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Whether this is a good idea or not depends on the way it's done. I see two basic possibilities:
1. Replace the UI or UI implementation:
Google could be allowed to replace the Explorer's search field with their own. Alternatively, Microsoft could provide interfaces that Google could implement, which would be called by the Explorer when the user wants to trigger a search.
But this would only allow to use two different backends for the UI. If an application tried to use Microsoft's desktop search API, it would still get Microsoft's implementation.
2. Allow 3rd parties to implement Microsoft's desktop search interfaces:
In this scenario, other companies could implement the COM interfaces that Microsoft defined for the desktop search. If any application tries to use the desktop search, it will then get the currently 'active' implementation.
In my opinion, scenario 1 is acceptable. Scenario 2, however, is completely unacceptable, since differences in the behaviour of two different implementations are guaranteed. This would lead to 'bugs' in applications which are hard to track down; software vendors would have to test with many different implementations, which would increase development costs.
- Rolf
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I guess I don't know was the best answer for me.
The reason for this is that I disable this crap as it never works the way I want and it for the most part gets in my way. A few months ago I accidentally agreed to add Microsoft desktop search to my XP install as part of an Office upgrade thinking it would fix the horribly broken built in XP pro search. This was a huge mistake as now the default search only works if the folder is indexed. I do not want it to spend time churning through and indexing all my network connections so my search has became even more of a pain to use. I tried Google desktop about 1 year ago and uninstalled it after about a week as it took way too much of my system resources. You would think a dual processor machine with 2GB of memory would be enough to search for my files...
I now find myself using cygwin find and grep to search my files as it is much less painful.
John
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John M. Drescher wrote: I guess I don't know was the best answer for me.
That was exactly how I felt! In fact, I clicked on yes, then realized I don't really care but "yes" would have been the choice in principle, but I ended up clicking I don't care.
Marc
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I don't know about MS and Google on XP, but I've been using Copernic for well over a year and have experienced no resource problems and I only have 1 Gb memory.
Kevin
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I agree too and not using desktop search crap. I tried msn, google and others sometime ago and found them eating my system resources and making huge index files. I don't think desktop search technology will be useful until we get 10 GHz CPU, 4 GB/s disk access, 4 or more GB RAM. Till then it's waste of time.
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The desktop search agent must be driven by user preferences. As long as the specificiations are tangible and system security cum data integrity is not compromised, that search agent should be allowed with out any hurdles.
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Yes, it should be allowed. It needs to be secure and clear to the user though to prevent spyware.
My reason for wanting this feature is that desktop search is largely useless to me. I don't store anything permanent on my local computer anymore. All my code, documents, email, music, video, photographs etc. is stored in repositories that are elsewhere; on the LAN, on the internet, on internet connected HDs at home etc. No one provider (not Google, not Microsoft, not anyone) does a good job of searching across all these systems. Google does the best job so far though as it allows for plugins to its desktop search system.
It must be secure though and computer manufacturers had better not go installing their own, probably crap, desktop search on new PCs.
regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland & South Africa
Shog9 wrote: And with that, Paul closed his browser, sipped his herbal tea, fixed the flower in his hair, and smiled brightly at the multitude of cute, furry animals flocking around the grassy hillside where he sat coding Ruby on his Mac...
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I agree. Google Desktop Search seems to be efficient without burdening the CPU.
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I don't care if they allow third parties to replace desktop search. It works fine for me so I'm sticking with it. The last thing I want is more crap in my system.
Upcoming events:
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My website
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote: The last thing I want is more crap in my system.
5.
If you truly believe you need to pick a mobile phone that "says something" about your personality, don't bother. You don't have a personality. A mental illness, maybe - but not a personality. - Charlie Brooker
My Blog - My Photos - ScrewTurn Wiki
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote: The last thing I want is more crap in my system.
Well, i agree completely. Heck, that's one reason why i'm not using Vista... *bada-boom!*
----
Yes, but can you blame them for doing so if that's the only legal way they can hire programmers they want at the rate they can afford?-- Nish on sketchy hiring practices
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Shog9 wrote: Well, i agree completely. Heck, that's one reason why i'm not using Vista...
Actually, Vista's really quite good. And because so much crap doesn't run on it yet my system runs really nicely at the moment. I was, however, disappointed to find that Adobe Acrobat runs on it.
Upcoming events:
* Glasgow: Mock Objects, SQL Server CLR Integration, Reporting Services, db4o, Dependency Injection with Spring ...
* Reading: Developer Day 5
Ready to Give up - Your help will be much appreciated.
My website
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Colin Angus Mackay wrote: Actually, Vista's really quite good.
I was... mostly joking.
Colin Angus Mackay wrote: And because so much crap doesn't run on it yet my system runs really nicely at the moment.
Well, there's where the joke bites down hard. See, by far the worst software i'll allow to be installed on any of my systems are the hardware drivers, and of these, drivers for HP products are consistently the worst. So yes, the test install of Vista on my desktop is considerably less crap-infested than usual, but at the expense of not being able to use the HP scanner. And the Vista laptop my wife uses only recently became able to print to the network-shared HP printer... at which point, it began to suffer the sorts of subtle problems that generally accompany software that talks to HP drivers (random crashes mostly).
So yeah, that aspect won't last.
----
Yes, but can you blame them for doing so if that's the only legal way they can hire programmers they want at the rate they can afford?-- Nish on sketchy hiring practices
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Isn't that the danged truth?
I'm still using XP, and still do all my searches the old-fashioned way. I never install any of those third-party toolbars or search products, even if they're by Google. I prefer to use Windows search for my PC file system and Google or Yahoo (through their homepages) for web searches.
All in all it's just one fewer installed program I have to manage; I'm just too lazy to keep everything running at the latest version.
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Sentinel_13 wrote: I'm still using XP, and still do all my searches the old-fashioned way
Since installing Copernic desktop search I almost never do searches the old-fashioned way. It's just far too slow.
Sentinel_13 wrote: I never install any of those third-party toolbars or search products, even if they're by Google
The only toolbar I use is Google, simply because the extra features of the toolbar are (for me) invaluable.
Sentinel_13 wrote: I'm just too lazy to keep everything running at the latest version
The Google toolbar auto-updates so your laziness doesn't matter.
Kevin
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The question is whether you should have a choice to use a 3rd party search provider, not that you MUST allow 3rd party software onto your system
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I know I voted yes. But at the end of the day I don't really care since I run Debian/GNU.
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I know Google is phoning home lately, so I don't think it's a good idea to have google search through my data. And for the rest, Windows Search works, so why should I use a different search engine?
WM.
What about weapons of mass-construction?
"What? Its an Apple MacBook Pro. They are sexy!" - Paul Watson
My blog
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WillemM wrote: I know Google is phoning home lately
You mean like the way Windows Media Player does?
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yes, exactly
WM.
What about weapons of mass-construction?
"What? Its an Apple MacBook Pro. They are sexy!" - Paul Watson
My blog
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ed welch wrote: WillemM wrote:
I know Google is phoning home lately
You mean like the way Windows Media Player does?
don't forget the genuine advantage thing too...
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No problem, it is your decision. But others peoples should make another decision. I shurely will try google search to compare it with the MS stuff. The web search of Google is better than the MS search, I try both sometimes to check.
Competition will make Software better.
Greetings from Germany
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I totally agree, it's a matter of choice.
WM.
What about weapons of mass-construction?
"What? Its an Apple MacBook Pro. They are sexy!" - Paul Watson
My blog
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Disclaimer: I don't use Vista.
Ok, so i'm not a huge fan of companies attempting to legislate or sue their way onto my computer... but yeah, this is something that ought to be flexible. I mean, i've been trying and subsequently disabling Microsoft's various desktop indexing attempts for years now, and while they've gotten better, as of last December WDS still had a nasty habit of kicking in several minutes after i'd started a "rebuild all"... this is the kind of software you really do want to have the option of swapping out.
Maybe Vista's search is fast, and intelligent about resource usage, and when eventually i start using it i'll never go back... but just in case it's not, i'd love to have that choice.
----
Yes, but can you blame them for doing so if that's the only legal way they can hire programmers they want at the rate they can afford?-- Nish on sketchy hiring practices
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In my experience, nothing in Vista is intelligent about resource usage.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of things I like fine about Vista, but the resource usage is just ... FUBAR.
Grim (aka Toby) MCDBA, MCSD, MCP+SB
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