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The list is a bit dishonest. Google Code Jam was not a product, and it was an event that was a net loss in terms of revenue, which is hard to justify maintaini
by iLoveOncall 4y ago
The list is a bit dishonest.
Google Code Jam was not a product, and it was an event that was a net loss in terms of revenue, which is hard to justify maintaining when you are cutting thousands of jobs.
Google Street View is part of Google Maps, the post even says so.
Google OnHub is a one time hardware product. Nobody is blaming Nintendo for killing the Gameboy Color when it stopped producing it.
I don't see how any of the 6 things mentioned here have been unjustifiably "killed".
- cultureswitch 4y agoExtremely disingenuous point you're making about OnHub. Nintendo didn't remotely remove functionalities from the Gameboy Color. Google did that with OnHub. Arguing "it's hardware" doesn't work when the features are cloud-based and the company shuts down the servers. It's bait and switch, pure and simple.
- iLoveOncall 4y agoSo is the expectation for every single cloud-connected item or online product that the servers remain online ad vitam aeternam so that future archeologists can still use the item when it's rediscovered and restored in 10,000 years? You just have the wrong expectation for online products.
- rpdillon 4y agoStrawman. I bought a router. I never expect any router to stop working because the manufacturer flips a switch.
- iLoveOncall 4y ago> I bought a router. You bought a connected router. Again, you just have the wrong expectation for online products. The fact that it was maintained for 8 years should be praised.
- rpdillon 4y agoNah, they never said it wouldn't work without their servers. Bait and switch.
- iLoveOncall 4y agoAnd the box of lightbulbs doesn't say it won't work if you don't pay your electricity bill. At some point you have to have an ounce of common sense.
- edude03 4y agoAs a software engineer I can see why you say that but as a consumer you have to ask yourself, who does a product that is designed to be reliant on the cloud benefit? Wifi routers with mesh existed before and will continue to exist after the onhub and they don’t require a cloud connection, so it seems like the cloud connection was designed to mostly benefit Google. As a consumer, especially a tech savvy one we should continue to push tech companies to build products that last and serve the user and not just throw our hands up and say “we have the wrong expectations”
- userbinator 4y agoAs a software engineer, I want what I made to last. Sadly, that sentiment doesn't seem to be popular these days.
- detourdog 4y agoI remember when the cloud started to become a buzzword I thought of it as a tool for people that didn't want to maintain their own local compute resources and a rent seeking business opportunity for people that did. I never imagined that not owning one's data would become the norm. I also have no intention of using cloud services that aren't forced on me.
- userbinator 4y agoAt least they could just release the server-side code when they've had enough, but they don't even want to do that.
- iLoveOncall 4y agoHave you ever written software in a company as large as Google? I have. It would need massive investments to make a server usable outside of the environment it was originally written for. It's just not viable.
- userbinator 4y agoThe goal isn't necessarily "usable", but more of a "we don't want to host it anymore, do what you want with it".
- cultureswitch 4y agoFair point. Though there's no denying that people only buy this sort of remotely controlled device either because they have no choice or because they expect support for the functionalities they need will last about as long as the hardware itself. At this point this is almost always not the case.
- rcme 4y agoRegarding OnHub: > Then in January 2023, the company rendered the product almost completely useless by disabling most of its features. I think GameBoy Color still works today? Also, the list is missing Nest Secure.
- iLoveOncall 4y agoThe battery in cartridges has expired in the vast majority of the cases which means you can't save anymore. I don't see any outrage towards Nintendo for that.
- rpdillon 4y agoDisingenuous. There's a bright distinction between natural wear of the product and remote shutdowns. Analogy: I don't get outraged if my laptop's battery loses capacity or even swells over time. I do get outraged if I can't boot my laptop because it checked with some remote server that decided I'm not allowed to boot it.
- rcme 4y agoYou can also replace the battery to restore functionality.
- mgrund 4y agoMy Gameboy still works, my OnHubs are essentially bricked (unless you don’t need access to unimportant features like making changes to the Wi-Fi network settings and add nodes to the mesh network [1]) [1] https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11257354?hl=en https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/11257354?hl=en
- nkrisc 4y ago> Google OnHub is a one time hardware product. Nobody is blaming Nintendo for killing the Gameboy Color when it stopped producing it. Did your Gameboy Color stop working when Nintendo decided to stop producing it?
- iLoveOncall 4y agoPartially. Once the battery in the cartridges expires you cannot save your progress anymore, essentially killing most of the product. 8 years of support for their router doesn't seem bad at all.