Google Kills Cloud Print • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#161

Post by hinkley » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:01 PM UTC

inapis wrote: post #132

zarriak wrote: post #96

Why doesn't Google just charge for this? This is the only thing that makes printing off of an Android phone even ok. I have a Pixel and for the life of me I cannot print easily from it, and I have tried multiple different printer manufacturers.

Revenue generated from charging for products such as this would be probably chump change for Google. Google is a mass market company thus chump change is irrelevant to them. Plus they are used to operating at a scale by providing products for free. Consumers are used to Google providing products for free. Thus it’s jarring for a lot of users to suddenly pay for basic functionality. Enterprises probably don’t need thi…

But Google isn’t Google anymore. They’re Google, an Alphabet Company. So there should be more space for this.

The problem is that Page and Brin, the authors of the perverse incentives at Google, are still in charge. Alphabet would have been a great place to bring in some people who are good at maintaining projects. Hell Google could learn a thing or two via osmosis about efficiency from them. Maybe cut the ageist bullshit down a notch and hire some people who come with experience instead of making the same mistakes over and over.

But no, it’s still the Larry and Sergei show.

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#162

Post by ajford » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:02 PM UTC

DannyB2 wrote: post #95

areoform wrote: post #62

Google has the corporate equivalent of ADHD. Having talked with ex-googlers and current googlers, the problem seems to be deeply baked into their culture. The incentive structures seem to favor the sexy over the boring, making it much more likely that someone will get promoted for launching products versus growing one. The fix seems to be obvious, create a separate path, a maintenance and growth hacker path, where pe…

While Cloud Print may be an exception, a problem seems to be that Google has perverse incentives. Creating new products is probably over incentivized, while the boring work of operating and maintaining existing useful products is under incentivized.

From my conversations with ex-googlers, it's exactly this. Like you and OP suggested, promotions and bonuses are heavily tied to launching new things. Being on the team that launches the next new shiny moves you up the ladder.

However, those who stay on a product and continue to grow/advance the product don't get nearly as much recognition, and don't get the incentives that a launch does.

This translates to people jumping on board an pre-launch project, riding it through launch, then moving on to the next thing, leaving the project in a post-launch slump with few people lingering to maintain and grow the project.

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#163

Post by yegle » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:02 PM UTC

This is just such a convenient feature: you can remotely print something on the go from your phone and your parents/spouse/kids at home can pick it up.

Is there any open source alternatives?

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#164

Post by lxgr » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:03 PM UTC

bhouston wrote: post #156

areoform wrote: post #62

Google has the corporate equivalent of ADHD. Having talked with ex-googlers and current googlers, the problem seems to be deeply baked into their culture. The incentive structures seem to favor the sexy over the boring, making it much more likely that someone will get promoted for launching products versus growing one. The fix seems to be obvious, create a separate path, a maintenance and growth hacker path, where pe…

This is the right move though because moving towards "Driverless printing" will solve the overall problem in a simpler way: https://openprinting.github.io/driverless/ Google is pro-adapting to change. And it is painful but it is usually the right thing.

Absolutely!

Google Plus is the superior way of keeping up with blogs and news sites, and I am really enjoying texting with my friends over Allo ever since they discontinued Hangouts.

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#165

Post by EricE » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:04 PM UTC

m712 wrote: post #64

Whatever happened to good old CUPS? Why did they have to introduce so many layers including Google's servers between the user and the printer?

Heh - CUPS primary maintainer is Apple. Chrome - webkit from Apple. What does Google contribute to? Kubernetes! Will be the downfall of humanity...

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#166

Post by hiccuphippo » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:04 PM UTC

hoffs wrote: post #116

It's very funny that the article itself calls out most people commenting here > Regardless, Google is getting savaged by bloggers for killing yet another service, one that most of them never even tried, let alone used regularly.

I used it, not regularly, but was the only way to print from my Linux machine at my company, the printer had it built in even. I wonder what will happen to printers like that next year when the servers disappear.

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#167

Post by taborj » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:04 PM UTC

bhouston wrote: post #156

areoform wrote: post #62

Google has the corporate equivalent of ADHD. Having talked with ex-googlers and current googlers, the problem seems to be deeply baked into their culture. The incentive structures seem to favor the sexy over the boring, making it much more likely that someone will get promoted for launching products versus growing one. The fix seems to be obvious, create a separate path, a maintenance and growth hacker path, where pe…

This is the right move though because moving towards "Driverless printing" will solve the overall problem in a simpler way: https://openprinting.github.io/driverless/ Google is pro-adapting to change. And it is painful but it is usually the right thing.

Driverless printing has been "the future" for over a decade now (I remember hearing much about it back in 2006 or so), and a concept for two decades. Microsoft first filed the patent back in 1999 [0]. The only thing that's changed is the patent is now expired (as near as I can tell), thus opening the door a bit wider for adoption.

But, as with many things, "I'll believe it when I see it."

[0] https://patents.google.com/patent/US6952831B1/en

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#168

Post by JaimeThompson » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:05 PM UTC

rcostin2k2 wrote: post #81

Possible duplicate thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21606188

This one was posted a few minutes before but the other one has a better tile.

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#169

Post by dcchambers » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:06 PM UTC

I am quick to complain when Google kills a useful project - but I am not mad about this.

It was originally created because Chromebooks couldn't print. Chromebooks have been able to print natively for a while now so that is no longer needed.

They are also giving over a year of warning. That's plenty of time for people to migrate to a new service or figure out how to implement an alternative.

Again I know the Google Graveyard folks will have a field day with this, especially hot on the heals of the Stadia launch and the speculation around when that will die - but I think it's OK to send this ship into the sunset. It served its purpose - there are better solutions now - it's OK to move on.

Re: Google Kills Cloud Print

#170

Post by kerng » Fri, Nov 22, 2019, 4:07 PM UTC

davidwparker wrote: post #102

The product has been around 10 years, and they're giving over a year notice before killing it. Sure, Google kills off another product... But the comments here are a bit silly.

I am waiting for the day they kill Chromebook or Gsuites - its sometimes difficult to follow why they do terminate certain products. In this case it will hurt enterprises, a market Google desperately tries to enter...