4 ms·

It's amusing to see people here continuing to recommend Google tools for core aspects of some shiny, fragile, new startup despite so many, many posts and commen

It's amusing to see people here continuing to recommend Google tools for core aspects of some shiny, fragile, new startup despite so many, many posts and comments on HN having been placed time and time again describing how arbitrary that monster can be about cutting you completely down from whatever it offers you for some bullshit algorithmic reason or another, and with near zero customer service recourse. By now Google often acts worse than the complaints departments of many government agencies, which at least usually by law have to have a human accesible to you somewhere along the line. Yet it keeps getting recommended by either the clueless or the indifferent.

millzlane 2y ago
Yea, my dumbass used Google voice as my main 2fa number and recently lost access to it. Can't get it back and I'm locked out of everything. Don't be like me. Google really can't be trusted for personal or business use. If I could talk to a human and pay $100 for it I would.
- coldtrait 2y ago
  I used to live in the US and use voice as my primary number for everything. I don't think there is a better option.
  - millzlane 2y ago
    Just use it everyday and you'll be good.
    - _blk 2y ago
      Doesn't seem to do too well with foreign numbers. Never had issues calling but 2FA texts don't come through.
  - nyclounge 2y ago
    Not for free! When you are not paying for the product then you are the product!! But it is NOT that hard for HN community to get VOIP number over SIP. All the smart phones have a sip client now days.
- getlawgdon 2y ago
  Please don't say that. I can absolutely see google charging for customer service.
  - deleted 2y ago
    [deleted]
  - syncbehind 2y ago
    Welcome to nightvale
authorfly 2y ago
Problem is eventually you need it for Google Ads, or YouTube really for many things. And none of them are "vital" if they go wrong. They aren't core income pipeline parts. And then you get sucked in. B2B and go to a conference? Where are you putting your video demo reels/talks? YouTube Consumer and testing marketing messages for something non-consumer? Google Ads. Your B2B client wants you to provide your SaaS via a private endpoint on GCP? What else are you going to do than use GCP? Then once you are on it on company computers, it's a short walk to Google Docs and then Google Workspace, etc.
- southernplaces7 2y ago
  Needing Google occasionally is understandable but keeping it to a minimum and as disconnected as possible from core business functionality, and as replaceable as possible if things go sideways with its brainless algorithms, is absolutely doable. Please, enough justification for why almost anyone generally "needs" Google. For example: >B2B and go to a conference? Where are you putting your video demo reels/talks? YouTube Really? Simply no alternatives exist? I guess Vimeo is just a curious internet legend. >Your B2B client wants you to provide your SaaS via a private endpoint on GCP? What else are you going to do than use GCP? So explain to the client why you prefer not to use Google, but if they insist, then keep it specific to them and avoid it for anything generally essential to your business. You state this as if nearly a dozen alternatives to Google Cloud don't exist. >Then once you are on it on company computers, it's a short walk to Google Docs and then Google Workspace, etc. Don't take that short walk then, take another one instead. The point is that alternative solutions do usually exist and even where Google becomes unavoidable, it absolutely shouldn't mean having to fully embrace its services.
  - authorfly 2y ago
    I agree with you as a technical guy. It's not the worst. But as to why is happens: If your business-focused founder or Marketing guy is going to the conference, it'll be Youtube, even though Vimeo is accessible. Unless you go make the account, share it to them, and have a SOP, why would they look at Vimeo? The problem is when you get any sort of size the non-tech people choose Google as a default and then it (with weak force) slowly black holes up what they do. Just like people chose Microsoft Office (and still do for mature corps) for all kinds of admin, not necessarily technical people using Google (although I would say >80% of the tech graduate emails I am given for contact past graduation are gmail which is a sign of the times!)

millzlane 2y ago

Yea, my dumbass used Google voice as my main 2fa number and recently lost access to it. Can't get it back and I'm locked out of everything. Don't be like me. Google really can't be trusted for personal or business use. If I could talk to a human and pay $100 for it I would.

coldtrait 2y ago
I used to live in the US and use voice as my primary number for everything. I don't think there is a better option.
- millzlane 2y ago
  Just use it everyday and you'll be good.
  - _blk 2y ago
    Doesn't seem to do too well with foreign numbers. Never had issues calling but 2FA texts don't come through.
- nyclounge 2y ago
  Not for free! When you are not paying for the product then you are the product!! But it is NOT that hard for HN community to get VOIP number over SIP. All the smart phones have a sip client now days.
getlawgdon 2y ago
Please don't say that. I can absolutely see google charging for customer service.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- syncbehind 2y ago
  Welcome to nightvale

authorfly 2y ago

Problem is eventually you need it for Google Ads, or YouTube really for many things. And none of them are "vital" if they go wrong. They aren't core income pipeline parts. And then you get sucked in. B2B and go to a conference? Where are you putting your video demo reels/talks? YouTube Consumer and testing marketing messages for something non-consumer? Google Ads. Your B2B client wants you to provide your SaaS via a private endpoint on GCP? What else are you going to do than use GCP? Then once you are on it on company computers, it's a short walk to Google Docs and then Google Workspace, etc.

southernplaces7 2y ago
Needing Google occasionally is understandable but keeping it to a minimum and as disconnected as possible from core business functionality, and as replaceable as possible if things go sideways with its brainless algorithms, is absolutely doable. Please, enough justification for why almost anyone generally "needs" Google. For example: >B2B and go to a conference? Where are you putting your video demo reels/talks? YouTube Really? Simply no alternatives exist? I guess Vimeo is just a curious internet legend. >Your B2B client wants you to provide your SaaS via a private endpoint on GCP? What else are you going to do than use GCP? So explain to the client why you prefer not to use Google, but if they insist, then keep it specific to them and avoid it for anything generally essential to your business. You state this as if nearly a dozen alternatives to Google Cloud don't exist. >Then once you are on it on company computers, it's a short walk to Google Docs and then Google Workspace, etc. Don't take that short walk then, take another one instead. The point is that alternative solutions do usually exist and even where Google becomes unavoidable, it absolutely shouldn't mean having to fully embrace its services.
- authorfly 2y ago
  I agree with you as a technical guy. It's not the worst. But as to why is happens: If your business-focused founder or Marketing guy is going to the conference, it'll be Youtube, even though Vimeo is accessible. Unless you go make the account, share it to them, and have a SOP, why would they look at Vimeo? The problem is when you get any sort of size the non-tech people choose Google as a default and then it (with weak force) slowly black holes up what they do. Just like people chose Microsoft Office (and still do for mature corps) for all kinds of admin, not necessarily technical people using Google (although I would say >80% of the tech graduate emails I am given for contact past graduation are gmail which is a sign of the times!)