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Google launches code search as Google labs project.

Google product manager Tom Stocky said the Mountain View, California-based company is set to help programmers sift through billions of lines of computer source code using its familiar search box to uncover snippets of reusable software.

“For a long time it has been sort of an unsolved problem,” said Stocky, a product manager in the developer products group. “It is hard to find references to this sort of data.”

Google has been taking series of initiatives catering to developers like

• Google Summer of Code
• Google Projects
• Project Hosting

This places them in direct competition with http://www.koders.com and http://www.krugle.com/

Google in association with Frankfurt Book Fair Literacy Campaign (LitCam) and
UNESCO’s Institute for Lifelong Learning Launches Literacy Project site.

More information is at Google blog.

Site uses Google projects like Google Book search, Google Scholar, Google Video, Google Maps, Google Blogger and Google Groups.

Video section… purpose is to “See what literacy organisations, schools, and educators around the world are doing to promote literacy or share your own project with the world.”

The very first video is a song from Bollywood movie… to promote literacy wow!!.

In the map section only literacy organisation in India is in east of india with address of Rajasthan which is in west india. Grossly misplaced.
One more pre-baked offering from Google kitchen.

The site is available in German and English.

This is straight from Writely help.

“No need to wait until Writely registration opens up again. When you have a Writely account, you have the power to get your 12 friends in immediately. Just add them as collaborators on a Writely document and click “OK” to email them. You can invite up to 50 new people by adding them as collaborators to Writely documents.”

http://www.google.com/support/writely/bin/answer.py?answer=39642&ctx=sibling

Want to buy a domain with word Google in it?

Well you can buy these domains which are on auction on various domain auction sites.

Get ready to hear from Google’s legal department soon.

I stumbled upon list of server types google is using for its various services. Verified few of them… seems upto date.

(*) Denotes Encrypted Page

• (GWS: Google Web Server)
• Main Search: GWS/2.1
• Google Accounts: GFE/1.3*
• Google AdSense: GFE/1.3*
• Google AdWords: GFE/1.3*
• Google Hosted(mail for your domain) : GWS/2.1
• Google Analytics (Login Page): GWS/2.1
• Google Analytics (Auth Page): GFE/1.3*
• Google Analytics (Other Pages): ucfe*
• Google Analytics (Analysis Image and JS): ucfe
• Google Analytics (Images/JS/CSS/Flash): ga-reporting-fe
• Google Answers: GFE/1.3
• Google Base: asfe
• Blogger: Apache
• Google Book Search: OFE/0.1
• Google Calendar: GFE/1.3
• Google Catalogs: OFE/0.1
• Google Checkout: GFE/1.3*
• Google Code: codesite/2750796
• Google Co-Op: pfe
• Google Desktop: GFE/1.3
• Google Directory: DFE/1.0
• Google Downloads: GWS/2.1
• Google Finance: SFE/0.8
• Google Finance Stock Charts (Images): FTS (C)1997-2006 IS.Teledata AG
• Froogle: cffe
• Google Groups: GWS-GRFE/0.50
• Hello: Apache/2.0.53
• Google Help Pages: TrakhelpServer/1.0a
• Google Images: GWS/2.1
• Google Labs: Apache
• Google Local / Maps: mfe
• Google Local/Maps (Images): Keyhole Server 2.4
• Google Mail: GFE/1.3
• Google Mobile: GWS/2.1
• Google Moon: mfe
• Google Moon (Images): Keyhole Server 2.4
• Google Music Search: mws
• Google News: NFE/1.0
• Google Notebook GFE/1.3
• Orkut: GFE/1.3*
• Google Pack: COMINST/1.0
• Picasa (.com): Apache/2.0.53
• Picasa (.google.com): GWS/2.1
• Picasa Web Album: GFE/1.3
• Picasa Web Album (Static Images): staticfe
• Picasa Web Album (Uploaded Images): cachefe:image
• Google Page Creator (Sign-up page): GFE/1.3*
• Google Page Creator (User pages): GFE/1.3
• Google Personalized Homepage: igfe
• Google Scholar: GWS/2.1
• Google Search History: Search-History HTTP Server
• Google Sets: Apache
• Google Site-Flavored: GWS/2.1
• Google Sitemaps: GFE/1.3
• Google SMS: GWS/2.1
• Google SMS Search Requests: SMPP server 1.0
• Google SMS (GMail Registration): GFE/1.3*
• Google SMS (Page Viewer): GFE/1.3
• Google Spreadsheet: GFE/1.3
• Google Suggest: Auto-Completion Server
• Google Transit: mfe
• Google Translate: TWS/0.9
• Google Trends: Google Trends
• Google Video: GFE/1.3
• Google Video (Thumbnails): thumbnail_server.cc version 1.0
• Google Reader: GFE/1.3
• Google Ride Finder: Apache
• Google Talk: GWS/2.1
• Google Toolbar: GFE/1.3
• Google Toolbar (PR Lookup): GWS/2.1
• Google Web Accelerator: GFE/1.3
• Google Web Alerts: PSFE/4.0
• Writely: GFE/1.3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Google_server_types

Google has been very generous in terms of giving invite for spreasheet this time.

For those of you who don’t have invites and can’t wait for their invites and want to try google spreadsheets… there is a sneaky way of doing it.

Get someone you know who has got invite to make a spreadsheet and share it with you. Once you get the invitation you would be able to view/edit the file and your account would be enabled for spreadsheet.

I am sure google would soon plug this hole else their labs servers would be bombarded.

If you are someone who does not know anyone who has got the invite… post a comment to this post with your google account and I would share a spreadsheet with you.

Digg it

Go on spread Google Spreadsheet.

Garret Rogers has been snoopy with gmail and google code in past and has done it again. This time he as discovered a new entry in gmail javascript code suggesting that soon google would be adding link to product prices in the advert area by the email

Google has been doing something similar in past, I have briefly touched this point here.

• Linking addresses in the email to google maps.
• Linking UPS numbers to Tracking package link.
• Linking mention of events to add event link to Google Calendar
• Creating a link on google homepage if you are using IE7 to make google as default search engine.
• Linking to google books search from search results.
• Linking to google groups from search results.
• Linking to google scholar from search results.

Google has been linking all its products to make useful for users and advertisers not necessarily in that order.

I guess his new “Get prices” link would link to product price link to Froogle.

Consider a scenario where a company engages heavily in email marketing and sends newsletter mentioning new prices and offers to all the existing customers. Customers open the email and finds this Get Price link and follows it to Froogle to find a better deal on other sites or on ebay.

Customer : very happy.
Company : Fuming…

It would be interesting to see how Google manage this without being evil to either one of the parties.

There is new entry in Google Labs, Picasa for linux. But the link is serving 404 page. Date on google labs says it was added on 5/25/2006.

Here is a google labs screeen shot, in case they take it off from here.

There is also a google group for picasa or linux with 2 posts already.

http://groups.google.com/group/Google-Labs-Picasa-for-Linux

On Digg
people are commenting about page being on removed later on.

Some of them have tried it already. Some think its GTK, others think its windows picasa that runs on wine. Comments are coming along. Interesting space to watch till google comes with formal or blog announcement.

Its one more case of google’s announcement rolling slippage.

PS: Newsforge has covered this here.

Adam Lasnik from Google posts comments to the post and confirms that adwords click lawsuit is real and settlement has been reached.

Here is an excerpt from adwords blog.

As you may have heard, Google has reached a settlement of a lawsuit regarding click fraud. Here’s Nicole Wong, Associate General Counsel, to discuss the latest developments:

I recommend that you carefully review the information in the email and visit the site provided by the administration firm: www.clicksettlement.com. On the site, you will find links to the official settlement notice and settlement FAQs, both of which are in .PDF format. To view these documents, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader.”

Apparently google has blogged about this adwords lawsuit in March 2006.

Now since the mail is real and so is the lawsuit it raises those ugly questions again.

1) How can they get email address of all the adwords users since 1 Jan 2001?

Hold on… It came to my email which was originally used for adwords before google forced me to convert it to a google account sometime last tear. Do they have old adwords account users information?

2) Everyone I know has got this email. Some got it to their email used only for adwords email account, some who have never used adwords in their life at all.

If they sent it to adwords users + others, does’t it constitute Spam?

Is the company which sued google itself liable for lawsuit for spamming and getting unfair leverage in support for lawsuit?

3) The company has amassed one of its kind(possibly biggest after google) database of legit adwords users (those who tried to unsubscribe from the email) they can use it for more reasons than one.

Google must come with explantion as to how they got all those email addresses.

http://adwords.blogspot.com/2006/05/lanes-gifts-v-google-settlement.html

Usually my spam filter does a good job in moving messages to junk folder. Unless I am really bored I don’t go through spam folder and just clear it. This one just landed in my inbox with subject “Important Legal Notice Regarding Your Google AdWords Account“.

Curiously I opened the mail, the mail contains the text below with pdf attachment.

It seems like a real mail but thats where reality ends.

1) It came to my email which is not used for adwords.
2) How can they get the email address of all the adwords users?

The settlement would be given in the form of ad credit.

This court-ordered notice may affect your legal rights. Please read it carefully. If you purchased online advertising from Google between January 1, 2002 and the present, you are a class member in a class-action lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Miller County, Arkansas. This notice is to inform you of the Courts certification of a class; the nature of the claims alleged; your right to participate in, or exclude yourself from, the class; a proposed settlement; and how you can claim an award of advertising credits under the settlement. Please read the attached notice. 

You can get more information at: www.clicksettlement.com.

Please do not reply to this message

Esta notificação de ordem judicial pode afetar seus direitos legais. Por favor, leia com atenção. Se tiver adquirido anúncios on-line da Google entre 1 de janeiro de 2002 e a data de hoje, você faz parte de uma ação judicial coletiva na Comarca de Miller County, Arkansas. Esta notificação tem como objetivo informá-lo sobre o recurso judicial da ação coletiva; a natureza do processo judicial; o seu direito de participar ou não; a ação coletiva, o acordo proposto, e como solicitar indenização em créditos para anúncio através de um acordo. Para solicitar uma cópia da notificação em anexo em português, favor enviar um email para:  clicksettlementpo@enotice.info

Toto soudem nařízené oznámení můe ovlivnit vae zákonná práva. Prosím přečtěte si je pozorně. Pokud jste zakoupili reklamu on-line od Google mezi 1. lednem 2002 a současností, jste členem skupiny ve skupinovém soudním sporu u obvodového soudu okresu Miller County ve státě Arkansas. Toto oznámení vás informuje o soudním potvrzení skupiny; o charakteru údajných kod; o vaem právu se zúčastnit nebo se vyloučit ze skupiny; o navrhovaném vypořádání; a jak můete vznést nárok na odměnu ve formě dobropisu na reklamu v rámci vypořádání. Pro vyádání kopie přiloeného oznámení v četině zalete prosím e-mail na adresu: clicksettlementcz@enotice.info.

Deze van gerechtswege verstrekte bekendmaking kan implicaties hebben voor uw wettelijke rechten.  Verzoeke hem aandachtig te lezen.  Als u in de periode van 1 januari 2002 tot op heden online-advertenties van Google hebt gekocht, bent u class member in een class action geding dat in het Circuit Court van Miller County, Arkansas (VS) aanhangig is gemaakt.  Deze bekendmaking dient om u op de hoogte te stellen van de certificatie van een class; van de aard van de aantijgingen; van uw recht tot deelname aan, of uitsluiting van, de class; van een voorgestelde schikking alsmede van de wijze waarop u aanspraak kunt maken op vergoeding van advertentiekosten binnen het kader van de schikking.  Stuur voor een Nederlandstalig exemplaar van de geappendeerde bekendmaking een E-mail aan het volgende adres:  clicksettlementdu@enotice.info.

La présente notification mandatée par les tribunaux peut affecter vos droits en vertu de la loi. Veuillez la lire attentivement. Si vous avez payé pour faire de la publicité en ligne en utilisant Google entre le 1^er janvier 2002 et la date d'aujourd'hui, vous êtes automatiquement membre d'un groupe faisant un recours collectif en justice au tribunal d'instance du comté de Miller, en Arkansas. La présente notification a pour objet de vous informer de la reconnaissance par le tribunal de l'action en justice susmentionnée comme recours collectif ; de la nature des plaintes alléguées ; de votre droit de participer ou de refuser de participer au recours collectif ; d'une offre de règlement à l'amiable ; et de la façon dont vous pouvez revendiquer des crédits à valoir sur de la publicité en application dudit règlement. Pour demander à recevoir un exemplaire de la notification jointe en langue française, veuillez envoyer un courriel à cette adresse :   clicksettlementfr@enotice.info. 

Diese gerichtlich angeordnete Mitteilung kann Ihre Rechte als Käufer berühren. Bitte sorgfältig durchlesen. Wenn Sie in der Zeit vom 1. Januar 2002 bis heute Online-Werbung von Google gekauft haben, sind Sie Partei einer beim Circuit Court of Miller County (US-Gericht), im US-Bundesstaat Arkansas anhängig gemachten Sammelklage. Mit dieser Mitteilung werden Sie von der Entscheidung des Gerichts bezüglich der Annahme einer Klägergruppe im Sinne einer Sammelklage, über die Art der geltend gemachten Ansprüche, über Ihr Recht, der Sammelklage als Partei beizutreten bzw. auf einen  Beitritt zu verzichten, über Vergleichsangebote zur Beilegung des Rechtsstreits und über die Art und Weise, wie Sie auf Grund eines Vergleichs gerichtlich zuerkannte Werbegutschriften beanspruchen können. Ein Exemplar der deutschen Version der beigefügten Mitteilung können Sie per Email unter folgender Adresse anfordern: clicksettlementge@enotice.info.

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You will receive one additional e-mail message confirming your removal.

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