• Home
• About Me
• Contact
• RSS

Google Desktop for Mac?

Posted on October 30, 2004 
Filed Under Macintosh

So now Google is “talking”:http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=technologyNews&storyID=6664912&section=news about bringing “Google Desktop”:http://desktop.google.com/ to the Mac. While the promise is there, I’m not all that in love with the beta that’s out for Windows. I’ve already uninstalled it in favor of Microsoft’s “Lookout”:http://www.lookoutsoft.com/Lookout/ which gets far more use on my PC.

Google Desktop is very limited in what files it will search and from which locations. The majority of files that I search on my PC are email messages or attachments to email. While GDS can find a file easily if I’m doing a simple “contains” search, it doesn’t help me find a specific file that was sent to me from John Doe sometime the week of 20th that mentioned the word “Gala.”

So given the limitations of the Windows version, I can’t imagine how GDS will provide any advantage over the promised “Searchlight”:http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/spotlight.html that’s coming in Mac OS X “Tiger.” At least with Lookout or Spotlight I don’t have to worry as much about the security implications. However, if GDS will allow me to search *all* computers on my network, Mac or PC, from a single computer that may be worth looking into.

Update: Or not. It “appears from this post”:http://www.seanbonner.com/blog/archives/001048.php that Google isn’t considering a Mac OS X version of GDS after all. Not that I’m crying about it, as I noted above.

bq. The remark in quesestion was in response to someone asking about privacy issues of Google Desktop and a foot note to their question was if Google was planning an OS X version. The answer was “yes, and no” He went on to explain that because the way Operating Systems work so differently and how built in the Google Desktop is there’s no way to just port it over to a different OS so it has to be redone from scratch so while they do intended to do it, it’s not something that they are working on, or something anyone should expect soon. He also noted that they do not preannounce products.

“Intend” doesn’t mean “will definitely do.”

Comments

• Categories

  Select Category Blogging del.icio.us Design Entertainment GTD House Internet & Technology Kids Life Macintosh Misc. mobility Movable Type Nonprofit PocketPC Relocating Salesforce The Bi-Platform Life Uncategorized WordPress

• Archived Posts

  Select Month August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003

• Recommended Reading

• Search for:
• Subscribe via RSS Reader

• Subscribe Via Email

  Enter Email Address:

• Recently Written

  • How much broadband is too much?
  • Verizon drops the ball. Again.
  • Off to camp
  • Almost there
  • Media that feeds on itself
  • Posting from iPhone
  • We’re outta here
  • GrandCentral vs. iPhone
  • Yahoo!!
  • Salesforce for the iPhone: Not ready for prime time

• Recently Commented

  • Aleecia on That dang sphincter of Oddi again
  • How much broadband is too much? | A View from Judi Sohn on Verizon drops the ball. Again.
  • Dani on That dang sphincter of Oddi again
  • Mary on That dang sphincter of Oddi again
  • Robin on That dang sphincter of Oddi again