In 1998, Ralph Nader asked Dell (and 5 other major OEMs) to offer alternate operating systems to Microsoft Windows, specifically including Linux, for which "there is clearly a growing interest" Dell started offering Linux notebook systems which "cost no more than their Windows 98 counterparts" in 2000, and soon expanded, with Dell becoming "the first major manufacturer to offer Linux across its full product line" But by early 2001 Dell had "disbanded its Linux business unit".
On February 26 Dell announced that it had commenced a program to sell and distribute a range of computers with pre-installed Linux distributions instead of Microsoft Windows. Dell indicated that Novell's SUSE Linux would appear first. However, Dell on February 27, 2007 announced that its previous announcement related to certifying the hardware as ready to work with Novell SUSE Linux and that it (Dell) had no plans to sell systems pre-installed with Linux in the near future. On
This may mean that Dell no longer has a deal with Microsoft to use their software or it may also be that Dell is looking for new, cheaper software. Some people prefer to avoid Microsoft because they need to be in control of the format of their own data. Others find the substantial cost of the software to be prohibitive. Some disapprove of Microsoft’s business practices, or feel that it’s unhealthy for any industry to be in the grip of such a monopoly. Governments often feel a duty to their citizens not to be under the control of a single corporation to the extent that use of Microsoft software often implies. And many, many people are simply frustrated with the constant battle against bugs, worms and viruses.
char lang.... hehehe....
Sunday, December 16, 2007
What are the implications of Dell Computer Corp selling business PC's to some of its clients without Windows installed?
What do Microsoft's new licensing policies dictate to PC manufacturers?
A software license agreement is a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software which grants the user a software license. Most often, a software license agreement indicates the terms under which an end-user may utilize the licensed software, in which case the agreement is called an end-user license agreement or EULA. When the software license agreement is between the software licensor and a business or government entity, it is often implemented as a specialized form of contract with many clauses unique to the license and the nature of the software being licensed.
Most end-user license agreements (EULAs) accompany shrink wrapped software that is presented to a user sometimes on paper or more usually electronically, during the installation procedure. The user has the choice of accepting or rejecting the agreement, without reading it first. The installation of the software is conditional to the user accepting the agreement and thereby agreeing to abide by its terms. Once the user has installed the software, then he/she has the opportunity to read the license agreement in detail.
Many EULAs assert extensive liability limitations. Most commonly, a EULA will hold harmless the software licensor in the event that the software causes damage to the user's computer or data, but some software also includes limitations on whether the licensor can be held liable for damage that arises through improper use of the software (for example, incorrectly using tax preparation software and incurring penalties as a result). One case upholding such limitations on consequential damages is M.A. Mortenson Co. v. Timberline Software Corp., et al. Some EULAs also include restrictions on venue and applicable law in the event that a legal dispute arises.
Some copyright owners use EULAs in an effort to circumvent limitations the applicable copyright law places on their copyrights (such as the limitations in sections 107-122 of the United States Copyright Act), or to expand the scope of control over the work into areas for which copyright protection is denied by law (such as attempting to charge for, regulate or prevent private performances of a work beyond a certain number of performances or beyond a certain period of time). Such EULAs are, in essence, efforts to gain control, by contract, over matters upon which copyright law precludes control.
These terms are likely to provide employment security for intellectual-property lawyers for the foreseeable future: in disputes of this nature, cases are often appealed, and different circuit courts of appeal seldom agree, which provides an opportunity for the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene—which in recent decades it has usually done in a scope-limited and cautious manner, providing little in the way of precedent or settled law.
Why did Microsoft implement their new licensing policies and how is Dell circumventing them?
First attempt in 2000
In 1998, Ralph Nader asked Dell (and 5 other major OEMs) to offer alternate operating systems to Microsoft Windows, specifically including Linux, for which "there is clearly a growing interest Dell started offering Linux notebook systems which "cost no more than their Windows 98 counterparts" in 2000, and soon expanded, with Dell becoming "the first major manufacturer to offer Linux across its full product line" But by early 2001 Dell had "disbanded its Linux business unit".
The reason(s) for such a quick reversal remain the subject of debate. Court documents accused Microsoft of coercing OEMs to drop Linux:
Microsoft executive Joachim Kempin described his plan of retaliation and coercion to shut down competition from Linux: "I am thinking of hitting the OEM harder than in the past with anti-Linux actions" and will "further try to restrict source code deliveries where possible and be less gracious when interpreting agreements — again without being obvious about it," continuing "this will be a delicate dance"
While in a 2003 interview Michael Dell denied that Microsoft pressured Dell Inc. into doing an about-face with regard to desktop Linux, citing a lack of sales: "unfortunately the desktop Linux market didn't develop in volume. It's more of a server opportunity" but adding: "We continue to offer Linux on the desktop and there is nothing else to say." However, a 2004 report noted that Dell no longer offered preinstalled desktop Linux:
So what does it mean "factory installed Linux"? If you want Dell to install Linux for you, first add on $119. But here is the annoying part. They won't send you a computer with Linux pre-installed. They sell you the computer and the boxes of software on the side, and then they make an appointment to send you someone who comes to your house or business and installs it there.
Second attempt in 2007
On February 26 Dell announced that it had commenced a program to sell and distribute a range of computers with pre-installed Linux distributions instead of Microsoft Windows. Dell indicated that Novell's SUSE Linux would appear first.However, Dell on February 27, 2007 announced that its previous announcement related to certifying the hardware as ready to work with Novell SUSE Linux and that it (Dell) had no plans to sell systems pre-installed with Linux in the near future. On March 28, 2007, Dell announced that it would begin shipping some desktops and laptops with Linux pre-installed, although it did not specify which distribution of Linux or which hardware would lead. On April 18, 2007 a report appeared suggesting that Michael Dell used Ubuntu Linux on one of his home-systems. On May 1, 2007, Dell announced it will ship the Ubuntu Linux distribution.On May 24, 2007, Dell started selling models with Ubuntu Linux 7.04 pre-installed: a laptop, a budget computer, and a high-end PC.
On June 27, 2007, Dell announced on its Direct2Dell blog that it planned to offer more pre-loaded systems (the new Dell Inspiron desktops and laptops). After the IdeaStorm site supported extending the bundles beyond the
Monday, December 10, 2007
5. why is Google unique?
Veen: So what’s unique about Google? You’ve seen a few of these big Internet companies now from the inside.
Au: There are so many things that are so fascinating about Google. The way this company is designed, the whole organization is completely inverted. There’s incredible empowerment in all levels of the company. A lot of start-ups, they start out flat, but then as they grow as companies, they become more hierarchical and more silo-ed. Google has done an amazing job of avoiding that. So the company still operates in a very flat way. People are very much empowered, and there’s a lot of freedom and flexibility to explore and pursue your passions. If you really believe in something, you can absolutely go make things happen. That [makes it] very easy to build things.
JV: Have you seen challenges in being a designer at Google, a very sort of technology-focused and -centered company?
IA: It is challenging. I think in a lot of conventional companies, design is kind of a top-down process. Where you think about who are your target users, what’s the market you’re going after, what are their needs. You do requirements-gathering, and then you design the experience around that, and then you tell the engineers to go build. Here, the way products are conceived a lot of times, it’s an engineer has some kind of idea and then starts building it and then — as it gains momentum — a product manager and a designer might become attached to it.
So it’s a very bottoms-up kind of process, which is very different to how designers are trained to think about product development. Yet I still think that there are ways that designers can work within that environment and still have products be use-driven and design-driven, but the ways in which you go about getting yourself inserted might be quite different than [at] other cultures, [which] are maybe more top-down, or product- or marketing- or design-driven.
6. google's competitiveness in the market
4. Google's new services
We are often asked at Google what we are doing to improve regular web search. There's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, but today, at our press event, we announced four new products that will give you a better sense of how all this work becomes reality.
Our new products offer a pretty wide range of services and capabilities, but they have one thing in common: They all enhance and improve the search experience for our users.
- Google Co-op is a way for users to help us improve search. It lets people and organizations label web pages and create specialized links related to their unique expertise. Whether it's information about a hobby, a profession, or an unusual interest, everyone can contribute to making Google search more relevant and useful for the entire community.
- Google Desktop 4 gives you another way to improve search, by personalizing your desktop. New "Google Gadgets" deliver an array of information--ranging from games and media players to weather updates and news--straight to your desktop.
- Google Notebook (which we'll be launching next week) is a personal browser tool that lets you clip text, images, and links from the pages you're searching, save clippings to an online notebook, and then share notebooks with others.
- Google Trends builds on the idea behind the Google Zeitgeist, allowing you to sort through several years of Google search queries from around the world to get a general idea of everything from user preferences on ice-cream flavors to the relative popularity of politicians in their respective cities or countries.
Desktop products
Standalone applications
- AdWords Editor [1] (Mac OS X (10.4), Windows 2000 SP3+/XP/Vista)
Desktop application to manage a Google AdWords account. The application allows users to make changes to their account and advertising campaigns before synchronising with the online service.
Desktop search application, that indexes e-mails, documents, music, photos, chats, Web history and other files. It allows the installation of Google Gadgets.
Virtual globe that uses satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS over a 3D globe.
- Gmail/Google Notifier [4] (Mac OS X, Windows 2000/XP)
Alerts the user of new messages in their Gmail account.
- Hello [5] (Windows 98/ME/2000/XP)
Allows users to send images across the Internet and publish them to blogs.
Collection of computer applications -- some Google-created, some not -- including Google Earth, Google Desktop, Picasa, Google Talk, Star Office and Mozilla Firefox.
- Photos Screensaver [7]
Slideshow screensaver as part of Google Pack, which displays images sourced from a hard disk, or through RSS and Atom Web feeds.
Photo organization and editing application, providing photo library options and simple effects.
- Picasa 2
Photo organization and editing application, providing even more options and effects than Picasa.
- Picasa Web Albums Uploader [9] (Mac OS X)
An application to help uploading images to the "Picasa Web Albums" service It consists of both an iPhoto plug-in and a stand-alone application.
- Secure Access [10] (Windows 2000/XP)
VPN client for Google WiFi users, whose equipment does not support WPA or 802.1x protocols
Simple 3D sketching program with unique dragging interface and direct integration with Google Earth.
- Talk [12] (Windows 2000/Windows XP/Server 2003/Vista)
Application for VoIP and instant messaging. It consists of both a service and a client used to connect to the service, which uses the XMPP protocol.
- Video Player [13] (Mac OS X/Windows 2000/XP)
Video player to watch videos from Google Video, including unique resume and download features. (Also included in Google Pack.)
- Web Accelerator [14] (Windows 2000 SP3+/XP/Vista)
Uses various caching technologies to increase load speed of web pages.
Desktop extensions
These products created by Google are extensions to software created by other organizations.
Displays related comments from other Blogger users.
- Browser Sync [16] (Firefox extension)
Saves browser settings for backup and use on other installations of Mozilla Firefox.
- Dashboard Widgets for Mac [17] (Mac OS X Dashboard Widgets)
Collection of mini-applications including Gmail, Blogger and Search History.
- Pinyin IME [18] (Internet Explorer extension) (Google China)
Input Method Editor that is used to convert Chinese Pinyin characters, which can be entered on Western-style keyboards, to Chinese characters.
Allows users to send text messages to their mobile phone (US only) about web content.
- Toolbar [20] (Firefox and Internet Explorer extension)
Web browser toolbar with features such as a Google Search box, phishing protection, pop-up blocker as well as the ability for website owners to create buttons.
Mobile products
Online mobile products
These products must be accessed through a browser on a mobile device.
- Blogger Mobile [21]
Only available on some US networks. Allows you to post to your Blogger blog from a mobile device.
- Calendar [22]
Read a list of all Google Calendar events from a mobile device. There is also the option to quickly add events to your personal calendar.
- Gmail [23]
Access a Gmail account from a mobile device using a standard mobile web browser. Alternatively, Google provides a specific mobile application to access and download Gmail messages quicker.
- News [24]
Access Google News on a mobile device using a simpler interface compared to the full online application.
- Google Mobilizer[25]
Makes any web page mobile-friendly.
Simple version of iGoogle - you must visit the information page to choose which modules to display on your personal mobile version as not all modules are compatible.
- Product Search [27]
Updated version of the previous Froogle Mobile
- Reader [28]
View Google Reader on a mobile device.
- Mobile search [29]
Search web pages, images, local listings and mobile-specific web pages through the Google search engine. If a webpage is not tailored for a mobile device Google will provide a simple text version of the webpage generated using an algorithm.
- Picasa Web Albums [30]
Lets you view photo albums that you have stored online.
Downloadable mobile products
These products must be downloaded and run from a mobile device.
- Gmail mobile [31]
A downloadable application that has many advantages over accessing Gmail through a web interface on a mobile such as the ability to interact with Gmail features including labels and archiving. Requires a properly configured Java Virtual Machine, which is not available by default on some platforms (such as Palm's Treo).
- Maps
Mobile application for viewing maps on a mobile device. Unlike other Mobile Google products, mobile Maps is available in non-Java versions, avoiding the difficulties with getting a Java Runtime Environment installed and properly configured on the mobile device. Maps mobile is currently available in versions for Blackberry devices, Windows Mobile and Palm OS smartphones. Version 2.0 comes with a beta version of Google's "My Location" technology, which uses cell tower ID information to provide users with their approximate location through triangulation. My Location technology allows users without GPS-enabled mobile phones to share in some of the convenience of location information. Although often not as accurate as true GPS, some added benefits locating this way are faster location estimates, coverage inside of buildings and less battery drain compared to mobile phones with GPS chips. [33]
- Google Talk (Blackberry Exclusive) [34]
A
Web products
These products must be accessed via a Web browser.
Advertising
Advertisement program for Website owners. Adverts generate revenue on either a per-click or per-thousand-ads-displayed basis, and are adverts shown are from AdWords users, depending on which adverts are relevant.
Google's flagship advertising product, and main source of revenue. AdWords offers pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and site-targeted advertising for both text and banner ads.
- AdWords Website Optimizer [37]
Integrated AdWords tool for testing different website content, in order to gain to the most successful advertising campaigns.
- Audio Ads [38]
Radio advertising program for US businesses. Google began to roll this product out en masse on 15 May 2007 through its exisiting AdWords interface.
Calling system so users can call advertisers for free at Google's expense from search results pages.
- Grants [40]
Scheme for non-profit organizations to benefit from free Cost-Per-Click advertising on the AdWords network.
- TV Ads [41]
CPM-driven television advertising scheme available on a trial basis, currently aimed towards professional advertisers, agencies and partners.
Communication & Publishing
- 3D Warehouse [42]
Google 3D Warehouse is an online service that hosts 3D models of existing objects, locations (including buildings) and vehicles created in Google SketchUp by the aforementioned application's users. The models can be downloaded into Google SketchUp by other users or Google Earth.
Custom domain and service integration service for businesses, enterprise and education, featuring Gmail and other Google products.
Weblog publishing tool. Users can create a custom, hosted blogs with features such as photo publishing, comments, group blogs, blogger profiles and mobile-based posting with little technical knowledge.
Free online calendar. It includes a unique "quick add" function which allows users to insert events using natural language input. Other features include Gmail integration and calendar sharing. It is similar to those offered by Yahoo! and MSN.
Document, spreadsheet and presentation application, with document collaboration and publishing capabilities.
Social networking site built specifically for use on mobile phones. Users text their location to the service, which then notifies them of crushes, friends, friends' friends and interesting venues nearby.
News feed management services, including feed traffic analysis and advertising facilities.
- Gadgets [49]
Mini-applications designed to display information or provide a function in a succinct manner. Available in Universal or Desktop format.
Free Webmail and POP e-mail service provided by Google, known for its abundant storage and advanced interface. It was first released in an invitation-only form on April 1, 2004. Mobile access and Google Talk integration is also featured.
Free voice communications product that includes a POTS telephone number. It includes a follow-me service that allows the user to forward their GrandCentral phone number to simultaneously ring up to 6 other phone numbers. It also features a unified voice mail service.
Customizable homepage, which can contain Web feeds and Google Gadgets, launched in May 2005. It was renamed to iGoogle on April 30, 2007 (previously used internally by Google).
Soccer community site, similar to services such as MySpace, in that each member has a profile, and can join groups based on shared interests. The service allows a user to meet other fans, create games and clubs, access athletes from Nike, and watch and upload video clips and photos.
Application wiki company that offers enterprise social software and was founded by Joe Kraus and Graham Spencer, co-founders of Excite. The product is targeted mainly to small and medium-sized businesses. It was acquired by Google on October 31, 2006.
Web clipping application for saving online research. The tool permits users to clip text, images, and links from pages while browsing, save them online, access them from any computer, and share them with others.
- Marratech e-Meeting
Web conferencing software, used internally by Google's employees. Google acquired the software from creator Marratech on April 19, 2007. Google has not yet stated what it will do with the product.
Social networking service, where users can list their personal and professional information, create relationships amongst friends and join communities of mutual interest. In November 2006, Google opened Orkut registration to everyone, instead of being invitation only.
Webpage-publishing program, which can be used to create pages and to host them on Google's servers.
Online photo sharing, with integration with the main Picasa program.
Web-based news aggregator, capable of reading Atom and RSS feeds. It allows the user to search, import and subscribe to feeds. The service also embeds audio enclosures in the page. Major revisions to Google Reader were made in October 2006.
- Shared Stuff [60]
Web page sharing system, incorporating a Share bookmarklet to share pages, as well as a page for viewing the most popular shared items. Pages can also be shared through third party applications, such as del.icio.us or Facebook.
- Questions and Answers [61] (Google
Community-driven knowledge market website. Launched on
Popular free video sharing Web site which lets users upload, view, and share video clips. In October 2006, Google, Inc., announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion USD in Google's stock. The deal closed on 13 November 2006.
Development
Open Source mobile phone platform developed by the Open Handset Alliance
Google's site for developers interested in Google-related development. The site contains Open Source code and lists of their API services.
Platform for users to expand and apply Google Search to specific sites and topics, using Custom Search Engine, Subscribed Links and Topics.
An extension for Firefox and a plug-in for Internet Explorer that supports offline access to web applications.
- Mashup Editor [67]
Web Mashup creation with publishing facilities, as well as syntax highlighting and debugging.
- OpenSocial [68] A set of common APIs for building social applications on many websites.
- Webmaster Tools [69] (Previously Google Sitemaps)
Sitemap submission and analysis for the Sitemaps protocol. Renamed from Google Sitemaps to cover broader features, including query statistics and robots.txt analysis.
Mapping
Mapping service that indexes streets and satellite imagery, providing driving directions and local business search.
Imagery of Mars using the Google Maps interface. Elevation, visible imagery and infrared imagery can be shown. It was released on March 13, 2006, the anniversary of the birth of astronomer Percival Lowell.
NASA imagery of the moon through the Google Maps interface. It was launched on July 20, 2005, in honor of the first manned Moon landing on July 20, 1969.
Taxi, limousine and shuttle search service, using real time position of vehicles in 14 US cities. Ride Finder uses the Google Maps interface and cooperates with any car service that wishes to participate.
Public transport trip planning through the Google Maps interface. Google Transit was released on December 7, 2005, and is now fully integrated with Google Maps.
(For Google Earth, see "Standalone applications")
Search
- Accessible Search [75]
Search engine for the blind and visually impaired. It prioritises usable and accessible web sites in the search results, so the user incurs minimal distractions when browsing.
E-mail notification service, which sends alerts based on chosen search terms, whenever there are new results. Alerts include web results, Groups results news, and video.
Google submission database, that enables content owners to submit content, have it hosted and make it searchable. Information within the database is organized using attributes.
- Blog search [78]
Weblog search engine, with a continuously-updated search index. Results include all blogs, not just those published through Blogger. Results can be viewed and filtered by date.
- Book Search [79] (Previously Google Print)
Search engine for the full text of printed books. Google scans and stores in its digital database. The content that is displayed depends on the arrangement with the publishers, ranging from short extracts to entire books.
- Catalogs [80]
Search engine for over 6,600 print catalogs, which are acquired through Optical character recognition.
Online payment processing service provided by Google aimed at simplifying the process of paying for online purchases. Webmasters can choose to implement Google Checkout as a form of payment.
Search engine for programming code found on the Internet.
- Directory [83]
Collection of links arranged into hierarchical subcategories. The links and their categorization are from the Open Directory Project, but are sorted using PageRank.
- Directory [84] (Google China)
Navigation directory, specifically for Chinese users.
- Experimental Search [85]
Options for testing new interfaces whilst searching with Google, including Timeline views and keyboard shortcuts.
Searchable
Web and e-mail discussion service and Usenet archive. Users can join a group, make a group, publish posts, track their favorite topics, write a set of group web pages updatable by members and share group files. [88]. In January, 2007, version 3 of Google Groups was released. New features include the ability to create customised pages and share files.
Game that induces participants to submit valid descriptions (labels) of images in the web, in order to later improve Image Search.
Image search engine, with results based on the filename of the image, the link text pointing to the image and text adjacent to the image. When searching, a thumbnail of each matching image is displayed.
- Language Tools [91]
Collection of linguistic applications, including one that allows users to translate text or web pages from one language to another, and another that allows searching in web pages located in a specific country or written in a specific language.
- Life Search [92] (Google China)
Search engine tailored towards everyday needs, such as train times, recipes and housing.
- Movies [93]
A specialised search engine that obtains Film showing times near a user-entered location as well as providing reviews of films compiled from several different websites,
Music ranking of the songs played with iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player and Yahoo Music. Trends are generated by Google Talk's "share your music status" feature.
Automated news compilation service and search engine for news. There are versions of the aggregator for more than 20 languages. While the selection of news stories is fully automated, the sites included are selected by human editors.
Feature within Google News, that allows users to browse articles from over 200 years ago.
Search engine to search through millions of patents, each result with its own page, including drawings, claims and citations.
- Product Search [98] (Previously Froogle)
Price engine that searches online stores, including auctions, for products.
- Rebang [99] (Google China)
Google China's search trend site, similar to Google Zeitgeist. Currently part of Google Labs.
Search engine for the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and scholarly fields. Today, the index includes virtually all peer-reviewed journals available online, except those published by Elsevier, the world's largest scientific publisher.
- SearchMash [101]
Search engine that means to "test innovative user interfaces." Among its features are the ability to display image results on the same page as web results, feedback about features, and continuous scrolling results. Aside from its privacy policy and terms of service, there is no Google branding on the site.
- Sets [102]
List of items generated when the user enters a few examples. For example, entering "Green, Purple, Red" produces the list "Green, Purple, Red, Blue, Black, White, Yellow,
- SMS [103]
Mobile phone short message service offered by Google in several countries, including the
- Suggest [104]
Auto-completion in search results while typing to give popular searches.
- University Search [105]
Listings for search engines for University websites.
Search engine and Personalized Homepage that exclusively draws from sites with a .govTLD.
Video search engine and online store for clips internally submitted by companies and the general public. Google's main video partnerships include agreements with CBS, NHL and the NBA. Also searches videos posted on YouTube.
- Voice Local Search [108]
Non-premium phone service for searching and contacting local businesses
- Web History [109] (Previously Google Search History / Personalized Search)
Web page tracking, which records Google searches, Web pages, images, videos, music and more. It also includes Bookmarks, search trends and item recommendations.
Web search engine, which is Google's core product. It was the company's first creation, coming out of beta on September 21, 1999, and remains their most popular and famous service. It receives 1 billion requests a day and is the most used search engine on the Internet.
Statistics
Traffic statistics generator for defined websites, with strong AdWords integration. Webmasters can optimize their ad campaigns, based on the statistics that are given. Analytics is based on the Urchin software and the new version released in May 2007 integrates improvements based on Measure Map.
- Gapminder [112]
Data trend viewing platform to make nations' statistics accessible on the internet in an animated, interactive graph form.
Graph plotting application for Web Search statistics, showing the popularity of particular search terms over time. Multiple terms can be shown at once. Results can also be displayed by city, region or language. Related news stories are also shown.
- Zeitgeist [114]
Collection of lists of the most frequent search queries. There are weekly, monthly and yearly lists, as well as topic and country specific lists. Closed
Hardware products
- Google Search Appliance [115]
Hardware device that can be hooked to corporate intranets for indexing/searching of company files.
- Google Mini [116]
Reduced capacity and less expensive version of the Google Search Appliance.
Other products
- GOOG-411 [117]
Google's directory assistance service, which can be used free of charge from any telephone in the
Previous products
Applications that have been discontinued by Google, either because of integration with other Google products, or through lack of support.
Question and answer service, allowing users to pay researchers to answer questions. Google announced the closing of service on November 28, 2006. All past discussions have been publicly archived.
- Deskbar
Bar on your desktop with a minibrowser build into it. It was discontinued when a very similar feature was added to Google desktop. Some people preferred Google deskbar for its ability to add custom searching and the mini-browser so you wouldn't have to open an actual window. The last release, version 9.95, had a .NET plugin.
- Free Search [119]
Free code to embed either web search or site search into another website. Discontinued in favour of Google Co-op's Custom Search Engine.
- Local
Local listings service, before it was integrated with mapping. The merged service was then called Google Local, which was further renamed to Google Maps due to popular demand.
- Personalized Search
Search results personalization, now fully merged with Google Accounts and Web History.
- Public Service Search [120]
Non-commercial organization service, which included free SiteSearch, traffic reports and unlimited search queries. Discontinued in February 2007 and re-directed to Google Co-op.
- Related Links
Script that places units for related Web content, including pages, searches and videos, on the owner's Website, through embedded code. Discontinued in July 2007.
- Spreadsheets
Spreadsheet management application, before it was integrated with Writely to form Google Docs & Spreadsheets. It was announced on 6 June 2006.
- Voice Search [121]
Automated voice system for searching the Web using the telephone. Now called Google Voice Local Search [122], it is currently integrated on the Google Mobile web site [123].
- Writely
Web-based word processor created by software company Upstartle, who were acquired by Google on March 9, 2006. On October 10, 2006, Writely was merged into Google Docs & Spreadsheets.
Re-designed Google search homepage, using a Mac OS style interface. It appeared in Google Labs, but was removed the following day for undisclosed reasons.
