Google Desktop for the Mac is now available.
I have hopes that this will finally be the really usable search tool for my Mac. Much as I love most of what Apple makes, the Spotlight search feature in Mac OS X is not in that category. It sucks molten death through a lead straw.
Update: OK, in the two hours I've had Google Desktop installed, my machine has crashed twice.
It could be a conflict with another of my utilities or apps, of course.
And I'm hoping it only happened because GD was busy building the basic index, so I'm giving it a few more chances. It seems very useful.
Update: Strange, GD indexed over 400,000 files in the first few hours... but now it seems each file takes several minutes to be indexed. I thought at first it had just run into a couple of very big files, but it keeps being like this for hours now. Also the HD is not running amok like it did the first few hours of indexing. Is something wrong?
Update yet hours later: OK, it's done now.
However my computer still seems much slower, even though it's not indexing old files anymore, only new mails and web pages. I'll have to keep an eye on this. A marked slow-down is too high a price for convenient search.
Update: I have uninstalled it. Slowed down the machine too much. Quelle fromage.
---
Computers are weird.
I'm now fazing out AppleWorks. Not so much because it is pretty much an amateur app and outdated, though both are true, but because it is using often over 13% of the processor power... while sitting in the background without anything to do or even any document open! How crazy is this? It's a word processor, not a utility. I'd consider that a poorly written app.
I'll replace it with Nisus Writer Express, a very nice app.
The fact that I can see a brief line or two description with each item makes me love it already.
ReplyDelete"It sucks molten death through a lead straw."
ReplyDeleteVery creative, Eo! :-D
BTW, I received this almost-PC joke just yesterday:
4 Chinese, "Chu", "Bu", "Fu" and "Su" decided to immigrate to the US.
In order to get a visa, they had to adapt their names to American standards…
So:
"Chu" became Chuck.
"Bu" became Buck.
"Fu" and his sister "Su" decided to stay in China.
Yeah, I think I stole that expression from Neil Gaiman.
ReplyDeleteDaring Fireball looks at precisely what gets installed by Google Desktop.
ReplyDeleteI'm willing to let others try it out before I consider installing it.
Call me paranoid but I wouldn't touch Google Desktop with a ten feet pole.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious to me that the 'features' in this app are a mere after thought, a way to persuade us into letting this thing in our computers. The real functionality of it is to gather information about our actions and to get their foot inside for more tighter integration in the future.
It's just like Alexa Toolbar (Amazon.com's equivalent tool that was first). But at least Alexa openly admits that its true function is to gather statistics about our visits to websites (for their traffic rankings index). The search feature is just a nice gesture they provide in return for our hospitality.
Heck, I don't want any program to "index my hard disks". I know where all my files are. Also, knowing how unstable Macos X is, it doesn't help that Google Desktop apparently installs files all over the place. I don't want that either.
I like Google as a company, but they know way too much about me already (from my continuous use of their website). Because of this, their asking to get inside my computer is an unreasonable request. I wouldn't let them even if Google Toolbar provided some useful function, which it doesn't.
Eolake said: "I'll replace it with Nisus Writer Express, a very nice app."
ReplyDeleteI recommend you look at Mellel before making a decision. Many people (me included) prefer Mellel over Nisus Writer. (Of course, some still prefer Nisus.) But it behooves one at least check out both before investing.
Mellel is particularly good for writing books and other long documents. The developers clearly know what they are doing. The application costs just $49.
"Call me paranoid"
ReplyDeleteOK, you're paranoid.
Anyway, you call turn of statistics reporting in the app.
Mac OS X is by *far* the most stable OS I have ever used. (Linux may be more stable, but that's not for me.)
All those nice links you put in, TTL, do you have a handy way of making those, or do you have to write the HTML code by hand every time?
ReplyDeleteEolake said: "OK, you're paranoid."
ReplyDeleteThanks! I needed that. :)
I now note that in my post above I used the names "Google Desktop" and "Google Toolbar" confusingly. Anyway, my sentiments are the same for both of those tools.
Eolake said: "... you call turn of statistics reporting in the app."
This is good. But I understand there are other issues too. Apparently the various privacy aspects of GD have been discussed quite a bit on the net.
Eolake said: "All those nice links you put in, TTL, do you have a handy way of making those, or do you have to write the HTML code by hand every time?"
ReplyDeleteI write the angle brackets by hand and cut'n'paste the URL. I don't see it in anyway cumbersome.
I find that providing links saves me from explaining now, and from answering questions later. So it saves me keystrokes.
Also, one of my goals is to learn to write good hypertext. I have a long way to go still.
"I write the angle brackets by hand and cut'n'paste the URL."
ReplyDeleteYeah, but it's not just chevrons, it's the whole "a href=" deal...
OK, maybe it's not that much, only that I've used it so rarely I've trouble remembering it.
(Which is lame, considering technically I've worked with HTML for ten years.)
ttl said...
ReplyDelete"Call me paranoid but I wouldn't touch Google Desktop with a ten feet pole."
How odd : this is precisely why I chose not to take a G-mail account.
I just didn't like the idea of strangers (even "mere softwares", yeah, suuuure!) reading through my correspondence with the intention of ultimately making money at my expense.
Remember, folks : it's only paranoia if there actually isn't any conspiracy.
(Lucky for me, my cat's very efficient at sniffing out and terminating fornits.)
One more thing : if your ten feet pole is made of carbon fiber, you're wise not to use it indeed. These fangdangled things conduct electricity!
Besides, I'm sure the user agreement you're asked to approve prior to installation "rejects any responsibility in the likely event that Google's ill-designed spywares spam your mother-in-law with your porn collection, steal your credit card number, register you with the FBI as a cross-dressing child abuser, erase all your files, format your hard disk with an industrial electro-magnet, and then sets it on fire, burning down your whole house in the process and leaving your chihuahua orphaned and homeless, so you of course agree to never sue our hired assassins or even self-defend yourselves in case we try to cover up the whole damn mess before it's made into a movie".
"Yeah, but it's not just chevrons, it's the whole "a href=" deal..."
I do the same as TTL, and don't mind it any more than he does. :-)
HTML, TTL, 5-HTP, SMTP, TCP/IP, it's all good.
ReplyDelete---
I used to be very paranoid indeed. I read books about conspiracies and aliens and lizard people and all.
But then I realized that the world makes as much sense without the conspiracies, and thinking so I feel much better. So I changed my mind.
Eolake said: "OK, maybe it's not that much, only that I've used it so rarely I've trouble remembering it. "
ReplyDeleteThat must be it. I've been writing those things for 15 years and no longer even think about them. It's like punctuation marks.
Of course, one doesn't have to use tags. Many people just provide the raw URL. Same information, just less pretty. I certainly don't mind when people do it that way.
"Many people just provide the raw URL."
ReplyDeleteI'll do that sometimes, but 1: shockingly, some people don't know how to copy/paste. 2: on blogger, a long URL will extend beyond the column. (Sure, I can use snipURL, but that's a longer workaround.)
I think we need to distinguish between invasion of privacy and conspiration. I don't think anyone has accused Google of conspiration (at least seriously). On the other hand their invasion of privacy is a fact. Invasion of privacy is bad because it makes us vulnerable.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's just plain creepy. According to EFF (see link above) if you use the "Search Across Computers" feature in Google Desktop, they will copy all your personal documents over to the Google server! Tax returns, love letters, everything. What if someone hacks your Google password? Your whole life is exposed to them.
If you press Google about this, they say they rummage your stuff in order to be able to show more relevant adds. Same with Gmail -- they openly admit they read your mail and look for keywords.
I don't mind seeing more relevant ads. In fact, I like that part. But what I don't like is the side effect of vulnerability.
I had trouble understanding how to make links, too. This may be an easy way to think about constructing links:
ReplyDelete1. Write your full message without links.
2. Surround the text you want to be a link with <a> and </a>, just as you would do italics.
3. Put the cursor after the starting 'a' and type a space, then href=""
4. Put the cursor between the quotes. Paste the URL. You're done.
For me, starting with '<a>' and '</a>' helped, because I'd never had trouble with tags for italics, etc.
Eolake said...
ReplyDelete"shockingly, some people don't know how to copy/paste."
Which proves that the paranoid conspiracy phobia from the "powers that be" regarding piracy is greatly exaggerated. :-D
TTL said...
"Invasion of privacy is bad because it makes us vulnerable."
Undoubtedly. I'll sum it up briefly : "Invasion of privacy is illegal acquisition of knowledge on us. And knowledge is power."
People invading a citizen's privacy are, most of the time, precisely seeking power of some sort for unfriendly purposes. In countries like mine (and many others far worse off), knowing my political or philosophic opinions could create a direct threat to my survival. "Clear and present danger."
Unlike those who love you, and who'll only use that power to increase everybody's happiness when adequate. "Do you feel like a hot cuppa chocolate, dear? -Yes, Mom, thanks. That's quite thoughtful of you."
There's a very good reason why we choose those we'll welcome into our intimacy.
In an ideal world, we could all live naked in glass houses. Our world isn't so today.
"I don't mind seeing more relevant ads. In fact, I like that part."
Quite normal. But people should be able to choose themselves what kind of ads they do or don't want to get. I'm tired of getting (on my all-purpose address) more than 10 daily offers for credit or house mortgage. Even if I'm a houseowner with a credit, maybe I just don't care about these dubious "services"! It's my sole right.
And about 2% of that spam still manages to elude Yahoo's filters...
So here's a free advice to everybody who still didn't know it : ALWAYS have a general-purpose email address, different from your private one, for those circumstances where you need to give one. An empty mailbox that'll get all the straight-to-trash ads and spams. I just delete them online every other week or so.
I had to specify some topics of interests so that I could download directly my yahoo emails to Outlook Express on my PC. If I'm ever curious about getting offers, I can just edit that page and check (or un-check!) some preferences. It would seem that checking NO topic of interest works fine to activate e-mail transmitting. :-)
I hate shopkeepers recommending me stuff to buy the second as I start browsing a little. So I'll hate double an internet company that bombards me with such "friendly advice" that's only friendly to them. Besides, over here I pay internet bills according to the time spent online. So there's no way I'm going to PAY to receive loads of unwanted advertizing!!! I'd rather install a "beware the unchained pitbull watchdog" firewall, and feed it hot chili e-peppers to keep it in a bad mood.
One example about vulnerability: let's say porn (or DOMAI "erotica") is perfectly legal where you live, but you're on trial for a job with a very moral boss. You don't mind: porn is for your strict domestic use, not work hours. But suppose somebody can know about that aspect of your private life and starts making it public? People have been blackmailed with just the threat of a FALSE rumour, as it is.
Similarly, although in a true democracy people have nothing to hide, they vote alone in the secret of a voting booth. Otherwise, they wouldn't be ABSOLUTELY free of their opinions. Not in a world that still works in great part on labels and judgements and opinions about others. Would you publicly vote Democrat in a State governed G.W. Bush's brother? Maybe, and then maybe not. You'd be subjected to collective influence from the outside. It's been tested, and I've seen it. Secret bulletin votes usually shift markedly in results, changing the outcom of many tight caucus races.
I just can't picture God as some ultimate "Big Brother", because otherwise constant fear would annihilate all the freedom He's supposed to have given us. Because otherwise, it would be utterly cruel and sadistic to have given us the conscience and intellectual possibility to not strictly follow the mandatory diktats from Above. The Clergies have fed us, for centuries, the lie of a dictator-like "God of love and mercy", only to assert their own earthly dictatorship. I heard some obscure guy named Osama BinLaden is still using that tried recipe with interesting recruiting success.
Between the exclusive fanatics and the new "political correctness" sword of Damocles, a haven of privacy and intimacy is a matter of human survival. Otherwise, we'd constantly life in some form of fear or another, and if there is something to fear it definitely is fear itself!
"A marked slow-down is too high a price for convenient search.
ReplyDeleteUpdate: I have uninstalled it. Slowed down the machine too much. Quelle fromage."
Is there any convenient way to uninstall all my WindowsXP updates? These farklempt kaaskoop drekks are enough to cause exasperating slowdown on my machine! ):-P
I know, I know, serves me right for using a crappy brand. Laugh all you want, but beggars can't be choosars. Cheddars, perhaps. But not choosars.
Omelette dew fromage! -- (Dexter, boy genius.)
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