why do they always have to fiddle with everything?

[ratcreature]

I've accessed Google Docs for the first time in a while, and apparently they are discontinuing it? Instead there will be a "Google Drive" for which you need to download some program that doesn't even have a Linux version? *siiigh*

Comments

[jelazakazone]

Here via network. This is truly disturbing to me if this is true. Eeek. WTF? Um, yeah, I'm having a little panic attack here. We have three computers; two of them run on Linux. I love gdocs because I can use it on any computer.

[ratcreature]

Well, there is a message displayed to me in my google docs telling me this, and when I click the link, it leads to a Google Drive promo video, and to a download option that offers PC, Mac and Android versions. ETA: And worse, judging from the promo thing it will be only for storing and sharing files, not to work on them, though I'm not 100% sure on that.

[jelazakazone]

I found this not so informative article.

*bites fingernails* If it only works on chrome and also not on Linux machines, I'm going to be one very unhappy puppy. *cries*

ETA Looks like they think you can edit the docs offline and this is the motivation for the move, which is a good idea, except that now lots of people can't use it. Urk.

[ratcreature]

I'm not thrilled. I liked to have a place where I could access and edit some documents regardless of the computer I'm on, without having to install anything. I mean, if I can only use it on computers where I have installed a program, I might just as well use a word processor or spreadsheet program I have installed locally.

[jelazakazone]

As musesfool says below, and what you say, yes. Exactly. Plus, sharing docs is sooooo easy right now. I can always work in my local word processor if I can't access gdocs and then cut and paste later. *facepalm*

I wonder if it will really play out this way, that we will have to install something and it will only work on Chrome. *crosses fingers*

[elf]

If it only works when you can install things, might as well use Dropbox or any of the other file storage systems. Dropbox will even run portably (sort of; it's a bit clunky); you can keep your files & access all in a flash drive.

I wonder if the new G'drive will still allow choice sharing for individual files, or if people will need to install the program just to access files. (Gah. I don't want the Yuletide spreadsheets to be download-fix-upload to work right; one of the big points of G'docs was that you could have a dozen people editing at the same time.)

[ratcreature]

Yes. I have nothing against google also offering filesharing, maybe integrated with Gdocs, but the core funtionality of having a "cloud" wordprocessor and spreadsheet program for which you only need a webbrowser and nothing else ought to stay.

[musesfool]

Yeah, I saw that and I think it COMPLETELY MISSES THE POINT about how people use gdocs? Because for me, the appeal was I didn't have to download or install anything; stuff was just available to work on whatever computer I happened to be on, as long as I logged in.

[ratcreature]

Exactly.

[fiamaya]

You can continue to just use it online the way you always have, or you can download the new stuff and be able to use it offline / as a folder on your computer as well. It's not very well explained, but if you don't download anything, it'll keep working exactly the way it used to.

[ratcreature]

In the future too? Their popup message made it sound that soon the service will change to that other one, that I can try out now already (if I had another OS).

[fiamaya]

In the future as well. It's really badly explained (sigh); check out this FAQ: https://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2374855 which says:
Your files are now stored in Google Drive, and you can access them anytime at drive.google.com. Just like before, you can upload, edit, share, and create files online. But with Google Drive, you can access your files wherever you are, from any device. And you can work with even more file types by installing Google Drive apps.

THe name will change to Drive, with an interface change, but you don't have to download anything. If you do, you'll get off-line storage and a folder on your machine (kind of like dropbox, if you use that), but it's totally optional.

[ratcreature]

That is reassuring. Though they could have featured the information that their new program is optional a bit more prominently. I mean, before I got this information from you I hadn't dared to click the the "go to drive" button after the video, fearing that I might not be able to access my stuff anymore.

[jelazakazone]

Oh, thank you for this explanation! I feel reassured too.