Getting Started with Google Desktop

Now that we know what Google Desktop is, it's time to getting started with it.
First of all you need to go and download it from http://desktop.google.com/ Note:Google Desktop is free to download.
It's available (when writing) for Windows XP or Vista, Mac OSX 10.4+ and Linux users. Note that Google Desktop doesn't fully support 64 bit Windows (x64). If you try to install Google Desktop on a 64bit Windows you'll get a message saying that it's not currently compatible with your operating system. It requires a 32 bit version of Windows Vista, Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or above. Anyhow there is a way to go around this compatibility problem. By opening the command promt with Run in Windows, writing cmd.exe. Then you locate the installation file "GoogleDesktopSetup.exe" and write this "GoogleDesktopSetup.exe /force". By doing that it'll force to install Google Desktop on your computer but Not all features will be available with 64 bit's Windows. The sidebar will work on 64bit but the search wont. The Google Developers of the Desktop application is of course aware of this and there will be a support for 64 bit's later on. On the other hand, there are support for 64bit Linux version.

After the installation is completed Google Desktop will start up automatically and also each time you reboot your computer. As I wrote before in a previous post Introducing Google Desktop it'll start indexing files on your computer automatically when your computer is idle, and that is to say more than 30 seconds. It has a real time indexing, it'll continuous index files as you open a file or update a file. Note that it also includes a web page. The indexing will continue for some minutes to a couple of hours depending on how many files you have stored on your computers hard driver.

There are some few options and status regarding the indexing if you click at the icon in the taskbar. You can pause the indexing for 1 hour or re-index everything, also there is a status for the indexing. Also you'll find others settings if you click at Options.

It's pretty obvious how to search with Google Desktop. There are several of ways, maybe to many?

• Through the search field in the sidebar.
• Through the search field in the floating deskbar.
• Through the search field in the deskbar.
• Click on the icon in the taskbar.
• Press twice on the "Ctrl" button.
• Clicking on the Desktop link at Google's homepage (The preferred way if you want to use the advanced search options).
  

Google Homepage Desktop search

The main thing with the Desktop sidebar is probably the gadget function. You can have a personalized sidebar with any gadgets that are available to download. Gadgets to show you new emails, weather report, photos and customized news. Gadgets that are included are Analog clock, weather, scratch pad, web clips, news and photos. Not only that they can be added to the sidebar but can also be integrated with your personal iGoogle page. To add new Gadgets to your sidebar you do this by right clicking somewhere at the sidebar and choose Add Gadgets or on the "plus" button on the sidebar. There is no need to install any other external programs when adding a new gadget. The new gadgets will be instant added to the sidebar. You can place the gadgets outside the sidebar by dragging the gadgets to the desktop. By clicking on the Desktop icon you can choose how Google Desktop will be visible and by choosing Floating deskbar the Sidebar will be hidden.

I'll be digging deeper in both the Search- and the Gadget function. Compare the Desktop search with Windows search. Compare Windows Sidebar with Desktop sidebar. Working with the Gadget API. Writing your own gadgets and more.

References:
Google Desktop Download
http://desktop.google.com
Google Desktop - Getting Started
http://desktop.google.com/en/gettingstarted.html

Introducing Google Desktop

Beginning with Google Desktop.
We know that you have lots of information stored on your computer. Wouldn't it be great if you could find what you need when you need it?
Main parts with Google Desktop is that it makes searching your computer as easy as searching the web with Google. It's a desktop application that makes your computer search able by indexing your local files on your computer such as email, music, photos, videos, word, excel, chat conversations etc. Of course does it also provide web search.

When you make a Desktop search (a search for local files) you'll go to a local web page showing you the most relevant search results as you are used to when making a web search at Google. You have some filter opportunities for your search result. There is also a preview file function so you don't have to wait for an external application to open a file. When making a search on the Desktop homepage there are some advanced search options provided to refine the search.

The Desktop search doesn't work if there are no files indexed. After you install it, it's supposed to start indexing the email, files and web history stored on your computer, but if it doesn't automatically start index you may have to change the options so it does that. This is a one-time indexing and to not slow down the performances of your computer it only index files while the computer is idling. The Desktop also updates your index by adding new for example emails as you receive them.

The Desktop does also provide function to find deleted files. How Google Desktop do this is by creating cached copies of your files each time you view them, and stores these copies on your hard drive.

But that's not all. Not only that Google Desktop makes your local files search able with the app, it also provides information from the web and help you organize with Gadgets and the Sidebar. Google gadgets are mini applications that can be placed on your desktop, in the Sidebar and also be integrated with your iGoogle page. Gadgets can show you the latest news, photos, weather etc. The Sidebar is a vertical bar on your desktop which basically functions as a control panel for your gadgets. You have a full control to add and remove gadgets and place them freely wherever you want on your desktop.

References:
iGoogle
http://www.google.com/ig
Google Desktop - Features
http://desktop.google.com/en/features.html

First announcement and Congratulations Google, 10 years!

Hi all!
I'm Carl Joel and I'm studying a third year at the University of Kalmar. My mission with this blog are: This blog concerns about my work with the Google Desktop APIs, mainly with the Gadget API. This was my choice to work with, in a course named Modern applications-environments. With this blog you can follow up my work with Google Desktop and Gadget API.


Happy birthday to Google! 10 years with Google and no one could never see how big and amazing this gigantic company would be in 1998.