I think I’m going to start a section called “why can’t we all just get along” because everyone in the US is “sue the other guy” happy from corporations to individuals. Google has complained to some Department of Justice officials that certain features within Microsoft’s newest operating system, Vista, that discourage users from using Google software.

Namely, Google wants people to use its Google Desktop software which has a desktop search feature, sidebar widgets, RSS feeds and several other utilities that some might find useful. I liked Google Desktop Search back when it was just that, a desktop search engine. Now it’s bloated piece of software that (in my opinion) uses too much memory for what it does and takes too long to index any hard drive. Not that I’m hurting for memory.

All I ask of a desktop search is just that, a desktop search, I don’t want or need all this stuff crowding up my desktop. It’s a matter of personal opinion, you either love it or hate it and I’m on the “hate” side.

I prefer Vista’s desktop search to Google Desktop because all it does is index and search your hard drive, simplicity is more, in this case.

ComputerWorld received an email from Google stating that “Microsoft’s current approach with Vista desktop search violates its agreement with the government and hurts consumers.”

Not to be outdone, Microsoft released a statement to counter that, “While we don’t believe there are any compliance concerns with desktop search, we are committed to going the extra mile to resolve this issue, so long as the changes Google is requesting do nothing to undermine the privacy and security of computer users.”

Even back before Vista released, we’re talking early Longhorn days, Google was complaining about the default search engine in Internet Explorer 7, that it was defaulted to MSN Search. But, it was so easy to change that Google lost that argument. I think they will lose this one as well.

Some like the features of Google Desktop Search, some just like having a desktop search engine without all the fancy features (I would call it bloat). But neither Google Desktop nor Vista Search can hold a candle to Spotlight.

If Apple were to release spotlight for PCs, that would be the end, Spotlight would win, hands down. I know of no other desktop search that can sort 8GB+ worth of data the instant and I do mean the instant it is transferred to a hard drive.

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Related:

Microsoft says Google’s Vista complaint is "baseless"

Microsoft might forget about Vista SP1 until 2008

Microsoft: Ignore Google in Vista antitrust case

New Google filing presses for role in Vista’s desktop search case

Google will pass profits of Microsoft Windows in 2009

Entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 6:03 am under Microsoft, Uncategorized, Vista.  Print This Post

Read more entries by Jonathan Schlaffer.