Google Desktop 2 Live

An anonymous reader writes "Combining desktop search and the Google Sidebar, Google Desktop 2 is now available for download. Dozens of new third-party sidebar panels are now available, Google said. Also launched was Google Desktop for Enterprise (free)."

wrong.

[Anonymous Coward]

"Dozens of third party plugins now avaliable"

i dont see "dozens of third party plugins". most of these plugins have been around for a long time already.

Re:Google (tm) Air

[aaza]

But Google says Do no evil. Where does it say that for Microsoft?

No. Wake me up when it does

[vik]

You never know, Beagle might be usable before Google get their desktop going on Linux. But the Beagle keeps chewing up my memory, so I'm dropping back to using x-friend even though it's not Open Source.

If anyone has any better alternatives for us Linux bunnies, do tell the world!

Vik :v)

Does anyone actually USE Google Desktop?

[rinkjustice]

I've installed every version of google desktop since inception, hoping every time that I'll find use for it. But I never do. It just sits there on my desktop, taking up real estate and looking fugly.

Other than replacing XP's pathetic search feature, it's really alot of nothing.

Re:Uh, hasn't it been out since August?

[gmplague]

Yeah, while I realize you're joking, I actually really like it.

Google probably wouldn't release most of these products at all were it not for the Google labs/beta pages. They've got people writing interesting software which maybe isn't mass marketable but is still neat nonetheless.

Even if the software is really stable, they keep it in beta. They don't have to pay to support it, so they can keep it out there. I like it.

Re:On my Mac right now...

[anti-trojan]

That's purely logical. They are bombarding people with Google apps running on Windows (Google Talk, Gmail notifier, Google Desktop, soon a Google Browser and Google Office Applications). You are getting used to them.

Next year when they say "you are using all Google-applications on your Windows anyway. Why don't you just download our GoogleOS preloaded with those applications (and more) and save money instead of paying to Microsoft", more people will say "sure, why not."

Re:Google (tm) Air

[miffo.swe]

"I guess, though, unlike most /monkeys I need an actual reason to hate a company, not just the fact that they are big, and most people use them."

If you havent noticed /. is pretty much under seige by Microsofties and astroturfers. Not many dislike google since they have done nothing wrong yet. Except ofcourse your average MS fanboy who hates everything that MS hates. It would be a sweet task to break down the visitors IP and do some tracking. I suspect a fair number of google hating IP goes to MS VARs, partners or Redmond.

Is it really something new?

[yep-yep]

I agree with a few statements already made this should not be called "desktop" yet. As for the bar itself... him I do believe I've seen this before http://gdesklets.gnomedesktop.org/ [gnomedesktop.org] or perhaps http://members.dslextreme.com/users/billw/gkrellm/ gkrellm.html [dslextreme.com] When I did run gdesklets it was setup with a lot of the same features, quick notes, email, time, weather, calander and the list goes on. Nothing really new except it has goggle branded to it.

Scripting Plug-ins with Javascript - the new VBA

[boozewah]

I installed the original Google Desktop Search when it first came out. The application was not bad, it just crashed my computer anytime I left it up overnight. After I narrowed the number of folders it indexed the crashes stopped and I now use it alot. I have found it very useful and am not annoyed by the sliver of screen space it takes up on the right side monitor. It seems the newest version is a little more stable and the new maps plugin is nice since I am a map junkie.
          The real neat capability is the ability they give you to write plug-ins now in javascript. I have only been playing around a little so far but it seems like Google is trying to turn Javascript into the new VBA! I was very interested in creating a Google Desktop Plug-in before they added the new Javascript programming capabilties, but I was going to need Visual Studio 2003 and navigate through Visual C++.net. In just playing around the Javascript it seems both simple yet powerful enough to get done what I want. The comparison to VBA is not meant to be a put down. Between the Google Maps API and the Sidebar API for Google Desktop I never though I would be using Javascript so much.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Uh-oh Google farted!

[Anonymous Coward]

Absolutely fucking amazing... Will somebody here PLEASE explain to me how Google knows to filter the porn out of images when you click "SafeSearch"? It never occured to me before, but it's pretty amazing that they have a computer program that can recognize a doctored picture of Portman getting a facial and one of her simply posing demurely and semi-nude but with everything covered. How is this act of technical genius never mentioned around here? Automated porn detection is impressive as hell.

If only they had a button which would ONLY return porn. Obviously, they can do it since it's just a logical set operation. I'm surprised no smart hacker has figured out how to use the Google Image search to find porn by doing two identical searches, one with Safe on and with with it off and then taking the difference of the two sets...

Re:Sync it between laptop and desktop

[xot]

yes you can. try syncnotes [syncnotes.com]