Google Follows Apple On The Mini Computer Kick

from the mini-is-the-new-black dept

Apparently, anything "mini" in the computing space is in. Just days after Apple announced the Mini Mac, Google is getting set to launch the Mini-Google-in-a-box. Google has offered a search appliance for a while, which gets good reviews, but clearly has not been a very large part of their business. However, this new box is targeted at companies with smaller budgets, and is a $5,000 appliance that will search a smaller corporate intranet. At $5,000, it seems like it could be very attractive to a lot of companies. The problem is that it's still not clear that companies even realize Google is in this business or that they actually need such a thing.
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  1. identicon
    slim, 13 Jan 2005 @ 6:21am

    Mini-huh?

    Uh ... someone at Google should download and install MSN Desktop. I now have the ability to index and search my corporate network. In a second or two, I can find any document, email, etc., containing the words Tech and Dirt.
    Why in the world would I pay $5,000 for that?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Jan 2005 @ 7:18am

    Re: Mini-huh?

    > MSN Desktop. I now have the ability to index and search my corporate network.< br>ummm it doesnt install viruses & spyware via drm & other never ending security holes ?
    it doesnt consume all the lan/wan bandwidth available ?
    it has support ...
    if your co cant afford $5k, it cant afford a M$/BSA audit ....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    slim, 13 Jan 2005 @ 11:20am

    No Subject Given

    Anonymous:

    Wow, what refreshing content you contribute to an adult discussion. I'd better uninstall all of my software because it might one day be hacked.

    Google (for all its bells and whistles) is a page-ranking algorithm. It lists documents in order, essentially, by how many other pages link to those documents as a way of narrowing a search to something meaningful in a vast sea of unsorted documents of varying relevance.

    Corporations generally don't work that way. When I'm searching my corporate network, I'm usually looking for all the documents that contain specific words and phrases, and very few of our documents "link" to one another an any way that has much meaning for Google's page-ranking algorithm.

    Does installing Microsoft software come with the possibility that someone might write a virus or attempt to exploit it in some way? Certainly. Does installing Linux come with the possibility that someone might write a virus or attempt to exploit it in some way? Certainly.

    Geez, I may as well go bury my head in the sand and ditch my cell phone.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 14 Jan 2005 @ 6:01am

    Re: Mini-huh?

    You might want to check www.infralook.com from India.
    They offer search engine appliances from $100 onwards.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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