New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the Old SmartTag Debate

Grok Headline matches for New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the Old SmartTag Debate

Google Toolbar Introduces Browse By Name
Feature

Google Toolbar Introduces Browse By Name
Feature 07/16/2004 01:16 PM
Source: Search Engine Guide - Though I must admit that thus far, the feature seems to work pretty well, the question of whether or not people will use Browse By Name once the novelty wears off remains. After all, does...

Google Adds Browse By Name Feature to
Toolbar

Google Adds Browse By Name Feature to
Toolbar 07/16/2004 10:02 PM
The Google Toolbar ( http://toolbar.google.com ) has a new feature: Browse by Name. Browse by Name allows you to type words into the Internet Explorer address bar and get relevant...

Google AdSense ad points to Toolbar
with Autolink Feature!

Google AdSense ad points to Toolbar
with Autolink Feature! 03/14/2005 04:35 PM

Is Google trying to piss me off? You know I have been pretty outspoken on the Google Autolink feature so as you can see this was a Google AdSense that presented itself to me tonight. Talk about adding insult to injury!

Korean Cloning Rekindles Debate

Korean Cloning Rekindles Debate 02/13/2004 09:20 AM
CBS News Feb 13 2004 1:22PM GMT

Google rekindles investors' love affair
with technology sector

Google rekindles investors' love affair
with technology sector 05/07/2004 05:00 AM
The Scotsman May 7 2004 8:35AM GMT

Yahoo's Anti-Spy toolbar feature buggy

Yahoo's Anti-Spy toolbar feature buggy 08/06/2004 10:01 PM
Web portal admits error in newly released product billed as protection against invasive online marketers.

Yahoo Adds Anti-Spyware Feature to
Browser Toolbar

Yahoo Adds Anti-Spyware Feature to
Browser Toolbar 05/27/2004 10:35 AM

Yahoo Adds Anti-Spyware Feature to
Browser Toolbar (Reuters)

Yahoo Adds Anti-Spyware Feature to
Browser Toolbar (Reuters) 05/27/2004 12:07 AM
Reuters - Internet media company Yahoo Inc. (YHOO.O) unveiled a feature on Wednesday for its Web browser toolbar aimed at making it easier for users to remove unwanted "spyware" programs that snoop on Web surfing habits and other activities.

FEATURE-Brazil reshapes debate on
intellectual property

FEATURE-Brazil reshapes debate on
intellectual property 02/01/2005 09:22 PM
Reuters Feb 1 2005 3:57PM GMT

Google Toolbar Update, Google
Bookmarklets

Google Toolbar Update, Google
Bookmarklets 09/10/2002 11:49 PM
Thanks to Milly for sending word of a Google Toolbar update. New features include a Google Answers link and support for URLs that are broken apart (such as wrapped URLs in email). If you're running the toolbar you can use the experimental features setting to search Dictionary.com from the Combined Search button. Milly also has a series of Google bookmarklets, to search different parts of Google and things like the Microsoft Knowledge Base. They don't seem to work in IE5/Mac. If you're using that, you might be more interested in my own Googler or DTRT, which let you search all the Google's from the comfort of your address bar....

Google Toolbar 2.0.114.5

Google Toolbar 2.0.114.5 09/26/2004 01:15 PM
HardwareGeeks.com Sep 26 2004 5:07PM GMT

Google Toolbar

Google Toolbar 06/06/2004 11:38 PM
†‡ †‡§ŠŠ Toolbar ˆ„ .. the official Google toolbar .. custom browser toolbar .. Google’s Toolbar .. popup ad blocker .. Get you some .. defeated, .. Download .. toolbar .. that

toolbar.google.com
track this site | 3 links

Google Toolbar v2.0.107

Google Toolbar v2.0.107 02/18/2004 10:37 PM
Use Google Toolbar to search the web from any site and eliminate pop-up ads. [Freeware 465 KB]

Google Toolbar 3.0.120.7

Google Toolbar 3.0.120.7 04/02/2005 07:23 AM
Techzonez Apr 2 2005 11:56AM GMT

Google Toolbar Update to v1.63

Google Toolbar Update to v1.63 10/22/2002 03:41 AM
Recent update to 1.1.63 deleon. Doesn't appear to be any new features.

New: Google PageRank Toolbar

New: Google PageRank Toolbar 07/14/2004 10:04 AM
Google PageRank Toolbar is a widget for Konfabulator and Safari that monitors what page is active in Safari and shows its Google PageRank.

Google Toolbar Alternatives

Google Toolbar Alternatives 01/24/2003 05:22 AM
One of the downsides of the wonderful Google Toolbar is that there's no version for Netscape or Macintosh users. After praising ...

Google Toolbar 3 Beta

Google Toolbar 3 Beta 03/14/2005 04:26 PM
Google Toolbar 3 beta has been released. New features:SpellCheck: Whenever users type into a web form (including web-based email, discussion forums, and intranet web applications), SpellCheck instantly reviews and suggests corrections. The AutoFix option enables users to automatically check and...

Google Toolbar Updated v1.70

Google Toolbar Updated v1.70 03/11/2003 01:22 AM
Appears to cure widely reported problem of random pr values.

Deconstructing the Google Toolbar

Deconstructing the Google Toolbar 07/25/2002 07:36 AM

Google Toolbar Can Browse By Name

Google Toolbar Can Browse By Name 07/24/2004 08:10 AM
PC Magazine Jul 24 2004 12:44PM GMT

Google beefs up Toolbar

Google beefs up Toolbar 07/15/2004 10:11 AM
Web-User Jul 15 2004 2:05PM GMT

Google Toolbar AutoLink

Google Toolbar AutoLink 03/14/2005 04:24 PM

I'm a bit wary about throwing myself in the middle of the whole Google Toolbar AutoLink business (Dan Gillmor has a good summary and lots of trackbacks to opinions, pro and con), but I'm sort of dumbfounded that so many people are so vehemently against it...at least for the reasons being given. The three main points I've heard articulated by those opposed to the feature are:

1. Browsers and toolbars should not modify the content or layout of Web pages...they should render them only as stored on the Web server.

2. Microsoft tried to do this with Smart Tags in Windows XP and everyone hated it so why are we willing to give Google a pass with a similar feature?

3. Google can unfairly use their growing clout to exploit AutoLink users.

I'll address the second point first because it's sort of beside the point and not an argument at all. One of the big reasons why people were so upset about Smart Tags is that Smart Tags were on by default in early preview releases of IE. The browser was automatically rewriting every single page you loaded, adding links here and there. I agree that this sucks (although users may become used to things like this in the future and not think it's such a big deal), but AutoLink is not on by default. It's optional...you have to specifically push a button to make something happen.

But the main reason people seem to be up in arms about AutoLink is that Google is modifying the content and display of other people's content and that browsers and toolbars should not be allowed to do that. Aside from the first part of that statement being factually incorrect (more on that below), browsers and toolbars already modify other people's content and no one really complains about it. In fact, people love it:

• Firefox, Safari, Google Toolbar, IE, and several other browsers/toolbars all give end users the option to block JavaScript popups, which typically contain ads. This very much goes against the intention of the content provider and is a clear example of software that modifies a site from how it was intended to be displayed. But users love it so browser/toolbar makers include the feature.
• Browsers allow users to use custom stylesheets when browsing sites, turn off JavaScript on pages, and browse without viewing images or other multimedia files.
• There are tons of bookmarklets and browser extensions that let people modify the page they're viewing in interesting ways (this one inserts links to Feedster on NY Times and WaPo article pages).
• Since the early days of the web right on up to the present, browsers have purposely misrendered badly written HTML so that people could view the pages instead of getting junk or a blank page.

All of these features break the supposedly cardinal sin of "thou shalt not modify the content providers content from the way it was intended by them to be viewed" and I don't hear anyone complaining about it. The fact is, once a user downloads a copy of a content provider's web page from their server, the page becomes just that, a copy. As a user, I should be able to use whatever software is available to me to manipulate, modify, or otherwise remix that copy which I've downloaded for my own personal use. If I can, for my own personal use, photocopy magazine articles, rip my CDs to mp3, make backup copies of my DVDs, and scribble in the margins of books, surely I can do the same with copies of web pages I've downloaded.

Now, if you're against AutoLink because you think Google is becoming too big, they're evil, they're abusing their power, or they bought another blog company instead of yours, then that's fine. Just be up front about why you're upset. It's a trust issue. Do you trust Google's software to do what it says its going to do and not take advantage of you? If the answer is no, don't use it. But if you're saying that Google should not provide this feature at all and that consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes can't choose to use the feature themselves, I don't think that's a good deal for the users. As content providers, let's not try and reach into our readers' computers and dictate what they can or can't do with the copies of our content that they've downloaded for their personal use...let's leave that sort of wishful thinking to the nutballs in Hollywood.

Google Toolbar for Mozilla

Google Toolbar for Mozilla 06/12/2002 03:20 PM
The Googlebar for Mozilla project has released version 0.4.5 of their Mozilla add-on. "While we are in no way affiliated with Google inc, our current release, 0.4.5 Release candidate, emulates all of the basic search functionality of the toolbar, allowing users to easily access a number of specialty searches from their browser [...]".

Google Toolbar Upgrade and Fixes

Google Toolbar Upgrade and Fixes 08/08/2002 10:58 AM
"GreyMagic identified a total of nine vulnerabilities ranging from minor--a Web site operator being able to tell what keys a user is pressing in the Google search field--to serious--the scripting vulnerability."

New Google Toolbar 3 Beta Released

New Google Toolbar 3 Beta Released 03/14/2005 05:16 PM
A few new Google Toolbar features: Word translator, spell check webforms..

New Google Toolbar Brings Browse By Name

New Google Toolbar Brings Browse By Name 09/08/2004 10:04 PM

Netcraft toolbar filters Google

Netcraft toolbar filters Google 12/30/2004 04:55 PM
p2pnet.net Dec 30 2004 7:11PM GMT

Google Toolbar Security Warning

Google Toolbar Security Warning 09/21/2004 04:26 PM
Search Engine Journal Sep 21 2004 8:07PM GMT

Google Toolbar Security Flaws

Google Toolbar Security Flaws 09/21/2004 12:53 PM
Search Engine Lowdown Sep 21 2004 4:31PM GMT

Google Toolbar Security Hole

Google Toolbar Security Hole 08/09/2002 01:56 PM
GreyMagic has discovered a series of security exploits in the Google Toolbar. The Register has a summary of them. For their part, Google has released an updated version that will be automatically distributed to users of the toolbar. You're safe if you're running version 1.1.59 or higher. You can check what version you have by going to the Google menu and selecting "About Google Toolbar...". If you're running 1.1.58 or earlier, visit the toolbar website to upgrade....

Google Introduces Key Name Search into
Toolbar

Google Introduces Key Name Search into
Toolbar 07/15/2004 08:58 AM
Google puts Realnames like functionality into tool bar.

French Version of Google Toolbar 3

French Version of Google Toolbar 3 04/02/2005 12:49 AM
WebProNews Apr 2 2005 4:53AM GMT

Google Using DivX to Install Toolbar?

Google Using DivX to Install Toolbar? 04/01/2005 01:57 AM
Addict3d.org Apr 1 2005 6:46AM GMT

Google Toolbar suffering from the
'burps'?

Google Toolbar suffering from the
'burps'? 11/13/2003 03:59 PM
Search Engine Lowdown Nov 13 2003 3:23PM ET

MSN rivals Google with its own pop-up
blocking toolbar

MSN rivals Google with its own pop-up
blocking toolbar 01/27/2004 06:39 AM
Revolution Jan 27 2004 10:34AM GMT

Google Toolbar offers browse by name

Google Toolbar offers browse by name 07/15/2004 08:40 AM
In its constant quest to court Web surfers, Google Inc. added a new feature to its toolbar this week that allows users to navigate the Web by typing in a name instead of a URL (uniform resource locator).

Microsoft's MSN Toolbar Rivals Google
Tool

Microsoft's MSN Toolbar Rivals Google
Tool 12/19/2004 03:06 PM
Microsoft on Monday joined the battle for supremacy in desktop search, introducing software for quickly locating files on personal computers that challenges Google's rival product.

Google unveils search box for Windows
toolbar

Google unveils search box for Windows
toolbar 11/06/2003 11:54 PM
Sydney Morning Herald Nov 6 2003 11:10PM ET
Grok Description matches for New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the Old SmartTag Debate
GrokA matches for New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the Old SmartTag Debate

New Google Toolbar Feature Rekindles the Old SmartTag Debate

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