QOTD: How Much Are Google's Services Worth?

[powerbaselx]

I use mainly the search engine and Gmail sometimes.
I tried Chrome browser but i still prefer Firefox despite the new clean look and it's awesome multitasking. Hopefully Firefox become also multithread/multiprocess one day.
I don't plan to use ChromeOS because it lacks of local application support and don't support high performance games.

 

[cracklint]

I will never pay for server fed apps. Imagine if commercial software goes this way and you have to pay a monthy fee for individual office apps; computers would soom become as cell phones, where the companies nickel and dime you until you have an enormous monthly bill.

 

[odoketa]

Holy cow people, think bigger.

This is your OS, your office suite, your calendaring, backups, navigation, and (one presumes) more. All provided by one vendor, and all functional (well, I assume, since asking how much you would pay for non-functional apps seems weird).

Heck - now that I have my pre google even powers my phone contacts.

Add in the idea of a computer that boots and runs quicker?

I expect even if people are saying they wouldn't pay, they will.

 

[anamaniac]

Lots.

Google is the solution to almost any question or challenge I have. Their amazing search engine has been god to me since day 1. I have used a few of the google services, and they all have been extremely useful. Google maps and translator being the top along with the search engine.

 

[grieve]

If the Google OS is secure I would consider it for home use. Also assuming It is compatible with windows software. (Assumption is the mother of all F ups)

They will have to keep it free to have Gmail, Calendar and all the other goodies incorporated into the OS… Or face the wrath MS is facing now with the EU.

The one thing that really surprises me however is the lack of willing to try new OS by you people… Most of you have already decided this Google OS blows and we haven’t even seen it or tried it yet!? Why not give it a chance? Perhaps it will be the MS killer… Don’t we all want that deep down?

Furthermore Google OS is not due for release till end of 2010, Is it possible the Google Giant actually has a good OS? It’s not like this is two nerds in their basement building an OS… It’s Google (20,164 full-time employees) and a net worth of US $23 billion.

 

[grieve]

[citation][nom]I don't plan to use ChromeOS because it lacks of local application support and don't support high performance games.[/citation]

How do you know this? Did i miss some information somewhere on this OS?

 

[GreatKratos]

[citation][nom]grieve[/nom][citation][nom]I don't plan to use ChromeOS because it lacks of local application support and don't support high performance games.[/citation]How do you know this? Did i miss some information somewhere on this OS?[/citation]

This is not a traditional operating system at all mate.

What they are basically doing is making an operating system that boots up in 5 to 10 seconds and goes straight to the browser.

There might not even be an offline element just a browser.

Think of it like a computer designed for accessing the internet and nothing else.

It won't run applications or games it will just run whatever is on the web. I have no doubt it's going to be everything that most people need but for most of us on this website it will be practically useless due to the fact that we use more than just the internet on our computers while your average user only uses the likes of facebook and twitter.

I think most of us can understand for your average user this OS is practically perfect but for our uses it doesn't carry a lot of weight.

Either way I think a hundred dollar Google Chrome OS powered internet device is the key for Google still.

 

[GreatKratos]

And for the record a few people have been asking or wondering about price.

It's been confirmed by Google Chrome OS is completely free. Google will make their money as they always have done so.

By giving you access to the internet as cheap as possible because inevitably you will end up using their services.

 

[grieve]

GreatKratos I have read up Google OS prior to posting, Google is claiming the "super computer" can handle gaming just fine... Of course network connection will ultimately determine your experience I would think.

I’m looking at this like a Citrix environment… Once you get hooked up to the Citrix server it is pretty quick opening apps, just as it is on the local PC. The differences being you don’t need power because the server has the juice. In fact often once an App is open on the Citrix server it tends to run faster than on a local machine.

Perhaps I am OVER-estimating what 100,000 node server cluster can do. I haven’t got to play on one just yet

 

[GreatKratos]

[citation][nom]grieve[/nom]GreatKratos I have read up Google OS prior to posting, Google is claiming the "super computer" can handle gaming just fine... Of course network connection will ultimately determine your experience I would think.I’m looking at this like a Citrix environment… Once you get hooked up to the Citrix server it is pretty quick opening apps, just as it is on the local PC. The differences being you don’t need power because the server has the juice. In fact often once an App is open on the Citrix server it tends to run faster than on a local machine.Perhaps I am OVER-estimating what 100,000 node server cluster can do. I haven’t got to play on one just yet[/citation]


Ahh cool I haven't read much about the gaming aspect at all actually. Is there an article in particular you have in mind?

Actually I was watching the Gaikai game streaming demo the other day thinking Google would have the resources to deliver that service without many problems due to their massive infrastructure.

Citrix is pretty amazing I'd love to see it become a reality.

Personality I'm rooting for Google here. I think their massive resources and their brand name that is very popular with consumers will win them the day eventually.

 

[jsc]

All I use is the search engine. So to me, $0.00 is about right.

 

[Vettedude]

$0 for me also. I'll pay for Windows, that's it. I use Firefox and Bing now. I'm starting to not like Google.

 

[thegh0st]

[citation][nom]farrarj[/nom]It must be cheaper than OEM Windows Xp (about $20) so free is about right.[/citation]
$20? legit? or should I ask - what's in your pipe?

 

[funkjunky]

Bah I hate you all still. Curse Tom covering all the things I find interesting, but the people being in the realm of mentally retarded folk.

First of all I'm like a few of you where I have never purchased an OS. However this is because every computer I've purchased has been since I've been in school and we get windows free. Plus macbooks come with os x. The one laptop I bought before school I pirated XP, but I was an idiotic 18yo at that time.

Now if software is worthy, I purchase it and that goes for games as well.

I still don't think I'd purchase windows, because it's such a peice of shit. If I didn't have $10 in my bank and a $150 visa and no income I would probably donate to various open source projects and I'm annoyed at my lack of commitment to programming for opensource projects... I just never feel ready. Short end is that I feel these developers deserve more than what you guys give them.

On to the topic. I love google products. I've used exchange and outlook at my prior work, and I've tried to help my mother with outlook express. Both terrible pieces of software. Will Exchange (the technology) is ok, but outlook is terrible! Ahem... man i can't seem to stay on topic when anything related to microsoft comes up... I just hate them soooo much.

Ok straight to the point: gmail has made my life infinitely more manageable. I wouldn't be able to manage the emails from being the President of a society and a club, plus being a major supporter of the student run computing resource, if I used something other than gmail. Too many emails come in, and gmail handles replies like a champ and the labels are too useful. The tools with autocomplete and contacts is too awesome. I think I would pay up to $100 for gmail, although i would be annoyed at that tag. I would be happy to pay $50, considering all the time it has saved me.

Gmail is my most loved of the google apps, so it generally goes downhill from there. gdocs is pretty convenient for viewing docs, but I find it is too basic to compete with office, and too primitive to compete with pages (Apple word processor). Open office sucks... so it generally beats that for me =P. I would pay $20 if it let me store my documents online, but I would only pay it once, not monthly or anything =P. If they improve docs more I would raise my asking price =P.

google calendar. It's great, but because I couldn't get it synced easily with my iphone, and haven't tried since 3.0, I don't think I can give it a price tag. When I get the syncing to work in the new iphone software and if it supports all the features I need like alarms, then it'll probably get a good price tag, because google cal is good for when I've used it. Hmmm so assuming the syncing worked, I would pay $40, although that would be an upper limit.

Lastly the search engine. Assuming bing stayed free I wouldn't pay for google's.

Google maps. I would pay a good $30, simply because of how useful it is on my iphone. I have terrible directional sense so it's a life saver.

I don't use the other apps enough to buy them. If I wasn't so busy I'd use reader, but I can't find the time more than checking email, CS baord for my school, tom's hardware, and webcomics to have my time absorbed by a ton of rss feeds.

Bottom line, I know google is monolithic, and become monopolistic, but they make good software! Therefore I would pay for it. Of course the apps being free means I don't even need to think twice about choosing google, so I'd like them to remain free 😉.

 

[thegh0st]

[citation][nom]funkjunky[/nom]If I didn't have $10 in my bank and a $150 visa and no income.........Bottom line, I know google is monolithic, and become monopolistic, but they make good software! Therefore I would pay for it.[/citation]
oxymoron? or just easy to say when it's not really a choice?

I suppose it is a hypothetical question so a hypothetical answer should work. but just maybe we don't like you either or maybe we do - who can say?

 

[diogynes]

Zero. I'd switch to Linux before I'd trust Google.