Today Google released a new search tool that will search your personal files: emails, documents, chat transcripts and so on. The next version of windows, codenamed Longhorn and planned for 2006, was going to be based on a powerful new search-centric file system, but gave up on it – looks like Google is happy to fill the spot. The software’s only available for Windows right now. And, obviously aware of privacy concerns about gmail, Google promises that none of the data on your computer will ever get to Google central. Update: John Battelle has an extensive piece about this, including an interview with a Google representative. A cool thing is that the desktop search will also search every website that you’ve ever looked at, using your browser’s logs and cache. It only works on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer for now. Hm.
5 thoughts on “google searches your harddrive”
Leave A Comment
Recommended Posts
Ian Bogost
Mac users, rejoice: http://quicksilver.blacktree.com. Changed the way I use my computer.
Jill
I installed that a few weeks ago and have been trying to use it but obviously haven’t quite cracked the codes – or else my brain works differently or something. So far it doesn’t seem a lot easier than the standard interface.
What, specifically, do you like about it, Ian?
bicyclemark
Eww.. hooray for google invading the little privacey I value.
trond
“Eww.. hooray for google invading the little privacey I value.”
Then don’t use it. It’s not mandatory to download and use every piece of software in the world 😉
:)
Hi. Apple wil have this in ther next versjon that wil come next year 🙂 http://www.apple.com/macosx/tiger/spotlight.html