Someone sent me the link to a document published using Google Docs, but I didn't have the permission to edit the document. I wanted to save the document to my Google Docs account, but none of the options offered by Google allowed me to do that.
One of the ways you could create a duplicate for the document is to replace
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=AAAAA
with
http://docs.google.com/DocAction?action=copy&docid=AAAAA
where AAAAA is the document ID.
To automate the process, I created a small user script that adds an option to duplicate the document. The script works in:
* Firefox, if you install Greasemonkey
* Chrome, if you install the latest pre-beta version
* Opera (no add-on required)
* Safari, if you install GreaseKit
* Internet Explorer, but you need to install a plug-in like IE7Pro
Here's a sample document to try it. After installing the script, open the document, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Copy to my account".
Another idea is to upload the document to Google Docs, but you need to edit the URL to remove the footer and add the .html extension. Replace
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=AAAAA
with
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=AAAAA&hgd=1&.html
Related:
Download published documents and spreadsheets
Tips for linking to Google presentations
New Google Favicon
Google changed its favicon last year and many people said that the new one was ugly. Probably this the reason why Google decided to use another favicon starting from today. The new favicon uses all the colors from Google's logo, while keeping the same lowercase "g".
Marissa Mayer's description from last year is very appropriate. "We wanted something distinctive and noticeable (...). We wanted something that embraced the colorfulness of the logo, yet wouldn't date itself." Adam Howard, a reader of this blog, thinks that the new favicon "looks like a mini paint-by-numbers".
Here are all the three Google favicons, starting with the new one, followed by the simple favicon added last year and the initial Google favicon, which is still my favorite:
Update: Marissa Mayer tells the story of the new favicon:
"Back in June, we rolled out a new favicon — the small icon that greets you when you access Google on your URL bar or your bookmarks list — and we encouraged our users to submit their ideas for this important piece of Google branding. We were impressed by the volume of submissions we received, and today we are happy to introduce a new Google favicon inspired by those submissions by our users. André Resende, a computer science undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil, submitted the design that inspired our new favicon: . His placement of a white 'g' on a color-blocked background was highly recognizable and attractive, while seeming to capture the essence of Google."
{ Thanks, Daniel, John and Adam. }
Marissa Mayer's description from last year is very appropriate. "We wanted something distinctive and noticeable (...). We wanted something that embraced the colorfulness of the logo, yet wouldn't date itself." Adam Howard, a reader of this blog, thinks that the new favicon "looks like a mini paint-by-numbers".
Here are all the three Google favicons, starting with the new one, followed by the simple favicon added last year and the initial Google favicon, which is still my favorite:
Update: Marissa Mayer tells the story of the new favicon:
"Back in June, we rolled out a new favicon — the small icon that greets you when you access Google on your URL bar or your bookmarks list — and we encouraged our users to submit their ideas for this important piece of Google branding. We were impressed by the volume of submissions we received, and today we are happy to introduce a new Google favicon inspired by those submissions by our users. André Resende, a computer science undergraduate student at the University of Campinas in Brazil, submitted the design that inspired our new favicon: . His placement of a white 'g' on a color-blocked background was highly recognizable and attractive, while seeming to capture the essence of Google."
{ Thanks, Daniel, John and Adam. }
Google Chrome 2.0 Pre-Beta
Google Chrome's development is high-paced and version numbers are not very significant, but it's weird to see a pre-beta release of Chrome 2.0, four months after Chrome 0.2. There are many new things in Chrome 2.0:
* form autocomplete, one of the most obvious missing features from the initial release
* full-page zoom, which resizes images and embedded objects too, not just text. It's important to know the keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl - to zoom out, Ctrl + to zoom in and Ctrl 0 to go back to the normal view.
* autoscroll by middle-clicking on a page and indicating the direction
* profiles are a great way to separate Chrome's settings in different categories: you could create a work profile with its own homepage, bookmarks and browsing history and profile for your personal projects. The great thing about Chrome is that you don't have to close the browser to change your profile: just open a new window in a separate profile.
* support for Greasemonkey scripts (or user-scripts). To enable this experimental feature you need to right-click on Chrome's shortcut from your desktop, select Properties and add -enable-user-scripts in the Target field. For now, you'll need to place the scripts in c:\scripts, but the location will change in the next builds.
* other important improvements: updates to WebKit and the V8 JavaScript engine, a better implementation for SafeBrowsing (malware/phishing protection), new code for the HTTP network protocol.
How to get the new version?
1. If you don't have Google Chrome, install it from google.com/chrome
2. Subscribe to the developer preview channel. This is required even if you've previously subscribed to the channel.
3. Wait until the new version is downloaded (you may force the update by opening the "About Google Chrome" dialog).
"The Dev channel is where ideas get tested (and sometimes fail). The Dev channel can be very unstable at times, and new features usually require some manual configuration to be enabled. Still, simply using Dev channel releases is an easy (practically zero-effort) way for anyone to help improve Google Chrome."
If you don't like the new version, you can always downgrade to the most recent stable version by reinstalling Chrome.
* form autocomplete, one of the most obvious missing features from the initial release
* full-page zoom, which resizes images and embedded objects too, not just text. It's important to know the keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl - to zoom out, Ctrl + to zoom in and Ctrl 0 to go back to the normal view.
* autoscroll by middle-clicking on a page and indicating the direction
* profiles are a great way to separate Chrome's settings in different categories: you could create a work profile with its own homepage, bookmarks and browsing history and profile for your personal projects. The great thing about Chrome is that you don't have to close the browser to change your profile: just open a new window in a separate profile.
* support for Greasemonkey scripts (or user-scripts). To enable this experimental feature you need to right-click on Chrome's shortcut from your desktop, select Properties and add -enable-user-scripts in the Target field. For now, you'll need to place the scripts in c:\scripts, but the location will change in the next builds.
* other important improvements: updates to WebKit and the V8 JavaScript engine, a better implementation for SafeBrowsing (malware/phishing protection), new code for the HTTP network protocol.
How to get the new version?
1. If you don't have Google Chrome, install it from google.com/chrome
2. Subscribe to the developer preview channel. This is required even if you've previously subscribed to the channel.
3. Wait until the new version is downloaded (you may force the update by opening the "About Google Chrome" dialog).
"The Dev channel is where ideas get tested (and sometimes fail). The Dev channel can be very unstable at times, and new features usually require some manual configuration to be enabled. Still, simply using Dev channel releases is an easy (practically zero-effort) way for anyone to help improve Google Chrome."
If you don't like the new version, you can always downgrade to the most recent stable version by reinstalling Chrome.
GrandCentral in Spain?
Spanish news site Expansión reports that Google plans to launch GrandCentral in Spain. GrandCentral is a service acquired by Google in 2007 and its main purpose is to centralize voice communications. "GrandCentral provides an innovative web-based voice communications platform that helps you manage all your phones and phone numbers through one simple interface. You get a single phone number that forwards to all of your phones, giving you one number for life."
Right now, GrandCentral works only in the US and you need to get an invitation to use it, but Spain is the first candidate for GrandCentral's international expansion. Here's a sightly improved automatic translation from Spanish:
"The company wants to offer international calls via the mobile phone and advanced voicemail, separately from the offers of other mobile operators. Google requires that users subscribe to voicemail, a service provided over the Internet. When a mobile user does not answer the call, the voicemail automatically activates. Once you have subscribed to this service, you can also make international calls through the voicemail number. (...) Google wants to avoid the legal hurdles and the investment required to get a carrier license, a model considered inflexible and incompatible with its approach, always based on open standards."
Apparently, voice calls are free, but they're linked to the voicemail service. The more calls you receive, the more you can call other people for free.
Some related articles:
* Google can be a mobile phone operator in Spain
* GrandCentral comes to Spain
{ Thanks, John K. }
Right now, GrandCentral works only in the US and you need to get an invitation to use it, but Spain is the first candidate for GrandCentral's international expansion. Here's a sightly improved automatic translation from Spanish:
"The company wants to offer international calls via the mobile phone and advanced voicemail, separately from the offers of other mobile operators. Google requires that users subscribe to voicemail, a service provided over the Internet. When a mobile user does not answer the call, the voicemail automatically activates. Once you have subscribed to this service, you can also make international calls through the voicemail number. (...) Google wants to avoid the legal hurdles and the investment required to get a carrier license, a model considered inflexible and incompatible with its approach, always based on open standards."
Apparently, voice calls are free, but they're linked to the voicemail service. The more calls you receive, the more you can call other people for free.
Some related articles:
* Google can be a mobile phone operator in Spain
* GrandCentral comes to Spain
{ Thanks, John K. }
Picasa for Mac
Picasa borrowed a lot from Mac's elegance and simplicity, but it was only available for Windows (and emulated in Linux). Mac users can now finally install a native version of Picasa from picasa.google.com/mac/ and enjoy one of the most easier to use software for photo management.
From the press release:
If you have a Mac and you manage to install Picasa, tell what you think in the comments.
{ via Blogoscoped Forum and Tony }
From the press release:
Picasa for Mac makes it easy to manage large photo collections and helps users make professional-looking edits without any technical knowledge, including:
* A drag-and-drop photo collage tool that gives users control over layout and content
* A retouching brush to wipe out scratches and blemishes - and repair old photos
* A slideshow movie maker that uploads users photo montage videos to YouTube with a click
* Smart auto-cropping that guides users on how to zoom in on their subject
* And, auto red-eye removal.
Many of us take pictures so that we can show them to the people we care about. Picasa for Mac integrates seamlessly with Picasa Web Albums, Google's free photo-sharing site, which offers features like name tags - the ability for users to automatically organize and share their photos based on the faces in each picture.
If you have a Mac and you manage to install Picasa, tell what you think in the comments.
{ via Blogoscoped Forum and Tony }
Blended Google Mobile Ads
Google Mobile Search started to display short text ads in the middle of the search results page. The mobile interface mixes web search results, news, images and local businesses, but Google displays the ads after the list of regular web results. Google separates the ads using a different background, but it's weird to see the ads mixed with search results.
Here's an example for the query [love] as displayed in Opera Mini:
Sergey Brin said in an interview from 2004: "One thing that's important to us is the distinction between advertising and pure search results. We make it clear when something is paid for. Our advertising is off to the side and in a couple of slots across the top. Ads are clearly marked. There's a clear, large wall between the objective search results and the ads, which have commercial influence."
Here's an example for the query [love] as displayed in Opera Mini:
Sergey Brin said in an interview from 2004: "One thing that's important to us is the distinction between advertising and pure search results. We make it clear when something is paid for. Our advertising is off to the side and in a couple of slots across the top. Ads are clearly marked. There's a clear, large wall between the objective search results and the ads, which have commercial influence."
On Gmail's Success
Paul Buchheit, the ex-Googler who created Gmail, remembers how difficult was to convince people that Gmail has the potential to become successful.
Financial Times reports that Gmail has about 100 million users and the growth rate is still significant: "[Gmail] has been gaining ground in the US over the past year, with users growing by more than 40 per cent, compared to 2 per cent for Yahoo and a 7 per cent fall in users of Microsoft's webmail."
Even though the competing mail services improved their offerings and storage is no longer an important differentiator, Gmail still offers an unmatched user experience. After using Gmail, you'll no longer understand why Yahoo Mail places the "Send button" above the message, why Yahoo Mail thinks it's more important to show news and weather information instead of your inbox, why Yahoo Mail still charges for features that are available for free in Gmail, why Hotmail shows a large banner at the top of the page or why you can't auto-forward mail to a non-Hotmail account. Gmail made so many right choices that it's easy to ignore some of its quirks, downtimes or bugs.
As David Pogue said back in 2004, "Even in its current, early state, available only to a few thousand testers, Gmail appears destined to become one of the most useful Internet services since Google itself. Gmail is infinitely cleaner, faster, more useful, more efficient, less commercial and less limiting than other Web-based e-mail services."
The perception about Gmail changed a lot over the years, even though Gmail didn't remove controversial features like contextual ads or conversations. From the paranoid "Google reads your mail" or the cool factor of having a Gmail invite, Gmail became successful by continuing to improve and to exceed people's expectations.
We starting working on Gmail in August (or September?) 2001. For a long time, almost everyone disliked it. Some people used it anyway because of the search, but they had endless complaints. Quite a few people thought that we should kill the project, or perhaps "reboot" it as an enterprise product with native client software, not this crazy Javascript stuff. Even when we got to the point of launching it on April 1, 2004 (two and a half years after starting work on it), many people inside of Google were predicting doom. The product was too weird, and nobody wants to change email services. I was told that we would never get a million users.
Once we launched, the response was surprisingly positive, except from the people who hated it for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, it was frequently described as "niche", and "not used by real people outside of silicon valley".
Financial Times reports that Gmail has about 100 million users and the growth rate is still significant: "[Gmail] has been gaining ground in the US over the past year, with users growing by more than 40 per cent, compared to 2 per cent for Yahoo and a 7 per cent fall in users of Microsoft's webmail."
Even though the competing mail services improved their offerings and storage is no longer an important differentiator, Gmail still offers an unmatched user experience. After using Gmail, you'll no longer understand why Yahoo Mail places the "Send button" above the message, why Yahoo Mail thinks it's more important to show news and weather information instead of your inbox, why Yahoo Mail still charges for features that are available for free in Gmail, why Hotmail shows a large banner at the top of the page or why you can't auto-forward mail to a non-Hotmail account. Gmail made so many right choices that it's easy to ignore some of its quirks, downtimes or bugs.
As David Pogue said back in 2004, "Even in its current, early state, available only to a few thousand testers, Gmail appears destined to become one of the most useful Internet services since Google itself. Gmail is infinitely cleaner, faster, more useful, more efficient, less commercial and less limiting than other Web-based e-mail services."
The perception about Gmail changed a lot over the years, even though Gmail didn't remove controversial features like contextual ads or conversations. From the paranoid "Google reads your mail" or the cool factor of having a Gmail invite, Gmail became successful by continuing to improve and to exceed people's expectations.
Gmail's homepage from 2004
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Labels
Web Search
Gmail
Google Docs
Mobile
YouTube
Google Maps
Google Chrome
User interface
Tips
iGoogle
Social
Google Reader
Traffic Making Devices
cpp programming
Ads
Image Search
Google Calendar
tips dan trik
Google Video
Google Translate
web programming
Picasa Web Albums
Blogger
Google News
Google Earth
Yahoo
Android
Google Talk
Google Plus
Greasemonkey
Security
software download
info
Firefox extensions
Google Toolbar
Software
OneBox
Google Apps
Google Suggest
SEO Traffic tips
Book Search
API
Acquisitions
InOut
Visualization
Web Design Method for Getting Ultimate Traffic
Webmasters
Google Desktop
How to Blogging
Music
Nostalgia
orkut
Google Chrome OS
Google Contacts
Google Notebook
SQL programming
Google Local
Make Money
Windows Live
GDrive
Google Gears
April Fools Day
Google Analytics
Google Co-op
visual basic
Knowledge
java programming
Google Checkout
Google Instant
Google Bookmarks
Google Phone
Google Trends
Web History
mp3 download
Easter Egg
Google Profiles
Blog Search
Google Buzz
Google Services
Site Map for Ur Site
game download
games trick
Google Pack
Spam
cerita hidup
Picasa
Product's Marketing
Universal Search
FeedBurner
Google Groups
Month in review
Twitter Traffic
AJAX Search
Google Dictionary
Google Sites
Google Update
Page Creator
Game
Google Finance
Google Goggles
Google Music
file download
Annoyances
Froogle
Google Base
Google Latitude
Google Voice
Google Wave
Google Health
Google Scholar
PlusBox
SearchMash
teknologi unik
video download
windows
Facebook Traffic
Social Media Marketing
Yahoo Pipes
Google Play
Google Promos
Google TV
SketchUp
WEB Domain
WWW World Wide Service
chord
Improve Adsence Earning
jurnalistik
sistem operasi
AdWords Traffic
App Designing
Tips and Tricks
WEB Hosting
linux
How to Get Hosting
Linux Kernel
WEB Errors
Writing Content
award
business communication
ubuntu
unik