Google Set To Meld Google Drive With Chrome OS 109
MikeatWired writes "Google will tightly integrate its new Google Drive online storage service with an upcoming version of its Chrome OS operating system, says Sundar Pichai, who oversees development of the company's Chrome products as well as its Google Apps online services. Chrome OS is Google's effort to move all applications and data onto the web (and its Chrome browser), but the OS still hasn't mastered the art of moving files from place to place. By integrating Chrome OS with Google Drive — the online storage service Google introduced on Tuesday — the company seeks to correct this problem. 'With Chromebooks, [Google Drive] is even more powerful,' Pichai says, 'because it just starts working naturally. Your local drive is also Google Drive. This makes it really powerful because you just don't think about it.' Basically, Google Drive — a service that operates on the web — will perform as if it was the local file system. If you open the 'save file' dialog box on Chrome OS, for instance, the system will take you straight to Google Drive. 'We'll effectively integrate [Google] Drive into the native file system of Chrome OS,' says Scott Johnson, Google's Google Drive product manager. 'All the core OS functionality will use [Google] Drive as a place to store data — if that's what you opt in to.'"
Nice toy for teenagers... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:So they can own and track ALL your files? (Score:5, Informative)
> They have to have those permissions for things like OCR and image search to work.
If you think that's the only implication, then I think you're a bit naiive.
Re:So they can own and track ALL your files? (Score:3, Informative)
They try to back up in the next paragraph, but it's clear they still get full permission to do anything (emphasis added):
The rights that you grant in this licence are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This licence continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing that you have added to Google Maps).
As a professional web developer, I'm staying far, far away. God help you if you ever upload source code to a product they like.
New? Not so much... (Score:2, Informative)
davfs2 [nongnu.org] - mount a WebDAV-capable server as a filesystem. Dates back to at least 2009.
Re:So they can own and track ALL your files? (Score:4, Informative)
Dropbox's and Skydrive's terms are more sane.
Really? Read on...
Skydrive:
You understand that Microsoft may need, and you hereby grant Microsoft the right, to use, modify, adapt, reproduce, distribute, and display content posted on the service solely to the extent necessary to provide the service. ... In order to operate and provide the service, we collect certain information about you. As part of the service, we may also automatically upload information about your computer, your use of the service, and service performance. ... We may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications.
Dropbox:
We may need your permission to do things you ask us to do with your stuff, for example, hosting your files, or sharing them at your direction. This includes product features visible to you, for example, image thumbnails or document previews. It also includes design choices we make to technically administer our Services, for example, how we redundantly backup data to keep it safe. You give us the permissions we need to do those things solely to provide the Services. This permission also extends to trusted third parties we work with to provide the Services, for example Amazon, which provides our storage space.
Google:
Some of our Services allow you to submit content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.
Things could be better worded all around... but that's what you get when lawyers get involved.
Re:So they can own and track ALL your files? (Score:2, Informative)
Please submit me all of your personal files, tax returns, pictures of ex girlfriends and open your webcam. This is so that I can program my OCR to work better. Promise!
You have no use for my data that benefits me, you have no track record of good behavior, and you have noting to lose by abusing the information I give you. None of those things are true of Google.
Google has a long track record of taking good care of my data. Not perfect, but on balance much better than any other company I have dealt with. Never recording any data anywhere would be "safer", in the same way that never leaving my house would make it less likely that I would contract an illness. Google has a lot to lose by misusing my data. On balance, it makes sense to trust them.