Andy Jarrett // Code. Develop. Create.

Google Desktop

Google Desktop SearchGoogle have moved ever closer onto the desktop with their new tool: Google Desktop

Incase you're wondering how it works(and this is in brief); after installing the app it then goes off and spends anywhere from an hour - 2 days indexing your drive (while idle). Then via a local port, http://127.0.0.1:4664/, you can search to you hearts content.

The features will no doubt be blogged everywhere, but i'll cover a few key ones here and including a few odd (time to get use to) ones as well.

  • Nearly all MS Office files including Outlook and Outlook express, AIM chats, are indexed.
  • Music Files and Images: Dispite what is said these are indexed, though only the filename. Which now means that it comes in handy to name your photos something meaninful rather than just having DSC00001.jpg
  • When searching online from Google.com you search results are integrated as well at the top. - THIS THREW ME. Mainly because i expect the top line to be News but when clicked it opened a local file.
  • It also indexes and stores page view from IE (i don't know if it does it for Firefox).
  • You can also use filetype: to help drill down your searches.
The one disapointing lack-off feature is integration with GMAIL, but there rumours that this might/might not be added later. Also lack of specifying files to search. I would LOVE to be able to search .cfm, .cfc, .html, .js etc etc files.
Apart from that, WOW installation couldn't be easier, searching is simple, what more can you want? The one big question though is....... will Adsense be integrated in as well??
[Screen shot]
Google Desktop Search

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