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[VaKo]

http://www.digg.com/microsoft/Google_launc..._desktop_search

Diggs audience sides with Microsoft against Google after news emerges that google plans to launch an anti-trust case against vista search. Never would I have expected the readers of Digg to go against google and especially not when the other team is Microsoft.

That argument was crap for having IE integrated and it's crap for this search thing now. At no point does MS prevent you from replacing their default [browser/media player/desktop-search/etc] with a competitor. From day 1 if you didn't like their default product, you go get another one and install it. Done. Nothing's stopping you.

It's not as though MS is saying "here's a car, don't look at anyone else's." They're saying "here's a car... you don't like it? just leave it in park and get the car you want to drive, but if you need to get around this one will work just fine." And seriously, what's the problem with that?

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This has nothing to do with anti-trust. Google wants to do whatever it can to get as many computers running their indexing software because they use this data to make money.

The same as with the google toolbar and gmail, all of these tools are not only "services" for you but data mines for them. It clearly states in their policies that your indexed data in Google Desktop falls under "personal" info, which according to their privacy policy: "[Google] may ... use personal information for auditing, research and analysis to operate and improve Google technologies and services."

Every time someone ditches Google Desktop for something else, whether it is integrated Vista or OSX search or some other utility, Google loses another source of data--and data is their money maker. So this action against Msft isn't about anti-trust, it's about trying to get access to a larger population's data.

I've never liked the idea of google knowing whats on my HD and tbh I'm beginning to wonder about using Gmail.

[Sparda]

I never used Google Desktop and always remove it from people's computers if they aren't activly using it.

[deleted]

I hate google desktop and on my Vista Machine I like the search.

What happend to googles moto, "Don't be Evil"?

[Sparda]

"Don't be Evil"?

Now changed to "Be the lesser of two (or more) Evils".

[Shaun]

I hate google desktop and on my Vista Machine I like the search.

What happend to googles moto, "Don't be Evil"?

Uh, yeah, this is what's evil about Google and not the China thing.  :roll:

[cooper]

I've never liked the idea of google knowing whats on my HD and tbh I'm beginning to wonder about using Gmail.

I've never trusted google. Their data retention policy with GMail alone makes them untrustworthy. Then people found that putting Google ads on your page was considered unobtrusive by most site visitors, never mind the cookie Google uses to track you as you scour the net.

There's a reason most of google, and a number of specific google-hosted .js files are stopped at the proxy here. I can understand Google doing what they're doing, but this 'holier than thou art' hypocrisy has got to go.

[digip]

Google is a search engine, and I have to admit, I like Google Earth and use their site a lot, but I do not want it on my PC. They should stick to what works and stop trying to be integrated into the desktop and pc's in general. They are changing their privacy policy to supposedly only hold search data for 18 months now. Thats 18 months too long. I think anonymous data mining is sufficient enough, but when you start matching names and addresses with the users using the search engine you open up a whole new can of worms.

Anyone rememeber AOL getting their ass handed to them a few months back. Someone figured out how to extract personal searches and tie it back to the users accounts and exposed their shopping habits and web surfing habits. Someone will eventually do this to google. Either a disgruntal employee who wants to make a quick dollar or some elite geek with uber google skills. They have already patched a few holes in Google Desktop for exposing peoples hard drives and files from the browser side. Not that I have anything to hide, but no one should be able to open a web browser and search my hard drive from their home without my permission or knowledge of it. Not that anyone could get to my pc, but someone else using it who isn't versed well in pc security might be at risk.

I think this whole widget thing they have with their offline versions of calendar and spread sheets will open more holes. Someone will find a way to abuse it, its just a matter of time.