Google Docs Protected Ranges - an annoying "almost there" story

Google Docs is great. simply put.

Being the man behind the mom in the PTA of all of our children,
I create many google documents and share them with the rest of the parents.
With spreadsheets, i am a huge fan of Protected Ranges. Especially I am fond of the combination of Protected Range and Data Validation.
The data validation allows creating  cool drop down list, where parents can just pick from the list ( I don't trust them to type correctly).
Range protection let me narrow them to modify only the fields I want them to touch.
(To a matter of fact, I don't trust them AT ALL).

This let me create sheets that are as powerful as forms, and as flexible and cool as spreadsheet can be.

Google Docs spreadsheets have all that!
You can get into this small example table of product (1..10).
the red cells are editable. the area of the products is protected.
pretty cool huh!?

I tried doing the same with the new Office 2013 365 or whatever it's called. I was sure it gonna leave nothing but dust to gdocs.
pkhhh. Current version of 365 doesn't support neither range protection,  nor data validation nor conditional formatting. in other words - OFFICE EXCEL 365 is a NON STARTER CRAP.

So, we're back and happy in the good old familiars arms of Google Docs.

So why is it just "almost there"?

well, have a look at the snapshot below (i don't really trust you to have tried the link above...). The protected range appears as a striped no-flight zone area. The striping is disastrous. makes your entire sheet looking terminally ill.

This is configurable, one can change that in its browser, by going to google doc View menu and un-check the Protected Range item... But show me one PTA mom that will un-check this. duh.

GOOGLE - Please make the protected range un-checked by default, or make the protected range marking less annoying (or just non-existent).

snapshot of the gdoc i created. note the striped protected range.

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.