I'm
a big fan of Google Docs, or as it's now called Google Drive, and this new expansion has opened the cloud service to file formats beyond just documents. I've always liked the idea of having all my documents available to me as long as I have
an internet connection. The fact that it's Android counterpart blends
so well with the whole cloud network seals the deal. Now for the
super-cherry on my big pile of cherrys (I f**king love cherries,
bro), Google Drive now has a desktop paradox folder, one of those
hard to fathom wonders of the emerging cloud revolution. It allows
you to place a Google Drive folder in Windows Explorer so you can
save your Word or Open Office docs, or anythign else really, right to
Big G's cloud storage. It's able to do this because your Drive exists
on both your hard drive and the internet, or something. It's nifty
even if it feels a bit like evil sorcery.
While
I like the Drive, I'm dissapointed that Google felt they had to do
away with the whole Google Docs brand. I thought it was becoming a
distinct alternative to client-side doc writing, allowing documents
the freedom to have multiple real time authors, easy doc conversion,
URL links for sharing, growing integration with the rest of Google's
gang services and all the other perks of being part of the internet,
rather then shoveling data onto it (It's not a big truck. Old-ass
reference for the win!). It's name is also a disappointment, but
that's the usual for Google. It's a fine designation for an app, but
in many places, mainly on Google's OS platforms like Android, the
title will be truncated to remove Google, and it will just say
“Drive”, which is confusing and stupid, but what should I expect,
it does it with everything else; Music, Books, etc.
The
genuine problem I have with G-Drive (such a better name) is the same
I've had since it was Google Docs, you can't edit content offline,
which remains the biggest stumbling block to the advancement of the
cloud in general. Every time my internet goes out, I have to switch
back to Open Office to get any writing done. I'll also sometimes find
that I've been writing a lengthy document that hasn't been saving
because I neglected to notice the net was down, than I just X-out the
sucker, thinking I'll find it later. Ok, that hasn't happened to me
yet, but it totally could, and that's puts the kind of fear in you
where you think you need to vote for an idiot to be safe.
What
the Drive needs is an offline document editor that's client-side,
installed on the hard drive. If they don't have a stupid name in mind
they could call it Google Docs, or something like Google Docs Editor
or Google Document Writer, just give it a name geeks can respect in
their tools. This really doesn't seem difficult, just place it on top
of the Drive sync software. You then should be able open a native
Google Docs program and save your file directly to the drive. It
could also simultaneously upload saves while editing, and update the
document automatically if edited somewhere else. It's the true
application of the cloud, where desktop and internet exist
simultaneous to one another.
Anyway,
I'm looking forward to seeing what Google comes up with in their
burgeoning mega-cloud. Google Drive is by far my favorite cloud
storage, though they all have their strengths, and it has become my
go-to site for my professional documents. However, Microsoft SkyDrive
giving me 20 gigabytes of data at no cost, for a reason I'm not
entirely sure of (I think it was a gift), has endeared me as well.
You got anything for me too, Big G? Peace.
