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Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

ankursethi.com

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Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#131
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of them are correlating gemini-cli experience (trash) with the broader access to Gemini via studio or cloud (not at all a problem)

> Gemini via studio Excuse me? If you mean AI Studio, are you talking about the product where you can’t even switch which logged in account you’re using without agreeing to its terms under whatever random account it selected, where the ability to turn off training on your data does not obviously exist, and where it’s extremely unclear how an organization is supposed to pay for it?

Don't get me wrong, aistudio is pretty bad and full of issues, but getting an apikey was not hard or an issue itself. Using any auth method besides personal account oauth with gemini-cli never worked for me after hours of trying

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Broccoli Man! classic https://youtu.be/3t6L-FlfeaI (2010) To be fair, a lot of this changed after that video became a meme.. but I'd bet that the broccoli man template is still trending on memegen

And the remaster! https://mbleigh.dev/posts/broccoli-man-remastered/

Hey man, nice slop! (No, really, that's great.)

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#133

I had to warm up a Gemini API project worth a few thousand hours during weeks so that I could get to the tier that allowed me to carry out the workload. How can you have any tokens if you haven’t finished your tokens?!

> How can you have any tokens if you haven’t finished your tokens?! Another rate limit in the wall.

Clever :)

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The number one rule of business that should just be passively reiterated to everyone working in any type of transactional field: 1. Never make it hard for people to give you money.

Parking apps don’t seem to care much for that. They know you’ll jump through their shoddy UIs and data collection because they have a local monopoly. Often with physical payment kiosks removed and replaced with “download our shitty app!” notices.

They get paid more if you get a parking ticket.

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

because the bubble in which googlers exist is inherently user-hostile, even to their own detriment. been like this for a while

The difference here is that many of Google's users are cost centers, but in this case Google is being hostile to their profit centers as well.

I wonder if they actually see their current users as profit centers. The tech is still being built out, to some extent they just need users to find out how it gets used and to get experience in the space. The real appeal of this entire space is its future potential, so they just may not care that much about providing a good consumer-grade experience at this stage.

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#136

The odd thing about all of this (well, I guess it's not odd, just ironic), is that when Google AdWords started, one of the notable things about it was that anyone could start serving or buying ads. You just needed a credit-card. I think that bought Google a lot of credibility (along with the ads being text-only) as they entered an already disreputable space: ordinary users and small businesses felt they were getting…

I have had way too many arguments over the years with product and sales people at my job on the importance of instant self-signup. I want to be able to just pay and go, without having to talk to people or wait for things. I know part of it is that sales wants to be able to price discriminate and wants to be able to use their sales skills on a customer, but I am never going to sign up for anything that makes me talk t…

You're not the target customer.

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#137

Wasn't this type of Google thing clearly called out in the Karpathy Software 3.0 talk? It's interesting to me this UX problem is not readily solved. What is the sticking point in a big org? I don't have a point of reference.

It will be politics, it's always politics. Large orgs works a lot like the feudal system.

I would like to think that this is why higher level execs get paid the truly big bucks... to cut through all of that.

Otherwise, this sounds a lot like "impenetrable government bureaucracy." I thought business was supposed to be better.

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#138
Think its a combination of factors.

- Google cloud is setup for big organizations. Not for individuals. All cloud providers are pretty much confusing in a similar way. - India has specific rules re cybersecurity and financial regulations that Google has to comply. (mandatory id verification and kyc compliance). Others have asked for an id check too.

From what confused me, if OP wanted to use a model, the easier way would have been to pay cursor/windsurf etc. and select that model. Usually that is how people try out a new model. Trying out a specific way means going through the norms every country imposes, and bloat in case of legacy products.

AWS and Azure have come up with their own models. If their future versions hit close to sota and people want to use it, many would end up in a similar loop (and woudl be easier to just use it from the aggregators).

Re: Getting a Gemini API key is an exercise in frustration

#139

I have always found Google products incredibly confusing and difficult to use. I have had a very similar experience to this a number of times.

I work with GCP regularly. Once you’re familiar with their approach, it’s straightforward enough. But the situation with Gemini is on a whole different level.
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