS, I say.

[JoeP]

You're right. I have allowed my attachment to material things to blind me to attaining googlvana.

[viscousmemories]

It's the right here privacy that gets me. I have some password protected documents (not just personal stuff, also work things) - and GDS caches the entire contents of every document you edit. Not good if someone's working with you and sees the secret personnel review.
I wasn't too concerned about that since I never use password protected documents, but another thing I just noticed is that since everything you do with your browser is cached and indexed by GDS, that means data you have stored on password protected sites (like FF private messages) are cached, indexed and searchable by GDS. Ugh.

[JoeP]

Yeah, that's another thing. I'll continue to live without it!

[viscousmemories]

Y'know actually... I just realized there's a switch with which you can tell GDS not to index password protected Office documents, and my browser cache is searchable whether GDS indexes it or not. I think I'm gonna keep it. It's an astonishingly fast way to find things I've written, e-mailed or recently browsed online.

[JoeP]

That switchlet must have been added. Does this mean they listen to customer feedback? :eek: :appl:

[Corona688]

That switchlet must have been added. Does this mean they listen to customer feedback? :eek: :appl: You know, they actually do. Back when they were putting together Google Groups from the fermenting remains of dejanews, I sent them an email asking them to please keep it real and not make the same mistake deja did. The honest-to-yog reply came a few days later, a simple "We will do this!". They did.

So, huh. Maybye I should write them another.