5 ms·

It strikes me as accurate. Google apps is better for mail, and Microsoft is the cats ass when it comes to calendaring. If you are the secretary who must sched

It strikes me as accurate. Google apps is better for mail, and Microsoft is the cats ass when it comes to calendaring. If you are the secretary who must schedule 20 execs for a meeting the first Wednesday of every month, then there is nothing better than Outlook/Exchange. Thank god I no longer live in a world where I am tied to my calendar. As google gets bigger, google calendar will get better, and the worse it will be a place to work. Understanding the need for a great calendaring app requires a company that has lost its soul.

sliverstorm 15y ago
Does Google really make its employees depend on Gmail and Gcal?
- redwood 15y ago
  You have NO IDEA. In many ways they are the Googler life
- m0th87 15y ago
  Yes, they do. But that shouldn't be surprising.
  - sliverstorm 15y ago
    Well, I mean I know they are Google and all- but I can't imagine Gmail and Gcal supporting a corporate user very effectively. I use it for my personal stuff, but I am extremely appreciative of Exchange at work.
    - bsk26 15y ago
      Works pretty well, actually. Calendar isn't perfect, but I personally prefer the UI to exchange.
      - libraryatnight 15y ago
        I enjoy Calendar, and my company uses their own but provides a link so that I can have it automatically imported to my Google Calendar. So my work, family, and personal calendar are all on one happy color coded page, and on my phone a simple widget.
    - jrockway 15y ago
      Calendar seems to have a similar featureset to that of Outlook. You can put appointments on other people's calendars and you can schedule rooms, anyway. And, at Google, the conference rooms have motion sensors that allow the room reservation system to "garbage collect" unused rooms. (You also get an LED indication of whether or not you'll be running into someone else's time if your meeting runs late. Gotta love the hardware support!)
      - furyg3 15y ago
        Who makes these devices?
        tonfa 15y ago
        Googlers? Edit: maybe that? http://code.google.com/p/radishdisplay/ http://code.google.com/p/radishdisplay/
        deserted 15y ago
        Actually that's the code for an older 20% project: http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/articles/radish.html http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/articles/radish.html
        jrockway 15y ago
        It's called VCGC.
        sangaya 15y ago
        I've worked at a company that had these deployed. They were actually quite nice. In the rare event they failed, it was quickly resolved as everyone could see the LED that would turn to green/red/yellow that people nicknamed "the worm". http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/integrated/collaborative/room-wizard/pages/overview.aspx http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/integrated/col...
    - peteretep 15y ago
      Can you expand on why? * Update: Specifically for you, rather than in the wider sense; how does Exchange make /your/ life easier?
      - sliverstorm 15y ago
        Directory searching, hotkeys for everything, Calendar is more powerful AND easier to use. Searching email is faster, managing hundreds of messages easier, and the interface, snappier. Offline is a smoother experience requiring no effort. Reminders for the Calendar actually manage to get my attention. Rules are easier to manage, and if memory serves much more flexible. I am not criticizing Gmail et al mind you; as I mentioned, I use them all the time. They just are more useful for personal, low-volume stuff.
  - sliverstorm 15y ago
    To add another thought- it is not surprising, but it also is. I've gotten the impression Google is pretty good about avoiding NIH syndrome, and use the best tool for the job. Sometimes there is no such tool and they build one, or sometimes the best tool isn't good enough so they extend it, but...
rat87 15y ago
> It strikes me as accurate. Google apps is better for mail, and Microsoft is the cats ass when it comes to calendaring. If you are the secretary who must schedule 20 execs for a meeting the first Wednesday of every month, then there is nothing better than Outlook/Exchange. Really? A bunch of things about Outlook calendering drives me up the wall. I can't find a way to tell it that I've attended an event just dismissing the late notice. Also just the other day it prompted me with a late notice about a cancelled weekly meeting.
- jsight 15y ago
  > Also just the other day it prompted me with a late notice about a cancelled weekly meeting. Isn't that just user error (failure by someone to send out a cancellation notice)?
  - tsunamifury 15y ago
    Pretty well known ux flaw, when someone forwards you a meeting in outlook, then cancels it, none of the forwarded attendees receive notice.
    - jrockway 15y ago
      Another fun fact is that when you forward someone a meeting and add a snide comment to it, your snide comment gets sent to the organizer. I always wondered why people stopped liking me suddenly, then I realized that my private commentary about stupid meetings wasn't actually private.

sliverstorm 15y ago

Does Google really make its employees depend on Gmail and Gcal?

redwood 15y ago
You have NO IDEA. In many ways they are the Googler life
m0th87 15y ago
Yes, they do. But that shouldn't be surprising.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  Well, I mean I know they are Google and all- but I can't imagine Gmail and Gcal supporting a corporate user very effectively. I use it for my personal stuff, but I am extremely appreciative of Exchange at work.
  - bsk26 15y ago
    Works pretty well, actually. Calendar isn't perfect, but I personally prefer the UI to exchange.
    - libraryatnight 15y ago
      I enjoy Calendar, and my company uses their own but provides a link so that I can have it automatically imported to my Google Calendar. So my work, family, and personal calendar are all on one happy color coded page, and on my phone a simple widget.
  - jrockway 15y ago
    Calendar seems to have a similar featureset to that of Outlook. You can put appointments on other people's calendars and you can schedule rooms, anyway. And, at Google, the conference rooms have motion sensors that allow the room reservation system to "garbage collect" unused rooms. (You also get an LED indication of whether or not you'll be running into someone else's time if your meeting runs late. Gotta love the hardware support!)
    - furyg3 15y ago
      Who makes these devices?
      - tonfa 15y ago
        Googlers? Edit: maybe that? http://code.google.com/p/radishdisplay/ http://code.google.com/p/radishdisplay/
        deserted 15y ago
        Actually that's the code for an older 20% project: http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/articles/radish.html http://code.google.com/apis/gdata/articles/radish.html
        jrockway 15y ago
        It's called VCGC.
      - sangaya 15y ago
        I've worked at a company that had these deployed. They were actually quite nice. In the rare event they failed, it was quickly resolved as everyone could see the LED that would turn to green/red/yellow that people nicknamed "the worm". http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/integrated/collaborative/room-wizard/pages/overview.aspx http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/integrated/col...
  - peteretep 15y ago
    Can you expand on why? * Update: Specifically for you, rather than in the wider sense; how does Exchange make /your/ life easier?
    - sliverstorm 15y ago
      Directory searching, hotkeys for everything, Calendar is more powerful AND easier to use. Searching email is faster, managing hundreds of messages easier, and the interface, snappier. Offline is a smoother experience requiring no effort. Reminders for the Calendar actually manage to get my attention. Rules are easier to manage, and if memory serves much more flexible. I am not criticizing Gmail et al mind you; as I mentioned, I use them all the time. They just are more useful for personal, low-volume stuff.
- sliverstorm 15y ago
  To add another thought- it is not surprising, but it also is. I've gotten the impression Google is pretty good about avoiding NIH syndrome, and use the best tool for the job. Sometimes there is no such tool and they build one, or sometimes the best tool isn't good enough so they extend it, but...

rat87 15y ago

> It strikes me as accurate. Google apps is better for mail, and Microsoft is the cats ass when it comes to calendaring. If you are the secretary who must schedule 20 execs for a meeting the first Wednesday of every month, then there is nothing better than Outlook/Exchange. Really? A bunch of things about Outlook calendering drives me up the wall. I can't find a way to tell it that I've attended an event just dismissing the late notice. Also just the other day it prompted me with a late notice about a cancelled weekly meeting.

jsight 15y ago
> Also just the other day it prompted me with a late notice about a cancelled weekly meeting. Isn't that just user error (failure by someone to send out a cancellation notice)?
- tsunamifury 15y ago
  Pretty well known ux flaw, when someone forwards you a meeting in outlook, then cancels it, none of the forwarded attendees receive notice.
  - jrockway 15y ago
    Another fun fact is that when you forward someone a meeting and add a snide comment to it, your snide comment gets sent to the organizer. I always wondered why people stopped liking me suddenly, then I realized that my private commentary about stupid meetings wasn't actually private.