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JauntyJamesSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,533 posts
Location: Hampshire College, MA, USA


Posted:
The name Google is practically synonymous with the internet. They're by far the biggest search engine, and to many people it's the only search engine. This sort of thing usually bothers me, but despite everything I really like the Google company. The reason for this is simple; they're nice. Google works hard to be as helpful as posible to the user. They're paid for mostly through ads, which they make subtle and never affect their page ranking. They won't accept ads from websites that are anti-anything.

Every day they come out with new gizmos. Albino Blacksheep is convinced that they're making a new web browser, and my money is on them making a new instant messenger. They've effectively cornered the market, making them very difficult to compete with. Nonetheless, they're honestly just out to help internet users. If they wanted to just make a lot of money, they could easily do it, but that would comprimise their high moral standards. They might be taking over the world, but I can't think of a more lovely company to do it.

Anyway, that's my opinion. You folks can talk about what I've been saying or just make this a free-for-all thread about Google, whatever works.

-James

"How do you know if you're happy or sad without a mask? Or angry? Or ready for dessert?"


Sporkyaddict
663 posts
Location: Glasgow


Posted:
Someone earlier mentioned that Apple should release a x86 (PC compatable) OS. Well... this might interest you... I pieced this together from Apple rumour sites. Its a well kept secret that Apple have recently switched chip suppliers from IBM to Intel with the move taking effect when the next generation of Apple processors (the G6) come out.



The next generation of Apple computers (to be seen late next year or early 2007) will use Intel chips based on a censored cross between x86 (PC processor) technology and PPC (Mac processor) technology. The new breed of Mac processors will be the spawn of the IBM G5 (now known as the Cell processor used in the PS3 and XboX 360), Intel's failed Itanium project (a 64 bit UNIX based processor) and current 64 bit x86 chips. They'll be able to run both Mac OS and Windows natively and simultaneously and will also be able to outstrip the current (and future) PC Intel and AMD chips in terms of raw calculation speed. There will also be a version of Mac OS that will run on standard x86 chips and while they will make this software themselves they will also continue to make hardware too, and not just the iPod as many consumers think. Apple are finally taking up their mantle as the only true rival to Windows and as Microsoft have flatly and consistently refused to enter the hardware market Bill Gates' company looks set to struggle.



edit: Another google error page... put in "French military victories"
EDITED_BY: onefinalstep (1124890668)

Have faith in what you can do and respect for what you can't


ZeeBooBRONZE Member
member
167 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
From Google watch

1. Google's immortal cookie:
Google was the first search engine to use a cookie that expires in 2038. This was at a time when federal websites were prohibited from using persistent cookies altogether. Now it's years later, and immortal cookies are commonplace among search engines; Google set the standard because no one bothered to challenge them. This cookie places a unique ID number on your hard disk. Anytime you land on a Google page,
you get a Google cookie if you don't already have one. If you have one, they read and record your unique ID number.

2. Google records everything they can:
For all searches they record the cookie ID, your Internet IP address, the time and date, your search terms, and your browser configuration. Increasingly, Google is customizing results based on your IP number. This is referred to in the industry as "IP delivery based on geolocation."

3. Google retains all data indefinitely:
Google has no data retention policies. There is evidence that they are able to easily access all the user information they collect and save.

4. Google won't say why they need this data:
Inquiries to Google about their privacy policies are ignored. When the New York Times (2002-11-28) asked Sergey Brin about whether Google ever gets subpoenaed for this information, he had no comment.

5. Google hires spooks:
Matt Cutts, a key Google engineer, used to work for the National Security Agency. Google wants to hire more people with security clearances, so that they can peddle their corporate assets to the spooks in Washington.

6. Google's toolbar is spyware:
With the advanced features enabled, Google's free toolbar for Explorer phones home with every page you surf, and yes, it reads your cookie too. Their privacy policy confesses this, but that's only because Alexa lost a class-action lawsuit when their toolbar did the same thing, and their privacy policy failed to explain this. Worse yet, Google's toolbar updates to new versions quietly, and without asking. This means that if you have the toolbar installed, Google essentially has complete access to your hard disk every time you connect to Google (which is many times a day). Most software vendors, and even Microsoft, ask if you'd like an updated version. But not Google. Any software that updates automatically presents a massive security risk.

7. Google's cache copy is illegal:
Judging from Ninth Circuit precedent on the application of U.S. copyright laws to the Internet, Google's cache copy appears to be illegal. The only way a webmaster can avoid having his site cached on Google is to put a "noarchive" meta in the header of every page on his site. Surfers like the cache, but webmasters don't. Many webmasters have deleted questionable material from their sites, only to discover later that the problem pages live merrily on in Google's cache. The cache copy should be "opt-in" for webmasters, not "opt-out."

8. Google is not your friend:
By now Google enjoys a 75 percent monopoly for all external referrals to most websites. Webmasters cannot avoid seeking Google's approval these days, assuming they want to increase traffic to their site. If they try to take advantage of some of the known weaknesses in Google's semi-secret algorithms, they may find themselves penalized by Google, and their traffic disappears. There are no detailed, published standards issued by Google, and there is no appeal process for penalized sites. Google is completely unaccountable. Most of the time Google doesn't even answer email from webmasters.

9. Google is a privacy time bomb:
With 200 million searches per day, most from outside the U.S., Google amounts to a privacy disaster waiting to happen. Those newly-commissioned data-mining bureaucrats in Washington can only dream about the sort of slick efficiency that Google has already achieved.


https://www.google-watch.org/

Just because I'm an adult doesn't make me responsible.


JauntyJamesSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,533 posts
Location: Hampshire College, MA, USA


Posted:
Personally, I think that most of Google-watch is paranoia. It does have valid points, but I'm convinced that they've got the public's best interest at heart. In response to point 6, I don't know about you, but I got the toolbar when it first came out, and they didn't make any secrete at all about what it was doing. I seem to recall having the option of not submiting anything back to Google, but I didn't have any problem with giving them user statistics. After all, why would anybody care what searches I do? All they could do with my seach history is make their search engine better, and that's fine with me. Besides, any decent firewall could make sure it isn't calling home if you don't want it to.

https://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.01/google_pr.html

This seems like a pretty good article about Google's policies.

-James

"How do you know if you're happy or sad without a mask? Or angry? Or ready for dessert?"


newgabeSILVER Member
what goes around comes around. unless you're into stalls.
4,030 posts
Location: Bali, Australia


Posted:
Well, I have received a number of emails lately promoting
'breaking up with Google for Valentines Day cos they broke my heart for China...."

One suggested that we try the search engine Clusty. I did. It's great. Groups responses (clusters them.. hence the name) into themes.
This is what they say about themselves:
*In the web's early days, engines didn't care whether you were dog, human, or other. How times have changed!

Now search engines want to know you very well indeed: your queries, the pages you visit, the books you buy, the email you send, your age, sex, zip code, etc. etc. This new world is an inviting target of snoops or agencies that want to analyze, censor, or monitor you.

We at Clusty don't track you. Our toolbar doesn't track you. We don't want to know your email address.

Just search, all the time. No questions asked.

For all the nitty-gritty, legalese details, see our Privacy Policy.*

*and yes, I have posted this in another thread about Google... but better than starting a new one eh wink

.....Can't juggle balls but I sure as hell can juggle details....


Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
google will not let google china users visit sites about the tinanamen square massacre or sites deemed dangerous to the party, eg falun gong, tibet invasion, taiwan independence.
google's 'don't be evil' mission is compromised.

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


MikeGinnyGOLD Member
HOP Mad Doctor
13,925 posts
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA


Posted:
Or, bender, is it better to not participate in the opening of China's internet at all?

Oooh...interesting question.

-Mike

Certified Mad Doctor and HoP High Priest of Nutella



A buckuht n a hooze! -Valura


AdeSILVER Member
Are we there yet?
1,897 posts
Location: australia


Posted:
google = company

google does not equal benevolent sharer of it's copies of the internet for the good of all

look at the china censorship...

eek frown

Ange_GSCGOLD Member
HOP's glowstick ambassador!!
128 posts
Location: Bay Area, California, USA


Posted:
Try watching this short news bit on google and the guys who created it. I'd love to work there!

Google, the Inside Story

missegyptology: "I just remember beingall off balance and unicycling really fast down to campus and the arabic was all blurred on the page"

^When Linz pulls an all nighter before Arabic class^


GlåssDIAMOND Member
The Ministry of Manipulation
2,523 posts
Location: Bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
https://www.google.com/press/pressrel/revenues_q405.html
86% revenue growth - not in one year, but in 1 quarter !!! :googlie eyes:

Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
at your interweb are belong to google!

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
what Elliot Schrage, vice president for global communications and public affairs at Google has to say about google's self censorship (and thereby collaboration with China's repression)
https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/testimony-internet-in-china.html
'don't be evil' also means 'don't be illegal'
shame that china makes being legal also immoral.
i still like google, success attracts suspicion, but i prefer google over McD's any day!

life is all about lesser evils, like how nutella is lesser, and evil, compared to the realultimatepowah™ of VEGEMITE!!!
b

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


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