Google Drive is shameful

When Google launched Google Drive, more than a few months ago, I was thrilled.
Even though I am a Dropbox enthusiast (managed to get almost 22GB of free storage space in my Dropbox),
I was thrilled.
Dropbox is not allowed at my work place, and also their domain is blocked.
Also - the combination "dropbox like" service, and Google Groups was appealing, not to mention Google Docs on top of it.

For example - this way, I can very easily maintain files that I want to share with a big and dynamically changing list of users
(I maintain a couple of those for the PTA regularly).
No need for upload, publishing, making sure all files are in synch - just save once. America.

But Google Drive is a non-starter.
I am not even talking about its issues with very poor performance, reliability and resource hogging. I didn't get to those show stoppers.

I had two other issues that made GD DOA. (Dead On Arrival).

1. Cannot co-share Google Drive folder.
   I have multiple user accounts on my PC. one for regular user, one for admin etc.
   In my case, I also want all my accounts to connect to the same GD account, and to point to the same folder. no go.
   when the second PC user conencts (using the same GD account) try to map the folder, it yells at me that this folder is already a GD folder. duh.
   Then, I have to define a different folder. and then - unbelievably, I ended up with two sets of the same files mirrored.
   C:\Users\RemoAdmin\Google Drive\myfiles...
   C:\Users\RemoRegUser\Google Drive\myfiles...
   I was so appalled  I didn't even bother to look how network wise smart is this local duplication is. oh boy.
   Needless to say, DropBox has no issue with multiple pointing.
   
   
2. Cannot follow links
   For quite a few years already (since Windows 2000 i think) NTFS supports links. symlinks, juncture -
   everything you expect from a modern FS.
   It's not as commonly known as Unix hardlinks/symlinks where it's really a part of the folklore, but it's still very useful.
   With respect to GD (or DropBox for that matter) - where you have one folder of synching using links can be
   an elegant way to include files and folders from the outside within the synched folder.
   For me - who had been using DropBox when GD launched - I thoght to myself - I will give it a try,
   let's link my documents folders from the GD, so they can be synched there,
   thinking maybe I will switch to GD exclusively when I would see I am happy with it.
   DUH. Links (symlinks, hard links, junctures, punctures, you name it) are not followed in the synch. DUH.
   More than half a year since launching, not only that it's still not supported, I couldn't find Google stating when (and if) it will support that.
   Needless to say, DropBox has no issue with following links.

Given 1 & 2 - I didn't see a point in really using this service. I as a convenient back end to the few documents I post on the PTA site I maintain,
but this is really small number of files.

Google Drive - with it's ridiculous volume and 5GB (for free) and endless show stoppers is simply shameful.

I hope they fix it soon -  as DropBox other competitors (Box, SugarSynch) are so far behind, they will be irrelevant soon.

Outgoing Labels

I am not sure when it was added, but that's a really good one.

Until recently, in order to label an outgoing mail, you had to trick it via a filter that would catch the outgoing message and attach a label to it.
Not very spontaneous.
alternatively, you could browse the sent mail and put labels. even less ..

Now - the simple and needed thing was added to the GUI. you can simply attach labels on mail in the compose window.
so simple, you can hardly believe it took 8.5 years to have it done. now it's done.
Mazal Tov.

Groups can add members directly again - a change in the right direction

I posted here last time about google taking off the possibility of adding members directly.

Apparently, the cries were just too loud. not only mine of course..

This is a feature that is simply a must.
So, now Google did the reasonable change, and found a balance between allowing that, and preventing an abuse on that.

They put this option back in, and put a clear limitation on the number of added members (10 at a chunk), and a CAPTCHA to ensure it's not a robot.

It's even better than before (before the removal of this feature).

The good thing, is to see that google is thinking clearly again, after so many counter-users changes.

I can manage mailing lists again!

New Google Groups GUI SUCKSSSSSS

I tried the new Google Groups GUI.
duh.

Out of my 12 groups, 6 of that I manage, I could access only three.

go figure.

I wrote a feedback or two, needless to say, no one got back to me.

when will Google get back to be a technology driven company, that simply delivers?

Google Groups removing direct adding of members

Google groups removed a few months ago the possibility to add members directly to a group.
this suck.

I maintains a number of groups as mailing lists, for every day's mom & dad things.

having to have the users go through invitation and registration is simply no-go for 20-60% of the crowd, depending on the age of them.
Google, like in other recent changes - most notably the change in filter-forward i wrote about,
keep on picking easy ways out, to as if "improve" security and privacy, at the cost of killing its products.

there are many other ways Google could have taken to mitigate the potential hazard of spams using Google groups, but they didn't.

the problem is - there is no service that is a good free mailing list (forum and stuff is just a bonus) out there. nada.

Two GMail feature request. Yeah sure.

Lately I am a bit displeased with Google way of getting feedback from Gmail users.

This is maybe for another day. This is one of the reasons I opened this blog, feeling that there is no good place for Gmail users' feedback.

so - let's keep it short, it should be a 5 minutes edit post,

these are two features i will be happy to see in Gmail.

1) Ad-Hok mail-thread mailing list.
a mailing list that you can create.
 - all the addressee can reply to it - including the BCC
 - all the addresse will get the response including the BCC ones.
- the AdHok mailing list is not accessible to senders from outside,
- and cannot be used on other mail threads

What is it good for - mostly to allow a flexible mailing list, free of CC/BCC inconveniences.
in regular mailing list you have problem excluding parts of the list.
with normal addressees  - no pun intended - the addresses are seen.
with BCC - they will not be included in others' replies, and have to be exposed if they want to reply.
Ad Hok thread based mailing list is cool elegant way to overcome the caveats above.
there are quite a few corners to polish here, but this is even more fun.

2) sort addressees list Alphabetically
this is a small request, can be implemented as a labin a day.
i sent a mail out recently with about 15 or so addressees - most of then know each other.
BCC was not a respectable option here, the order of addressees appearance
could be an issue. Each one of Charlize Angelina & Brigitte may want to see her name appear
before the others. The only way to make it right, so they won't complain is to sort it Alphabetically
I want Gmail to sort it for me.
Thanks.
I think it can make a small cute Lab feature.

That's all for today.

Streetview vans WiFi capture scandal - Enough with the conspiracy BS

Google Maps lovely StreetView feature is implemented with rather funny looking vans with cameras.

Those vans apparently collect WiFi hot-spots information.
This makes sense. Taking vans out all over the place is an operation Soooo expensive and complex, you want to preform as many tasks as you can.

WiFi AP locations is just another important layer of information on the map.

It turns out that google didn't just map the APs but also grabbed some traffic, and saved it on files.

OMG - what cries about Google using the SV vans for espionage etc, this is simply crap.

for two important reasons
1) the quality of the information collected by SV VANs is low.
2) Google has infinite amount of information they can dig into, endlessly superior to the captured WiFi traffic.