The google juggernaut rolls on...as I was saying about thin clients...

[Robert Myers]

http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20050512.html

<quote>

But what I DO know is that the Google Web Accelerator effectively
turns every user into a thin client, whether they know it or not.
Consider the obvious upshots of this. If Google adds power to its part
of the Accelerator, you don't have to add power to your end, meaning
your old PC can last longer. Part of that has to come from Google
assuming a larger role over time, taking responsibility for rendering
Flash, for example. And they'll do it. And we'll let them. At some
point, Google might even offer its own hardware device, optimized for
the Accelerator. At that point, you'll buy your PC from Google, use
Google as your ISP, surf an Internet that is really the Google cache,
be fed ads and sold content from Google servers. Its a GoogleWorld
that requires no AOL, no Microsoft, no Intel, no HP or Dell -- only
Google, cable companies, telephone companies, users, and of course
advertisers and web page producers.

</quote>

Now, I don't exactly agree with that take, because I don't think
google is dumb enough to sell end user hardware. What I *do* see that
Cringely doesn't, though, is that, if google controls all that muscle,
it will inevitably have alot of spare cycles. No need for computer
centers, anywhere, really, except where pointlessness hides behind
security classification. It's not google's biggest target by a long
shot, but utility and grid computing will be possible on a scale no
one has previously contemplated. Even the need to have the
computation close to massive amounts of data is going to go away.

If I were Sergey of Larry, I'd look under my car before starting it;
there are going to be lots of people thinking dark thoughts about
them.

RM

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I'm using the Web Accelerator right now myself on three seperate
computers. I don't care if they do know my surfing habits now, it's
actually made a slight but noticeable difference to how fast web pages
pop up, unlike any other accelerator that's been around in the past.
It's the one part of upgrading from dial-up to broadband that was
leaving me underwhelmed -- the latency of the webpages was not improved
by broadband, just the bandwidth.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Robert Myers]

I'm using the Web Accelerator right now myself on three seperate
computers. I don't care if they do know my surfing habits now, it's
actually made a slight but noticeable difference to how fast web pages
pop up, unlike any other accelerator that's been around in the past.
It's the one part of upgrading from dial-up to broadband that was
leaving me underwhelmed -- the latency of the webpages was not improved
by broadband, just the bandwidth.

As far as privacy is concerned, the search history feature they just
introduced is much more worrisome, but it is also much more useful,
especially if you work from multiple locations.

The Web Accelerator in its current form probably isn't all that
exciting, and google has already had big enough problems to have
caused it to limit the test rather quickly.

Google is trying to do what everyone else has been trying to do ever
since Gates woke up in a sweat, realized what was going on, picked up
the red phone next to his bed, and ordered the destruction of
Netscape.

The difference from all previous attempts is that google has a viable
revenue model in addition to vision.

The PC is on its way out. The Cringely article actually discusses two
looming menaces: google and increasingly powerful game consoles. As
your comment underscores, though, how these things play out will be
determined by customer preferences. The technology only matters
insofar as it meets perceived needs. That's why I'd bet on google.
So far, they have a pretty good record of coming up with widgets that
people actually want to use.

RM

 

[Rthoreau]

This could really be a boon for schools, if Google brings out, say a
word widget, or a spread sheet widget this could really hurt MS. After
your assignment is done you just save it, then your instructor has
access to the accounts and grades the papers. You could do it at home,
or at school, no more I lost my homework, my dog ate it.

Then after the course is done, its archived so if in a future class a
student copies a former students work you will have access to it
through google search. Ok this can be done now with NFS, and other
means, but if they make it simple, it could really take off, combine
that with cell phones, and wifi and it could be a show stopper for MS.


You would not need a computer running MS software, any free OS would
work since the work is done online. This could be tried in the
University level, and save tons of money, since departments would not
need to license MS software anymore.

The privacy thing could be a little scarry, but its been that way for
years, now since the mpaa is going after TV show p2p sharing things are
bad anyway.

Rthoreau

 

[Yousuf Khan]

This could really be a boon for schools, if Google brings out, say a
word widget, or a spread sheet widget this could really hurt MS. After
your assignment is done you just save it, then your instructor has
access to the accounts and grades the papers. You could do it at home,
or at school, no more I lost my homework, my dog ate it.

The Google widget ate my homework?

Yousuf Khan

 

[Keith R. Williams]

This could really be a boon for schools, if Google brings out, say a
word widget, or a spread sheet widget this could really hurt MS. After
your assignment is done you just save it, then your instructor has
access to the accounts and grades the papers. You could do it at home,
or at school, no more I lost my homework, my dog ate it.

This is already being done in the schools around here, though on the
school's servers.

Then after the course is done, its archived so if in a future class a
student copies a former students work you will have access to it
through google search. Ok this can be done now with NFS, and other
means, but if they make it simple, it could really take off, combine
that with cell phones, and wifi and it could be a show stopper for MS.

Good idea. One-click term papers. Hmm, maybe I should patent that
idea. ;-)

You would not need a computer running MS software, any free OS would
work since the work is done online. This could be tried in the
University level, and save tons of money, since departments would not
need to license MS software anymore.

Oh, my! We can't have this. It's *got* to be .net or Billy won't like
it.

The privacy thing could be a little scarry, but its been that way for
years, now since the mpaa is going after TV show p2p sharing things are
bad anyway.

MPAA has court orders, no?

 

[Rthoreau]

<snip>

This is already being done in the schools around here, though on the
school's servers.
MS.

Good idea. One-click term papers. Hmm, maybe I should patent that
idea. ;-)


Oh, my! We can't have this. It's *got* to be .net or Billy won't like

MPAA has court orders, no?

Thats the scarry part;the MPAA is using the court system to futher its
demands. Now they are lobbying for the broadcast flag in congress. What
I don't understand is if the broadcast is over the air, how are they
legally going to enforce copyright enfringement. Are we going to see
eula's at the start of shows? This is going to get real messy. Google
already has a pretty cool video image search function,
http://video.google.com I wonder if they are enfringing on anyones
copyright by listing these.

Rthoreau

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

Thats the scarry part;the MPAA is using the court system
to futher its demands.

Well, they would say they are using the court system to
enforce their rights to copyrighted material.

Now they are lobbying for the broadcast flag in congress.

Which will be a bit of a battle since the US Court of
Appeals said that the FCC couldn't sneak it in the back door.
This will have to be fought as copyright extention.

What I don't understand is if the broadcast is over the air,
how are they legally going to enforce copyright enfringement.

FCC regulation (made legal) that all devices honor
the broadcast flag would be the principal method of enforcement.

Are we going to see eula's at the start of shows?

Not needed. They already have the needed copright notices.

This is going to get real messy.

Not that quickly. MPPA members sell their wares around
$0.0025/megabyte. RIAA sell around $1.50/megabyte [effective].
_Much_ bigger problem for the RIAA. ISPs can barely tolerate
MP3 traffic. They won't MPEG2 or MPEG4 because they still
pay around $1/GB for traffic.

Google already has a pretty cool video image search function,
http://video.google.com I wonder if they are enfringing on
anyones copyright by listing these.

Possibly, depending on how you interpret the Napster decision.
They are facilitating some copyright infringment. They would
also be protected because there are substantial non-infringing uses.
The people hosting vidfiles may well be infringing copyright.

-- Robert

 

[keith]

Thats the scarry part;the MPAA is using the court system to futher its
demands.

Wrong! The courts have always been available to those trying to protect
their property. Just because *you're* stealing something as ephemeral as
bits, doesn't mean it's anything less then stealing.

Now they are lobbying for the broadcast flag in congress. What
I don't understand is if the broadcast is over the air, how are they
legally going to enforce copyright enfringement.

The same way it's done now. You don't think HBO pays nothing to the
copyright owners to show a movie, do you?

Are we going to see
eula's at the start of shows? This is going to get real messy.

You really need to take a civics class. They already own the property.

Google
already has a pretty cool video image search function,
http://video.google.com I wonder if they are enfringing on anyones
copyright by listing these.

THere is a concept of "fair use". I don't know whether what you're
talking about is in violation of that or not. Indeed that's what the
courts do. If you're stealing, you deserve to pay. ...and that's the
bottom line.