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Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

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Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#91

Post by zanny »

mooreds wrote: post #52
benbeltran wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As you do with google reader. You can fully export your feeds and move elsewhere. At /least/ they're letting you keep your data. I'm not saying it didn't feel like a dick move... but at least they make it easy to move away. I already switched to another reader and I'm getting more used to it every day. We may be emotionally attached, but the world moves on. How many of these small companies you give money to give you…

My understanding is that there are saved stories and meta data that you can't export from google reader (mostly based on comments on this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5371725 because I don't use Google Reader and never have). Is my supposition incorrect?

The way they export your favorites / shares is just a json API that isn't standard. Services will rapidly pick up importing from that format, but besides the feed xml file none of what they give you is that portable.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#92

Post by tomkarlo »

duggan wrote: post #46

Merits of whether Keep is comparable to Reader aside - I wonder how long we're going to be seeing the "...but Google Reader" refrain from pundits. The camps of opinion I've seen on how Google should behave: 1) Pundits: Support an increasingly burdensome array of fringe services which cost them more than they gain (in their opinion) 2) HN: Reduce their experimental forays and leave (for now) private/small companies to…

Reader generated a disproportionate media outcry because it was such a great service for news junkies - and reporters in general tend to be news junkies. The response was greatly disproportionate when compared to say, the shutdown of Posterous or even other Google service shutdowns over the years... I suspect because of human nature, where reporters assume that everyone else is like them and reads 100 publications a day.

Open sourcing it sounds great, but folks are saying that with zero knowledge of what the service actually looks like under the hood. I can only think they're assuming it looks like a common web service stack like LAMP or rails or something that would actually make sense to anyone if they got the code.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#93

Post by ghshephard »

ufmace wrote: post #86

This has probably been said 100 times already on 100 other HN threads, but so what? Quit the whining. I have been using Reader for years, and I'm mildly disappointing that they're closing it. I know perfectly well that there will be a dozen solid replacements that probably have more features before Reader actually dies. That's the way the tech world works - services close all the time for any number of reasons. None…

A lot of people just don't want to go the hassle of discovering, learning and configuring new tools. If I look at my daily toolset - between social networking, document management/creation, task tracking, work tools - I have on the order of 40 - 50 different tools. Each one of those tools has taken me some amount of effort to really come up to speed on so that I'm productive.

For example - I use Evernote for tracking meetings, and I use Omnifocus for personal task tracking. It took me 6-10 hours to learn the ins and outs of each of those tools - and I'm pretty happy with the way they work for me. More importantly, I'm reasonably certain that both of those tools/services will be around several years from now, so I can continue to use them, track my tasks, without having to pick up a new tool.

This concept of tool persistence is really important and valuable for a certain segment of the population - and I think it's what Om is expressing here. He doesn't really trust that Google will persist their attention to "Keep", because they've started shutting down other popular services after a few years, so what's to prevent them from doing the same thing with "Keep". He'll stick with evernote, and I can understand why. It's really an attempt to make it clear why Evernote should be successful in the face of an attack by Google.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#95

Post by jcampbell1 »

yanw wrote: post #80
jcampbell1 wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Google served a giant turd sandwich to a bunch of journalists by closing Reader. Now Google is eating the shit it created. Google is going to continue eating shit until they grovel. Unfortunately for Google, no one is responsible for closing Reader, thus no one will step up to the plate and fix this PR disaster. There is a clear path to fix this mess, and I guarantee no one at Google has the humility to fix the probl…

It's hardly a PR disaster or a mess needs cleaning. It's just some pissy folks that are taking a little longer to get over it. It'll pass I'm just tired of hearing about it.

How long to you have to be tired of hearing about it before you admit it is a PR mess?

If the Google reader closing is mentioned in new Google product announcements a month from now, will you admit this was a PR disaster? How about a year from now?

Google needs to grovel to get their hands around this. By admitting mistake, they can actually redirect the message to something positive.

BTW, I agree with you completely. It is trivial for me to switch services, and I am tired of hearing about it. That being said, Google is eating its own shit sandwich. Google has no one to blame but themselves.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#96

Post by yew »

ktsmith wrote: post #49
WalterSear wrote: post #14

They've lost a lot of goodwill with this action.

I'm going to miss reader as much as anyone but it just seems like a buch of spoiled brats with a sense of entitlement whining at this point. Reader was provided as a free service. Google is shutting it down and giving everyone enough time to find an alternate service and access their OPML data via takeout. While some things may be lost forever via their article caching, Google doesn't owe anything to the Reader user…

Of course, the Reader use base doesn't owe anything to Google. If Google isn't playing the game of social obligations, talking about 'entitlement' won't get them very far.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#97

Post by chii »

curiousfiddler wrote: post #55

If at this point Google reinstates Reader, I can tell you they will win many hearts and goodwill. I don't remember a product being brought back from grave and if they were to do it, they will be viewed as a genuinely considerate company (IMO).

> If at this point Google reinstates Reader, I can tell you they will win many hearts and goodwill.

except these good will and hearts from various people who complained won't be paying any money to google (at least, for this particular product).

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#98

Post by DigitalTurk »

Shooti wrote: post #79
DigitalTurk wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So how does that help me if I want to sync iCal with Google Calendar? Addendum: The way I read that form, they will only consider whitelisting apps if the developers ask for it. As a user, I'm still screwed.

Seems practically a given that Apple iCal and iOS will be whitelisted by Google as clients. Even Windows Phone 8 has that confirmed: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/google-caldav-support-sti...

Actually, if you'll read the ZNet article that post is based on you'll notice that users who didn't connect their Windows Phone calendars to their Google accounts before February are still screwed!

See also http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US//windows-8/use-google-win... :

  I want to connect my Google account after January 30, 2013
  Here's what you need to know:
  
  Unfortunately, with Google changing the way it supports EAS, 
  your Google calendar can’t sync with the Calendar app.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#99

Post by jck »

imperialdrive wrote: post #47

Keep is great - this is music to my ears... since buying a Nexus 4 I couldn't believe there wasn't a built-in app for notes, and I don't feel like paying for such a simple tool (sorry evernote) so I was using Gtasks... now that this is out, I'm happy (for now) still... damn u google for the inability to use BT and WIFI at the SAME TIME on a Nexus!!!!

ever note has a free version.

Re: Sorry Google; you can Keep it to yourself

#100

Post by yanw »

jcampbell1 wrote: post #95
yanw wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's hardly a PR disaster or a mess needs cleaning. It's just some pissy folks that are taking a little longer to get over it. It'll pass I'm just tired of hearing about it.

How long to you have to be tired of hearing about it before you admit it is a PR mess? If the Google reader closing is mentioned in new Google product announcements a month from now, will you admit this was a PR disaster? How about a year from now? Google needs to grovel to get their hands around this. By admitting mistake, they can actually redirect the message to something positive. BTW, I agree with you completely…

Really, groveling? yeah if anyone mentions Reader in a month's time it will be an issue. It's not a main new story, and Google won't get anything back by reversing their decision, the damage is already done. Some people are being overly dramatic and hypersensitive, they'll realize that and they'll get over it, as always.
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