Google Desktop

First, on a privacy note, you should know this:

In January, Eric Schmidt said the company’s goal was to create a “Google that knows you”. With the addition of a unique id number and personal information, I’d say he’s getting there. Article link

So what is the Google Desktop? According to it’s site:
“It’s a desktop search application that provides full text search over your email, computer files, chats, and the web pages you’ve viewed.”
Article link

Supposedly, Google Desktop indexes the following data (there is an option to disable any of these by the way):

• Outlook email
• Outlook Express email
• AOL IM
• Word
• Excel
• PowerPoint
• Text and other
• Web history
  Include secure pages (HTTPS) in web history

Let’s see. Windows XP Indexing service indexes all files on your computer, then you have the Google Desktop indexing some files on your computer, and of course you have Microsoft Media Player indexing all your media files, then you have all the spyware, adware and trojans that you’ve accumulated - oh what the heck, I’ll be optimistic here.

I’d say after 6 months on the Internet, the average Windows XP computer user could lower that shiny new computer to the speed of a 200MHz Pentium Pro with 128MB RAM without even trying.