CTO Blog
I have no trouble with saying that Google has changed certain aspects of my life, and certainly I would feel lost without being able to use Google, but am I ready for Google Gears? I am not sure, right now it’s leaving me feeling that it’s a step too far, and in a direction that abandons the very notion of why I want Google. Maybe I have got it wrong, but to me Google is about being not just connected to, but being part of a whole world of online activity. So why do I want Google Gears to allow me to work offline from data held in my machine?
Surely that’s the other side of the coin, and all those existing applications and data on the disc do this well. Perhaps I have got it wrong because I do admit to using Google Desktop to search on my machine whether I am on or offline. The reasoning from Google CEO Eric Schmidt seems to make sense when he described Gears as ‘tackling the major limitation of the browser’ but then that repositions the browser as a working environment to compete with Windows head on using Google Gears as the engine driving the browser.
Mmm, I have to think about this; I have already come to the conclusion that it’s possible to redesign certain workers’ activities using content based working. My personal use case for this is the example of the local office for a number of EU Agriculture Inspectors covering the same farms, but for different crops and subsidies. Their job has perhaps a 5% procedural application at the beginning to find the details of the claim and past payments, and 15% procedural element at the end to actually make the payment the inspector has decided is correct. In between is all ‘content based’ working using a wide variety of information from aerial photos to maps, bills to measurements, etc, etc. This is perfect material for tagging, and sharing, with the other inspectors ready for when they need to visit the same farm or market.
Plenty of online sites to store this content on, but what happens offline? Well it would be handy if I did my homework first and decided exactly what was needed. In this case I would find it beneficial to download and hold the data on my machine, but the other part of my mind is saying that turns it all into a fixed procedure just like an application. The alternative is to use a wireless connected PC to be online, and able to respond to ‘events’ as they happen, finding the content as and when needed.
I am not sure about this; have I got the right idea, or does Gears let developers come up with a completely different approach to building solutions? As with so much at the moment the future belongs to people who think differently when considering how to apply technology to business, or even social networking. You can get a downloadable beta of Gears right here.
About the author
Capgemini Global Chief Technology Officer, Andy is a member of the Capgemini Group management board and advises on all aspects of technology-driven market changes, together with being a member of the Policy Board for the British Computer Society. Andy is the author of many white papers, and the co-author three books that have charted the current changes in technology and its use by business starting in 2006 with ‘Mashup Corporations’ detailing how enterprises could make use of Web 2.0 to develop new go to market propositions. This was followed in May 2008 by Mesh Collaboration focussing on the impact of Web 2.0 on the enterprise front office and its working techniques, then in 2010 “Enterprise Cloud Computing: A Strategy Guide for Business and Technology leaders” co-authored with well-known academic Peter Fingar and one of the leading authorities on business process, John Pyke. The book describes the wider business implications of Cloud Computing with the promise of on-demand business innovation. It looks at how businesses trade differently on the web using mash-ups but also the challenges in managing more frequent change through social tools, and what happens when cloud comes into play in fully fledged operations. Andy was voted one of the top 25 most influential CTOs in the world in 2009 by InfoWorld and is grateful to readers of Computing Weekly who voted the Capgemini CTOblog the best Blog for Business Managers and CIOs each year for the last three years.
I’d say I’ve found Google Gears pretty useful addition;
Long train journeys without wi-fi (thank you Virgin Trains) become bearable now that I can take Google Reader off-line and catch up with feeds on the way home.
Whilst waiting for our new home internet connection Gears has allowed me to synchronise my ‘Remember the Milk’ To-Do Lists on a Friday night and take them home for the weekend.
I’m just waiting for Gears compatibility to be added to Gmail and Docs & Spreadsheets, then Microsoft Office really is in trouble!
Reasons IMHO for Google gears
1. Google has a history of doing things just because they are cool and not necessary have have an ROI.
2. From a business perspective. Google needs to have an offline option to compete with Flash and Java webstart to complete its SaaS stack of GWT , Google Apps , MashupEditor etc.
Google is in the business of SaaS Development for the Enterprise and is creating a Software platform . Make no mistake about it. Yes their revenue now comes from Advertising but I would be surprised to see if it is the same 5-6 years down the road.
Check out my blog that says the same http://www.gandalf-lab.com/blog/index.html
two interesting posts both of which effectively draw attention to the fact that a simple on line access to a search engine is not the future model.
Visiting Niraj J blog is worthwhile as he makes some interesting observations on how this might fit with software as a service.