4 ms·

I fully agree with Om here. In fact, I have found myself avoiding Google services as much as possible now. GMail is the only one I am using regularly and which

I fully agree with Om here. In fact, I have found myself avoiding Google services as much as possible now. GMail is the only one I am using regularly and which does not have good alternatives. I also agree that Google is becoming like Microsoft, trying everything. I'm going to stay with companies like Evernote.

mooreds 14y ago
And the nice thing about gmail is that, if you had to move off of it, you could (as long as they keep the imap interface around: http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/417/export-gmail-messages-to-text-or-html-files http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/417/export-gmail-... ). There may be no feature complete alternatives, but there sure are a lot of email readers out there if you had to move off of it.
- mattmaroon 14y ago
  Seems far easier to move from Google Reader to an alternative than that, and yet look at the amount of bitching.
- benbeltran 14y ago
  As you do with google reader. You can fully export your feeds and move elsewhere. At /least/ they're letting you keep your data. I'm not saying it didn't feel like a dick move... but at least they make it easy to move away. I already switched to another reader and I'm getting more used to it every day. We may be emotionally attached, but the world moves on. How many of these small companies you give money to give you the freedom to download your data?
  - mooreds 14y ago
    My understanding is that there are saved stories and meta data that you can't export from google reader (mostly based on comments on this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5371725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5371725 because I don't use Google Reader and never have). Is my supposition incorrect?
    - zanny 14y ago
      The way they export your favorites / shares is just a json API that isn't standard. Services will rapidly pick up importing from that format, but besides the feed xml file none of what they give you is that portable.
- DigitalTurk 14y ago
  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this will soon no longer be true for Google Calendar. They're dropping CalDav.
  - Shooti 14y ago
    They're not dropping CalDav, they're just going to start screening its access: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19gOLSlkTzHi-zub3BkMv7Ot0JMLPj4YSxJUBseGAMSg/viewform https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19gOLSlkTzHi-zub3BkMv7Ot0JML...
    - DigitalTurk 14y ago
      So how does that help me if I want to sync iCal with Google Calendar? Addendum: The way I read that form, they will only consider whitelisting apps if the developers ask for it. As a user, I'm still screwed.
      - Shooti 14y ago
        Seems practically a given that Apple iCal and iOS will be whitelisted by Google as clients. Even Windows Phone 8 has that confirmed: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/google-caldav-support-still-coming-to-windows-phone/ http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/google-caldav-support-sti...
        DigitalTurk 14y ago
        To me it's not a given since AFAICT Apple software doesn't sync with Google Calendar over CalDav by default. Particularly on iOS you have to go out of your way to enable it—viz. you have to select 'Exchange account' instead of 'Google account'. In any case, if they're committed to preserving this feature then why are they implementing screening?
        Shooti 14y ago
        CalDav is what the iOS Add Account option for Google uses to sync: http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=151674 http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&a... Seems unlikely they'll drop it given their approach to iOS so far has been to infiltrate the ecosystem with their own Google apps, though never say never I suppose. As for why they're pushing people towards their own Calendar API, presumably so they can add/promote new features specific to Calendar which aren't present in CalDav. They can get more usage of Calendar-specific APIS/Features by pushing devs towards their own version, instead of letting them default to the CalDav API because that's what they're familiar with. The responses gathered from API request form also act as a feedback mechanism for their own Calendar API, which they can use to fix any deficiencies.

mooreds 14y ago

And the nice thing about gmail is that, if you had to move off of it, you could (as long as they keep the imap interface around: http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/417/export-gmail-messages-to-text-or-html-files http://webapps.stackexchange.com/questions/417/export-gmail-... ). There may be no feature complete alternatives, but there sure are a lot of email readers out there if you had to move off of it.

mattmaroon 14y ago
Seems far easier to move from Google Reader to an alternative than that, and yet look at the amount of bitching.
benbeltran 14y ago
As you do with google reader. You can fully export your feeds and move elsewhere. At /least/ they're letting you keep your data. I'm not saying it didn't feel like a dick move... but at least they make it easy to move away. I already switched to another reader and I'm getting more used to it every day. We may be emotionally attached, but the world moves on. How many of these small companies you give money to give you the freedom to download your data?
- mooreds 14y ago
  My understanding is that there are saved stories and meta data that you can't export from google reader (mostly based on comments on this thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5371725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5371725 because I don't use Google Reader and never have). Is my supposition incorrect?
  - zanny 14y ago
    The way they export your favorites / shares is just a json API that isn't standard. Services will rapidly pick up importing from that format, but besides the feed xml file none of what they give you is that portable.
DigitalTurk 14y ago
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this will soon no longer be true for Google Calendar. They're dropping CalDav.
- Shooti 14y ago
  They're not dropping CalDav, they're just going to start screening its access: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19gOLSlkTzHi-zub3BkMv7Ot0JMLPj4YSxJUBseGAMSg/viewform https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19gOLSlkTzHi-zub3BkMv7Ot0JML...
  - DigitalTurk 14y ago
    So how does that help me if I want to sync iCal with Google Calendar? Addendum: The way I read that form, they will only consider whitelisting apps if the developers ask for it. As a user, I'm still screwed.
    - Shooti 14y ago
      Seems practically a given that Apple iCal and iOS will be whitelisted by Google as clients. Even Windows Phone 8 has that confirmed: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/google-caldav-support-still-coming-to-windows-phone/ http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/15/google-caldav-support-sti...
      - DigitalTurk 14y ago
        To me it's not a given since AFAICT Apple software doesn't sync with Google Calendar over CalDav by default. Particularly on iOS you have to go out of your way to enable it—viz. you have to select 'Exchange account' instead of 'Google account'. In any case, if they're committed to preserving this feature then why are they implementing screening?
        Shooti 14y ago
        CalDav is what the iOS Add Account option for Google uses to sync: http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=151674 http://support.google.com/calendar/bin/answer.py?hl=en&a... Seems unlikely they'll drop it given their approach to iOS so far has been to infiltrate the ecosystem with their own Google apps, though never say never I suppose. As for why they're pushing people towards their own Calendar API, presumably so they can add/promote new features specific to Calendar which aren't present in CalDav. They can get more usage of Calendar-specific APIS/Features by pushing devs towards their own version, instead of letting them default to the CalDav API because that's what they're familiar with. The responses gathered from API request form also act as a feedback mechanism for their own Calendar API, which they can use to fix any deficiencies.