Google Challenges Microsoft Again

Integrating Search into Windows: Code Name Puffin

[martinibuster]

From the NYTimes article [nytimes.com]:

Google... is preparing to introduce a powerful file and text software search tool for locating information stored on personal computers.

Google's software, which is expected to be introduced soon... is the clearest indication to date that the company... hopes to extend its search business to compete directly with Microsoft's control of desktop computing.

[martinibuster]

I thought it was pretty cool that Google was leapfrogging Microsoft

[cabbie]

Yes and if it comes out before the IPO it will be a huge bonus to that.

[martinibuster]

From the Google Deskbar Help [toolbar.google.com]:

If you have sites you search frequently, you can add custom searches to the Google Deskbar menu. For example, if you often go to eBay to check out the latest auctions, you can create a custom search that lets you type code>puffin in the Google Deskbar and have it go to eBay and ask for you.

:o

Hey, was somebody at Google winking when they wrote that?

[bcolflesh]

Puffin was the codename of the deskbar that's already available from Labs.

[RFranzen]

What am I missing? Didn't AltaVista offer the same sort of "my computer" search about 5 years ago?

Google's program may be better than AltaVista's was, but it doesn't sound like any ground-breaking capability.

-- Rich

[bcolflesh]

What am I missing? Didn't AltaVista offer the same sort of "my computer" search about 5 years ago?

Yep -

[aroundcny.com...]

Download:

[aroundcny.com...]

[ILuvSrchEngines]

I think Microsoft already has this wonderful technology.

It is called 'search'

(Start, Search, Files or Folders)

But hey, why not install another useless program to slow your computer down. Way to go Google, what a genius idea. When you have some free time can you fix your search on the Internet before trying to search my hard drive?

[martinibuster]

Did the NYTimes get the Puffin thing wrong?

The Google software project, which is code-named Puffin and which will be available as a free download from Google's Web site, has been running internally at the company for about a year

[bcolflesh]

I don't know that it's "wrong", more then it's old:

[webmasterworld.com...]

Congrats to the Google marketing employee that seeded the story for continued IPO face time, though - bravo!

[wifi on the fly]

Googles desktop search has to be better than Microsofts Start and Search. Nothing like growing old looking for a file. I am sure google will actually index your computer unlike Microsofts that barely is able to search on the fly.

[PatrickDeese]

I think Microsoft already has this wonderful technology.
It is called 'search'

(Start, Search, Files or Folders)

But hey, why not install another useless program to slow your computer down. Way to go Google, what a genius idea. When you have some free time can you fix your search on the Internet before trying to search my hard drive?

Yeah, great tool MS has. Last time I used it to search for some mis-archived jpg images for a client site that we needed to modify, it took over an hour to find 8K images - and then crashed when I started paging through the thumbnails.

I will be more than happy to install a google search tool - because the MS search is just about useless (at least for the searches that I've dared to do with it).

Win XP Pro - 3.4 Ghz Pentium 4 Mobile, 1 GB RAM

[Yidaki]

Yo - kick Bill's ass, Google! A desktop search should be a no brainer for the google PhD's.

Won't convince me to use windows though. ;)

[ILuvSrchEngines]

If they take the same approach as Greedy Mail... I mean Google mail. They will index all of your personal files, send an index back to Google, then present custom adword ads just for you! It would be an FBI dream come true.