Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

You know, Google, the web already had this feature

blog.vrypan.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–100 of 444 posts

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#91

Post by angryasian »

kevinpet wrote: post #89
angryasian wrote: post #16

lets all stop with all the fear mongering. Do you guys really believe that every time a site loads a facebook or twitter widget they aren't tracking you either. I can name 1000 other trackers that sites actually do install and that do genuinely sell your information. There are a handful of widgets that do the same thing for twitter and facebook so lets just stop the bs.

I only sign in to Facebook in an incognito browser to minimize their ability to track me. The problem is that I currently use Google for real identity stuff. This seems to imply I'll need to do something like all my web browsing in Firefox, and use Google services in Chrome.

You can opt out. You can use something like ghostery that will block scripts. Google doesn't give away your information like Facebook does.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#92

Post by mehrzad »

felipebueno wrote: post #21

I used to be a Google fan as well. Not a BIG fan but a fan. In late 2010 I decided it was time to move on from Google. It took a while but I already went back to Firefox (nightly), started moving my emails to fasmail.fm (with my own domain so I'm not tied to anyone), I'm trying to use only DuckDuckGo (it's difficult... I have to admit that Google is unbeatable yet), stopped using google+ and Google Reader (since 2011…

Try !sp in DDG.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#93

Post by azakai »

jmillikin wrote: post #63
yanw wrote: post #45

Chrome never implemented RSS auto discovery. Everyone else has a "walled garden" why must Google be different? and why should they - arguably the least “walled” of said gardens - suffer the "openness" brunt? The fact that they are not investing in RSS tools doesn't mean they're against them, it's just not in their interest anymore, and so I come to the conclusion that this is yet another Google Reader lament, and I t…

> Chrome never implemented RSS auto discovery. Chrome has an official extension for RSS auto-discovery: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rss-subscription-e... The Chrome team argues that not enough people use RSS to justify having an icon in the URL bar by default. I personally think this is somewhat circular reasoning ("People don't use RSS, so we won't show an icon letting them know about RSS"), but sadly…

> sadly other browsers such as Firefox have followed their lead and removed RSS notifications by default.

? I am on Firefox, no addons, and I have a menu item Bookmarks->Subscribe to this page which detects RSS/Atom.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#94

Post by jlarocco »

angryasian wrote: post #16

lets all stop with all the fear mongering. Do you guys really believe that every time a site loads a facebook or twitter widget they aren't tracking you either. I can name 1000 other trackers that sites actually do install and that do genuinely sell your information. There are a handful of widgets that do the same thing for twitter and facebook so lets just stop the bs.

Ghostery [1] can block most of those.

[1] https://www.ghostery.com/

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#95

Post by flaktrak »

kunai wrote: post #2

Google has overstayed the web's welcome. What started out as a quirky, innovative company that bucked all of the suit-and-tie trends (see Microsoft, HP, even Apple in some regards) of Silicon Valley, has now turned into a monstrous calamity with no regard for its users. Up until 2009, it was breezy and beautiful, but right now, at this moment, it's a different story altogether. Don't be evil? Pfeh. The only thing lef…

killed all my Google accounts. Can't stand G+ at least with FB most of the people who have accounts wanted the account. G+ most people don't even want the stupid thing.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#96

Post by jrajav »

kaoD wrote: post #77
yanw wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So don't joint. No need to be rude about it.

Have you tried commenting on Google Play? You need Google+. I have an Android phone but I shouldn't need a Google+ account when I have my regular Google account which actually works on Google Play. And it wasn't like this when I bought my phone. I can't "opt out" of my phone. I already bought it before they required Google+ for Play's comments. Have you tried using YouTube? They keep nagging you to open a profile. et…

Just to play the devil's advocate here, it's not like Google Play is necessary for an Android device to work. That's already an extreme improvement over Apple's store, which is even less free, open, and modular and also requires you to create an Apple ID (though thankfully Apple hasn't tried fumbling with a tied-in social network or similar web services).

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#97

Post by jmilloy »

Wait, you're not a Google fan anymore because you have to use Google in order to use a Google service? You're complaining that you have to use Chrome in order to use a Chrome add-on? And that you have to use Google+ in order to get Google+ notifications? You can add Google+ pages to your circles without this add-on; you don't like Google anymore because they're offering the ease of doing this in a single click in a particular browser, but you have to send them some data?

If the content you're interested in is only available through Google+, that's not Google's fault. Complain instead to the website owner who decided to have content on their Google+ page.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#98

Post by sixish »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #15
kunai wrote: post #2

Google has overstayed the web's welcome. What started out as a quirky, innovative company that bucked all of the suit-and-tie trends (see Microsoft, HP, even Apple in some regards) of Silicon Valley, has now turned into a monstrous calamity with no regard for its users. Up until 2009, it was breezy and beautiful, but right now, at this moment, it's a different story altogether. Don't be evil? Pfeh. The only thing lef…

The biggest problem with Google has been that they've been a "benevolent monarch", more or less. Meaning, much of the reason why google has been good for the web has been due to specific choices that google leadership has made and the ways that google has chosen to wield its power. This contrasts to strict limits on power and strong external forces from competition, etc. As long as the monarch is benevolent this is g…

Google's character was obvious to me when they insisted their slogan was "don't be evil" and not "do no evil".

A "do no evil" pledge is something that can be judged. Did they do evil by sabotaging the local 'yellow pages' in Africa? Was using their position on the board of competitors for their own advantage evil? This phrase refers to events and actions and facts, things that accountability is based on. Something can even be an honest mistake that does evil.

But "don't be evil" is an accountability dodge. Instead of judging actions and events it says to look at the company as a whole. Is an evil act threatening OEMs with no more Google apps unless they tow the line ok because it's all to 'unify Android'? Is it okay to sabotage privacy because otherwise Facebook will eat their lunch? Can two wrongs make a right?

The question of whether Google is evil is much more complicated and ambiguous than whether Google does or has done evil. That they insisted on not being judged based on their actions speaks volumes.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#99

Post by NZ_Matt »

kaoD wrote: post #26
kunai wrote: post #2

Google has overstayed the web's welcome. What started out as a quirky, innovative company that bucked all of the suit-and-tie trends (see Microsoft, HP, even Apple in some regards) of Silicon Valley, has now turned into a monstrous calamity with no regard for its users. Up until 2009, it was breezy and beautiful, but right now, at this moment, it's a different story altogether. Don't be evil? Pfeh. The only thing lef…

What I specially hate about Google+ is the fact that Google can't stop spamming me to join it. Now even Google Play comments need to be part of Google+. You know what, Google? Fuck you. No. Fuck you twice. I won't join that fucking horrid place. I don't even have Facebook, why would I join a crappy social network?

My Mum had me help her set up an Android phone recently, one of the first steps after on turning it on was a request to sign up to google+.

Spamming it on every google service is a good way to inflate their numbers, but it's a horrible way to drive genuine user engagement.

Re: You know, Google, the web already had this feature

#100

Post by pkulak »

kaoD wrote: post #26
kunai wrote: post #2

Google has overstayed the web's welcome. What started out as a quirky, innovative company that bucked all of the suit-and-tie trends (see Microsoft, HP, even Apple in some regards) of Silicon Valley, has now turned into a monstrous calamity with no regard for its users. Up until 2009, it was breezy and beautiful, but right now, at this moment, it's a different story altogether. Don't be evil? Pfeh. The only thing lef…

What I specially hate about Google+ is the fact that Google can't stop spamming me to join it. Now even Google Play comments need to be part of Google+. You know what, Google? Fuck you. No. Fuck you twice. I won't join that fucking horrid place. I don't even have Facebook, why would I join a crappy social network?

You're acting like the act of "joining" is some huge deal. You already have an account with Google. "Joining" Google+ probably flips 3 bits in some BigTable database somewhere. The only reason you are getting so self-righteous about it is because Google is giving you the option. If you don't _do_ anything on Google+, what's it matter?

Interesting that you bring up you Facebook anti-creds. Do you also not own a TV?

Post reply on HN