7 ms·

Sounds a lot like Gmail Labs, which was discontinued. I've learned to expect most Google products to be killed off, so I don't even bother starting to use them

Sounds a lot like Gmail Labs, which was discontinued. I've learned to expect most Google products to be killed off, so I don't even bother starting to use them anymore.

icebraining 9y ago
Labs were experimental features developed by Google itself. These are stable features developed by third-parties. They both extend Gmail, but that's about it.
- gnicholas 9y ago
  But there's still a chance that Google will discontinue the gmail addon marketplace, just like they previously killed Chrome apps: http://www.omgchrome.com/not-joke-google-killing-chrome-apps/ http://www.omgchrome.com/not-joke-google-killing-chrome-apps...
  - Fizzer 9y ago
    They also killed Hangout apps: https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/06/apps-that-rely-on-google-hangouts-wont-work-after-april-25th/ https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/06/apps-that-rely-on-google...
  - thrownaway954 9y ago
    Electron based apps seem to be the successor to Chrome Apps
    - tuananh 9y ago
      they are different i think. chrome apps will use shared instance with chrome if you're using it. electron apps on the other hands, are creating their own instance.
  - chiefalchemist 9y ago
    "Don't be evil (except when screwing over loyal and established customers is great for the bottomline)."
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
dannyr 9y ago
You're right. If you don't count the services that still exists today, Google has killed almost all its products.
- sigstoat 9y ago
  it'd be amusing to do an actual survival analysis of google product lifetime, with right censoring and everything.
  - shabble 9y ago
    There's http://www.gwern.net/Google-shutdowns http://www.gwern.net/Google-shutdowns which it looks like gwern has been keeping updated, although it was a good while ago I last read through.
- olyjohn 9y ago
  Is Gmail even their priority anymore? Didn't they come out with Inbox some time back? I always was under the impression that Inbox was going to replace Gmail, but never knew for sure.
  - iak8god 9y ago
    > Is Gmail even their priority anymore? Didn't they come out with Inbox some time back? They'd better not kill GMail without adding an Inbox option to not show attached image previews inline in the inbox. I had to stop using Inbox because not only are these annoying, but there's no way for me to control whether my contacts (or even complete strangers for that matter) send me emails with NSFW images attached. I like Inbox, though there are some other features I'd like to see before I permanently make the switch from GMail, but the above is a deal breaker. <me>@gmail.com has been my primary email for over a decade, but I'd have to switch to something else.
    - flavor8 9y ago
      Making calendar invites from outlook work consistently in Inbox would be good too. (I have to constantly import ics files in calendar, which sucks.)
ac29 9y ago
>Sounds a lot like Gmail Labs, which was discontinued. It's still present and working on my personal Gmail as well as my work Gsuite account. I use a bunch of the features.
- nothis 9y ago
  Not sure if it's standard now (I remember enabling it as a gmail labs thing) but the "undo" button that lets you abort sending a mail a few seconds after you clicked the send button is really handy. It captures so many times where you think about something you forgot just after you hit "send".
  - rocky1138 9y ago
    I hope they never get rid of this feature.
  - ballenf 9y ago
    It is indeed out of the "lab" now and a standard part of the settings page.
- lucasverra 9y ago
  Multiple inbox is my gmail since 2008 :)
PascLeRasc 9y ago
Do you also avoid making friends in case they pass away?
- wmccullough 9y ago
  Please upgrade your argument.
  - PascLeRasc 9y ago
    I hope you kept the receipt on this rebuttal because you're going to need to trade it in. It's ok to just use a piece of software without expectations that it will always be there. Just enjoy it for what it is now. It's also ok to make friends knowing that they might not be there one day. Just enjoy life for what it is now.
    - explainplease 9y ago
      You're misusing the analogy. Google is the friend, and Google product X is the friend's promise, and since the friend has broken promises Y, Z, A, B, C, D, E... in the past, eventually one stops believing the friend's promises. So now, when the friend says, "Hey, meet me at $PLACE tonight at $TIME and we'll do $ACTIVITY," you say, "Yeah, right," and don't bother to go, because there's a good chance he won't show up, or he'll leave after 5 minutes, and you'll have to pay his tab.
      - awesomepantsm 9y ago
        You probably think "I'll love you forever" to means someone is promising to be around for you until the heat death of the universe.
        dang 9y ago
        Would you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to HN?
      - 9y ago
ageofwant 9y ago
Indeed. Found myself scraping Alphabet products of a list the other day - just can't risk spending months of effort on something that has a good change of disappearing overnight. Google went from 'I need a good reason why we are not picking Google' to 'Avoid if at all able'. For a company built on selling, Alphabet has become extraordinarily good at not selling itself.
nathan_f77 9y ago
It hasn't been discontinued, and some Labs have been promoted to supported features (e.g. "Undo send".) And I always turn on the "Unread message icon" feature, which is still in Labs. If you are using G Suite, you might need to ask your administrator to enable Labs.
cvsh 9y ago
>I've learned to expect most Google products to be killed off, so I don't even bother starting to use them anymore. If there's one product that would incite the most furor if killed off, it's definitely Gmail. It's the best email provider around and email is what ties together most peoples' online lives. It's also at the core of Gsuite for businesses, which I imagine makes it net profitable.
- jiggunjer 9y ago
  Killing the app doesn't mean the email service disappears.

Sounds a lot like Gmail Labs, which was discontinued. I've learned to expect most Google products to be killed off, so I don't even bother starting to use them anymore.

icebraining 9y ago

Labs were experimental features developed by Google itself. These are stable features developed by third-parties. They both extend Gmail, but that's about it.

gnicholas 9y ago
But there's still a chance that Google will discontinue the gmail addon marketplace, just like they previously killed Chrome apps: http://www.omgchrome.com/not-joke-google-killing-chrome-apps/ http://www.omgchrome.com/not-joke-google-killing-chrome-apps...
- Fizzer 9y ago
  They also killed Hangout apps: https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/06/apps-that-rely-on-google-hangouts-wont-work-after-april-25th/ https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/06/apps-that-rely-on-google...
- thrownaway954 9y ago
  Electron based apps seem to be the successor to Chrome Apps
  - tuananh 9y ago
    they are different i think. chrome apps will use shared instance with chrome if you're using it. electron apps on the other hands, are creating their own instance.
- chiefalchemist 9y ago
  "Don't be evil (except when screwing over loyal and established customers is great for the bottomline)."
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

dannyr 9y ago

You're right. If you don't count the services that still exists today, Google has killed almost all its products.

sigstoat 9y ago
it'd be amusing to do an actual survival analysis of google product lifetime, with right censoring and everything.
- shabble 9y ago
  There's http://www.gwern.net/Google-shutdowns http://www.gwern.net/Google-shutdowns which it looks like gwern has been keeping updated, although it was a good while ago I last read through.
olyjohn 9y ago
Is Gmail even their priority anymore? Didn't they come out with Inbox some time back? I always was under the impression that Inbox was going to replace Gmail, but never knew for sure.
- iak8god 9y ago
  > Is Gmail even their priority anymore? Didn't they come out with Inbox some time back? They'd better not kill GMail without adding an Inbox option to not show attached image previews inline in the inbox. I had to stop using Inbox because not only are these annoying, but there's no way for me to control whether my contacts (or even complete strangers for that matter) send me emails with NSFW images attached. I like Inbox, though there are some other features I'd like to see before I permanently make the switch from GMail, but the above is a deal breaker. <me>@gmail.com has been my primary email for over a decade, but I'd have to switch to something else.
  - flavor8 9y ago
    Making calendar invites from outlook work consistently in Inbox would be good too. (I have to constantly import ics files in calendar, which sucks.)

ac29 9y ago

>Sounds a lot like Gmail Labs, which was discontinued. It's still present and working on my personal Gmail as well as my work Gsuite account. I use a bunch of the features.

nothis 9y ago
Not sure if it's standard now (I remember enabling it as a gmail labs thing) but the "undo" button that lets you abort sending a mail a few seconds after you clicked the send button is really handy. It captures so many times where you think about something you forgot just after you hit "send".
- rocky1138 9y ago
  I hope they never get rid of this feature.
- ballenf 9y ago
  It is indeed out of the "lab" now and a standard part of the settings page.
lucasverra 9y ago
Multiple inbox is my gmail since 2008 :)

PascLeRasc 9y ago

Do you also avoid making friends in case they pass away?

wmccullough 9y ago
Please upgrade your argument.
- PascLeRasc 9y ago
  I hope you kept the receipt on this rebuttal because you're going to need to trade it in. It's ok to just use a piece of software without expectations that it will always be there. Just enjoy it for what it is now. It's also ok to make friends knowing that they might not be there one day. Just enjoy life for what it is now.
  - explainplease 9y ago
    You're misusing the analogy. Google is the friend, and Google product X is the friend's promise, and since the friend has broken promises Y, Z, A, B, C, D, E... in the past, eventually one stops believing the friend's promises. So now, when the friend says, "Hey, meet me at $PLACE tonight at $TIME and we'll do $ACTIVITY," you say, "Yeah, right," and don't bother to go, because there's a good chance he won't show up, or he'll leave after 5 minutes, and you'll have to pay his tab.
    - awesomepantsm 9y ago
      You probably think "I'll love you forever" to means someone is promising to be around for you until the heat death of the universe.
      - dang 9y ago
        Would you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to HN?
    - 9y ago

ageofwant 9y ago

Indeed. Found myself scraping Alphabet products of a list the other day - just can't risk spending months of effort on something that has a good change of disappearing overnight. Google went from 'I need a good reason why we are not picking Google' to 'Avoid if at all able'. For a company built on selling, Alphabet has become extraordinarily good at not selling itself.

nathan_f77 9y ago

It hasn't been discontinued, and some Labs have been promoted to supported features (e.g. "Undo send".) And I always turn on the "Unread message icon" feature, which is still in Labs. If you are using G Suite, you might need to ask your administrator to enable Labs.

cvsh 9y ago

>I've learned to expect most Google products to be killed off, so I don't even bother starting to use them anymore. If there's one product that would incite the most furor if killed off, it's definitely Gmail. It's the best email provider around and email is what ties together most peoples' online lives. It's also at the core of Gsuite for businesses, which I imagine makes it net profitable.

jiggunjer 9y ago
Killing the app doesn't mean the email service disappears.