Why google loves open source

[earobinson]

Not sure if people have seen this yet but http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=2BF1A6B8-C974-42DD-8903-758193AE36BF

one question then why dont more google apps come out with a linux version

cheers

[dataw0lf]

How about another question: Why Google is NOT allowing their Jabber-based Google Talk to use s2s? I think pressure needs to be put on Google to include this. They talk about open communication, let's see it.

[GeneralZod]

How about another question: Why Google is NOT allowing their Jabber-based Google Talk to use s2s? I think pressure needs to be put on Google to include this. They talk about open communication, let's see it.

The currently touted reasons are that they want it to be a relatively "closed" (in the sense of "not many people can use it yet", rather than "using proprietary protocols") at first, to a) discourage spammers and b) enable them to test the load that the system will be under (something that is very hard to guess, and very hard to fix if you get it wrong when you go live).

Point b) is fairly convincing to me - they did the same thing with gmail (via the invite system), and that blossomed into a fairly open system (you can check your mail account via POP3, for example). I'm slightly doubtful of the merits of point a), however.

I'm going to give it a couple of months before I make any hard judgements, personally.

[coogor]

...
one question then why dont more google apps come out with a linux version


Exactly..specially for killer-apps like Google Earth...

[earobinson]

Exactly..specially for killer-apps like Google Earth...
Its so sad because if one thing was going to convert me back to windows it would be all the google apps, (at work i have them all installed) :) Its really good that gtalk is open source even though i cant get it to work in gaim yet (think it has something to do with the fact that i use the same account on windows and linux because i have an account that works fine just with linux)

[Wolki]

one question then why dont more google apps come out with a linux version

Same reason other companies dont produce linux versions: It's currently not worth the effort. Especially with the Google brand, you have to keep investors happy, and the linux audience is small. It's not like they don't support open source, just look at the summer of code. Other things will come, once the market is big enough.

[earobinson]

But i want it now, and you figure a company that uses linux in house would take the time to do it. Google dose a lot of things that not many people use (hello) but they still talke the time to do it. And a company that has used open source to get where they are should give back (even if it is closed source all i ask is an rpm)

[sapo]

As a said in IRC.. i think that Google is going to the dark side of the force :-#

[Luggy]

I used to think that google wasn't so bad, sure they didn't port much to linux or make their code open source but at least they used standards and didn't try and bully people into using their propritary software.

Then a friend showed me this article (http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-375112.html) and I'm really starting to think negatively.

[earobinson]

I used to think that google wasn't so bad, sure they didn't port much to linux or make their code open source but at least they used standards and didn't try and bully people into using their propritary software.

Then a friend showed me this article (http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-375112.html) and I'm really starting to think negatively.
google is over all good, they have to protect them selves form lots of crap, i know the fedora forums made money using google adds, but look at if the way they see it whats to stop you from going onto a comptuer and clicking the adds, nothing so if they suspect that then they have every right not to pay, true they should have sent a warning, but this is the internet and there are a lot worse things that other companies do.

[byen]

google is over all good, they have to protect them selves form lots of crap that is true but i have to agree with this!!!
As a said in IRC.. i think that Google is going to the dark side of the force
well.. that would be sad if that indeed happens...I was really suprised that gtalk....had no lin version....oh well..

[Brunellus]

do you blame them for ignoring a niche?

Let's not kid ourselves: they're after the numbers, not some ineffable technical prestige.

[majikstreet]

Not sure if people have seen this yet but http://www.cbronline.com/article_news.asp?guid=2BF1A6B8-C974-42DD-8903-758193AE36BF

one question then why dont more google apps come out with a linux version

cheers
i know-- i'd like google talk for linux. so i can actually talk!

[earobinson]

i know-- i'd like google talk for linux. so i can actually talk!
well its well documented so it sould be easy to make a plugin for gaim. (they just fixed the croupet account problem i was having so im happy)

[phen]

the problem with google earth is maybe the same as with nasa worldwind! the nasa developers used windows libraries, that saved them lots of time. they don't exist on linux yet. i think mono is gonna change this.

they would've needed to code a complete new 3D graphics environment. and the nasa "team" was actually one programmer and one designer. maybe the situation at google is the same? i think we have to wait a little bit (or help, if we're able to...)


cheers,

kai

[earobinson]

the problem with google earth is maybe the same as with nasa worldwind! the nasa developers used windows libraries, that saved them lots of time. they don't exist on linux yet. i think mono is gonna change this.

they would've needed to code a complete new 3D graphics environment. and the nasa "team" was actually one programmer and one designer. maybe the situation at google is the same? i think we have to wait a little bit (or help, if we're able to...)


cheers,

kai
Good to know, but why dident they come out with a linux port for gtalk?

[xequence]

After reading that gentoo forum one I thought... AHHH! I am thinking of using google ads on a site I want to make!

[earobinson]

After reading that gentoo forum one I thought... AHHH! I am thinking of using google ads on a site I want to make!
If you do use them let us know how it goes

[faizan]

I think what we need to remember here is that we dont own Google. I might in the near future, haha, but what I'm trying to say is that Google has a right to do what they want to do. Agreed that they use open source, but that doesnt make them obliged to give us source to all their programs. They do more for the open source community than most do. They invest more money into open source than most do. I'm sure that they'll eventually give linux users what they want. We however, have no right to blame them.
As far as adsense is concerned, I know a bunch of people who have recieved their checks. If you've clicked on your own ads or asked other people to do so, dont be surprised when Google takes you off the program without shredding a penny. Cause you have broken law. So stop complaining.
Look, Google has an agenda. They're on a collision course with Microsoft and they're using time effectively by doing whats most important. Besides, Google Talk is coming out with Gaim. Google's building Google Earth for Linux. What else do you want? They should give us Linux stuff but they dont have to. They're still doing it. And you're still complaining. That makes me sick.
When Google does something, they make sure that they make a difference. Like Google Search. Like Gmail. So stop whining. Cause you'll get what you want. Just have the patience. Google can easily ignore linux cause linux users amount to under 10 percent of their potential users and customers. But they're not. Thats cause they're good.
I personally believe that Google's first priority is to battle Microsoft. So its justifiable that they're paying more attention to Windows customers. We should think highly of them cause even though they're facing stiff competition, they take their time-outs and give us what we need from time to time. Be content.

Peace and hope this makes a little difference.

[prizrak]

That article was very interesting, I especially found it interesting that US Government(s) are moving towards open source. From the Gov't POV Windows is a god send they can impose all kinds of restrictions and demand backdoors when it comes to a single monopolistic closed source OS yet they got so burned by MS that even they are moving away from it :)

[faizan]

I agree. Im in Massachussets and I was pretty excited when the government here adopted open office formats. You have no idea how hard Microsoft has been trying to bend that decision. And for the first time, they've sort-of accepted defeat. They say they'll support Open Document formats in the next Office Suite.
I think they did that to reverse the Mass Govt Decision but it was a defeat nonetheless. They havent even supported Adobe yet!! Imagine!! HAHA