There was an interesting point in "In The Plex" where, IIRC, some executive at Google decides to shoot down GDrive because they (Google) wants to push for a reality where you don't even need to keep files on a device in the first place - the files would just always be in the cloud, and then who needs a copy on whatever device you happen to be using?
If true, this seems like a real wasted opportunity - even if that is the future we are getting to in several years, why not release a ready product that people would find useful in the meantime (and would help people arrive at that vision)?
He went to Bradley Horowitz, the executive in charge of the project, and said, “I don’t think we need GDrive anymore.” Horowitz asked why not. “Files are so 1990,” said Pichai. “I don’t think we need files anymore.”
I still remember that as well. They wanted to get rid of the whole "file" concept, as in a single isolated opaque blob of data. They thought it is an outdated concept in today's interconnected age.
Although there is some truth in that, personally I don't think locking data in cloud-based silos is any better than locking it locally in proprietary data formats. If anything, it is a further step backward.
For example: Does anyone know the native format of Google Documents? Can you import/export it losslessly? I don't think so.
Can you import/export it losslessly? I don't think so.
Apparently not: my students occasionally use Google Docs to get papers from their computers to printers in the library (or vice-versa), and the formatting of their papers constantly gets fucked up. When I see weirdly formatted papers, the students almost always blame Google Docs. Granted, I don't know if that's because the students don't know what they're doing or if Google Docs is hard or confusing to use, but still.
We build a Google Docs to InDesign linking product (http://emsoftware.com/products/docsflow/), and there's lossage/lack-of-direct-mapping when converting both from Word to Docs, and then from Docs to anything else (HTML, ODF, etc.).
They're hardly the only ones trying to abstract files away from the user. iOs has had a lot of success with non technical types doing just that. Here's hoping that osx doesn't fully take the plunge
If true, this seems like a real wasted opportunity - even if that is the future we are getting to in several years, why not release a ready product that people would find useful in the meantime (and would help people arrive at that vision)?
edit: here is the excerpt: http://allthingsd.com/20110425/how-google-killed-gdrive-and-...
He went to Bradley Horowitz, the executive in charge of the project, and said, “I don’t think we need GDrive anymore.” Horowitz asked why not. “Files are so 1990,” said Pichai. “I don’t think we need files anymore.”