Posts Tagged: ‘Miscellaneous’

A to Z – It Used To Be (2026-01)

January 4, 2026 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Over the years, I’ve written many articles on technology terminology.  This is another one of them.  It originally started as a puzzler quiz for the newsletter.  It soon evolved into a list of obsolete technology, terminology, companies, etc.  I hope you enjoy learning the alphabet from A to Z – it used to be.

A is for Amiga computers, the last product line of Commodore International.  That was the company that brought us the VIC-20, the Commodore 64 and many other great computers.
B is for Beta Max tapes.  They have become obsolete along with the letter V.
C is for Circuit City.  After the bankruptcy in 2008, the brand name was purchased by Systemax and lived for a while on the internet.  Even that is no longer with us.
D is for dial up modems.  I imagine that someone somewhere is still using one.  Can you remember calling someone on the telephone and getting that unique sound?
E is for ENIAC, the first computer.  It was initially designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the United States Army.
F is for floppy disks.  They started big and got smaller.  Finally they disappeared.  CDs and DVDs probably won’t be around very long.
G is for Google Reader, which was an RSS aggregator operated by Google.  Although it was still popular, Google discontinued it.
H is for Honeywell computers.  Still in business today, Honeywell International ceased manufacturing computers in 1989.
I is for Infocom.  If you’ve read any of my past articles, you’ll know that I think they produced some of the best games ever.  My all time favorite was Suspended.
J is for the Jupiter Ace.  In 1983, it was advertised as possibly the fastest computer in the universe.  Instead of BASIC or CP/M, the machine’s default operating language was FORTH.
K is for Kinescope, at one time the cutting edge of video technology.
L is for Laserdisc, a video technology that never really made it to the big time.
M is for Mosaic, one of the first graphical web browsers.
N is for Netscape, once the dominant browser for surfing the internet.  The final version was released in February 2008.
O is for Olivetti, once a well known typewriter manufacturer that branched out into making computers.  They are still in business as a subsidiary of an Italian telecommunications company.
P is for Pager.  It used to be the machine that made the noise in movie theaters.  Supposedly, you were important if you carried one.
Q is for Quantum Link which later became America Online.  Q-Link was one of the first on line bulletin boards.
R is for Rolodex.  Does anyone still use these index cards to keep track of their contacts?
S is for Slide Projector.  The only time you hear about slides anymore is when someone wants to know how to digitize them.
T is for typewriters.  There is still a company that makes them, but you won’t see them in use very much.
U is for UNIVAC, the first general purpose computer for commercial use.  It was also the first computer to correctly predict the outcome of a presidential election.
V is for VHS tapes.  They have become obsolete along with the letter B.
W is for Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, Windows 3.0 Windows NT, Windows 95, Windows Millennium, Windows 98, etc.
X is for the xD-Picture Card. These flash memory cards were only used in Olympus and Fujifilm cameras.  They were expensive and replaced by SD cards.
Y is for Y2K which on January 1, 2000 was going to be the end of the world because computers wouldn’t be able to correctly calculate the date.
Z is for Z-DOS, a forked version of MS-DOS designed to run on the Zenith computer.  I was originally going to make Z for Zenith, but they are still around.  LG owns the brand and sells a few items.

That’s all of my thoughts for January.  My mind is empty again.  Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

Little Red and Little White Guys (2025-12)

December 7, 2025 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I was looking over my past articles that I’ve written in December for the club newsletter.  Almost all of them with “Bah! Humbug!”  Almost immediately, a little guy sitting on my shoulder in a white suit whispered in my right ear, “That isn’t very Christmas like.  You should get in the spirit of the holiday.  Why don’t you write something positive for a change?” Then another little man in a red suit sitting on the other shoulder whispered in the left ear, “Start with the Bah!  Humbug!  You don’t want your reading audience to think you’ve changed your stiyle.”  A conversation between those two little guys followed:

Little Guy in White (LGW): You should write about how Christmas is giving and not receiving.
Little Guy in Red (LGR): The readers would rather know about how to create a computer virus.
LGW: How about a nice story of the great food you can eat at Christmas time.
LGR: They would probably rather read about “passing gas” apps you can download from the Play Store.
LGW: You know you shouldn’t listen to that red guy. Write an article on how to install free programs.
LGR: That’s what I said. Most of the gas apps are free.
LGW: You’ve done so many of those kinds of stories in the past. This year you should write about Christmas joy and harmony.
LGR: You know that it is so much more fun to make up something out of your imagination.
LGW: Maybe you could write an informative story about how Facebook and Twitter manipulated their news feeds to get that guy with the orange hair elected.
LGR: That’s actually not a bad idea. You could talk about how stupid users are to believe that stuff.
LGW: I’ve got it. Write a funny story about Christmas shopping on Black Friday.
LGR: That’s got some possibilities. The crowds, the deals that really aren’t so great, the greediness, etc.
LWG: You should try writing something that will make people laugh.
LGR: Are we back to “passing gas” apps?
LGW: Whatever you decide to write, do it quick. It’s almost deadline time.
LGR: We finally agree on something.
LGW: How about another one of those informative articles on how to use the club web site?
LGR: Now you’re hallucinating. Nobody will read an article like that.
LGW: Bah! Humbug!
LGR: Ditto!
Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

My Reading List (2025-10)

October 5, 2025 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Ever since I learned how, I’ve always been an avid reader.  My parents didn’t have a television until I was about ten years old.  That never bothered me. The library had a lot of entertainment.  In later life, when I was in the Navy, I seldom watched the ship’s movie.  I was busy finishing reading one more chapter of my book before lights out.  These days, I still read at least twenty magazines each month.  I am usually reading three or four books at a time.  I’ve got my bedside book, bathroom book, digital book and an audio book loaded on my phone.

This year I did something new.  I created a “summer reading list” of all the books I was going to read this past season.  I’ve never felt the need to do that before.  As I’ve gotten a little older, my memory is starting to slide a little.  I thought that a reading list would remind me of books I’ve wanted to read.

Now that we’re into October, I realize that I haven’t finished my reading list.  I thought I’d take a few minutes and share my books to read list with you.  These are all books that I haven’t yet read.  I’ve included the Amazon link for each title just in case anyone else would like to read them.  I’m not sure, but I don’t think any of them are available from the Parish library.

• The Manly Art of Knitting – The description says it all. Who am I to not read a cult classic.
• Folks, This Ain’t Normal: A Farmer’s Advice for Happier Hens, Healthier People, and a Better World – With a sixteen word title, this just has to be a great book.
• Winning Lotto / Lottery For Everyday Players – I’ll read this if I ever start playing the lottery.
• The 2009-2014 Outlook for Wood Toilet Seats in Greater China – I’ve been to China two or three times and never realized this was a problem.
• Quotations From Chairman Mao Tse-Tung – Confucius say, “Smooth words and fawning looks are seldom found with love. ”
• Much Ado About Nothing: The Restored Klingon Text – Shakespeare kind of looked like a Klingon.
• What’s Your Poo Telling You? – Sometimes I’m just overly curious.
• Fancy Coffins to Make Yourself – I’ve been thinking of taking up woodworking and this looks like an interesting first project.
• Reusing Old Graves – I need someplace to put those fancy coffins that I’m going to make.
• A Passion for Donkeys – I figure that any book that gets mostly five star ratings on Amazon must be a good one to read.
• The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America – I just hate going to the Walmart parking lot.

I guess you’ve probably figured out by now that I don’t really plan on reading all of these books.  I will admit that I have read one of the books on the list.  I won’t tell you which one.  You can feel free to read any of them and send a review to club newsletter.

A final thought.  Looking at this book list, I’m reminded of one book it makes me want to read it again.  It was one of Ray Bradbury’s best books.

That’s all of my thoughts for October. My mind is empty again. Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

Airline Technology (2025-09)

August 31, 2025 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Last month, the wife and I took a trip to visit our grandson in Idaho.  We flew from New Orleans to Idaho Falls via Denver and returned via Dallas.  One of the things that was unique about this journey is that it was the first time I had been on an airplane in twenty‑five years.

No, I’m not afraid of going up in the air.  Way back then, we returned from a cruise and flew from San Diego to Lake Charles.  I’ll admit that my memory may have faded a little, but I remember the flight changes resulted in our luggage arriving at a different destination.  Of course, when it was found a few days later, they wanted me to make another trip to retrieve it.

Over the years, I just snicker every time I read about a tech glitch than cancels thousands of flights.  Same for bad weather, air congestion, maintenance delays, employee strikes and the myriad of other things that make air travel inconvenient.

After deciding to fly, we decided to make it easy.  Because of my mobility issues, we scheduled plenty of layover time in the two cities.  We didn’t check any bags which precluded the worry of lost luggage.  This also saved us the forty dollar cost of checking.
The outbound trip was great.  Even TSA was nothing more than a time delaying inconvenience.  We left and arrived as scheduled.  I was even enjoying the journey just a little.

Then we came home.  The plane left Idaho Falls on schedule.  We were in the air for about thirty minutes when the pilot made an important announcement.  There was a door that failed to close after takeoff.  He said it had something to do with the air conditioning system and was not a hazard to flying.  The only problem was that the plane could not fly at a high altitude, nor as fast as normal.  He then said there was not enough fuel to get to Dallas, so we would have to land and repair the problem.

At first we headed back to Idaho Falls, but then it was determined to go to Salt Lake City.  Then he told us we had to circle the airport and use up excess fuel before landing.  We landed in Utah for repairs.  The pilot was correct that it wouldn’t take very long.  After a little more than an hour, everyone was back on the plane.

The pilot soon announced that we would take off just as soon as some needed chemicals were poured into the lavatory.  Most of the passengers had a good laugh when someone in the back yelled, “Why didn’t you do it while most people were off of the plane?”  About a half hour later, we were in the air again.

Like many others, when we got to Dallas, our connecting flight was gone.  We were rescheduled to leave at eleven the next morning.  The airline gave us vouchers for a motel.  We finally got there around eleven.  After a lousy nights sleep we got back to the airport almost three hours early.  I just wanted to get through TSA (which was much more difficult than the other two times) and get back home.

We got to the departure gate about an hour and a half early.  About a half hour before take off we started to worry a little.  There was no plane at the gate.  I found an employee and asked.  The gate had been changed.  There was no announcement, either on the loudspeaker or the monitor.

We got to the new gatet with about ten minutes to spare. The door to the jetway was closed.  I said a few bad words.  It turned out that it had closed by accident and no one had the code needed to reopen it.  We finally got on the plane and made it to New Orleans.

Even with all of the improvements in technology, I’m still not impressed with airlines.
Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

Rambling About the Computer Club (2025-06)

May 27, 2025 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve spent the past two hours trying to decide what I should write about in this space.  At first I thought I’d remind everyone that school has let out for summer vacation and remind them to drive safely.  Then I remembered when school started everyone was reminded to drive safely.  I decided that wouldn’t be a good subject because some wise acre would surely think that meant we didn’t have to drive safely the rest of the time.

Then I thought that maybe I could give some hints on how to use your computer more efficiently or maybe how to use one of my favorite programs.  I immediately realized that I already try to do that in my various workshops every month.

Then I realized how lonely I get at some of them.  My favorite workshop is the Tuesday Q&A.  We don’t get near as many members as I had hoped for.  With well over 150 active members, there are seldom more than three or four attendees.  It’s a real shame.  Cal is usually one of the participants and he is really great at answering questions.  Why not join us and try to stump him?

Now that I’ve started to ramble, I can think of a few other things you can do for the Cajun Clickers.

Why not contribute an article to this newsletter?  Do you have a favorite program that you think would be useful to other computer users?  Did you get some new hardware?  Have you found a great website that everyone should know about?  Heard a funny technology story that you just can’t want to tell everyone?  Take a few minutes and write about it.  It doesn’t take long and might be just the thing that could generate more interest in our club.

Why not bring a friend to one of our monthly meetings?  You can impress them with how smart you are by being a member of our club.  They just might decide to join and then we could all benefit.

When he wasn’t busy helping me invent the internet, almost the President Vice President Al Gore said, “Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things.”  I think that means this would be a good time for me to shut up.

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

April Fools Pranks (2025-04)

April 6, 2025 Posted by Tiny

A Pain in the Whatchamacallit
By Tiny Ruisch

April is here again.  I won’t make the same mistake I did last year when I wrote an April Fools column about leaving Baton Rouge.  I sure got a lot of questions about why I was moving.  I’ve always been an April Fooler type of person.  It all started several years ago when I was almost born on April 1.

In this modern age, April 1 pranks almost beg to be played on someones computer.  Almost every one uses a laser mouse these days.  They can be easily disabled with a small piece of tape or a post it note on the sensor.  Many people won’t notice and will have a hard time figuring out why all of a sudden their mouse isn’t working.  You can confuse them even more by opening mouse properties in the control panel.  Change the mouse speed to the slowest setting will make any mouse activities an ordeal.

Another prank that has been around forever can still confuse even a veteran computer user.  Simply take a screen shot of your victim’s computer.  Then hide all of the desktop icons and replace their wallpaper with the screen shot.  Sit back and watch them click on icons that won’t load a program.

Another quick prank is to open Google’s home page in a browser.  Click on preferences and change the default language.  You’d be surprised at how many people this trick will fool.

All of the following pranks in this article have been tested on Windows computers.  I haven’t done any research to see if they will work on Apple’s Operating System(s).  It shouldn’t be to hard to find out if you’re interested.

Many users don’t know about sticky keys.  Sticky keys will change how the Ctrl, Alt, Shift and Windows Key will function.  When enabled, keys are serialized instead of operating together.  For instance, instead of typing “Shift – a” to capitalize, you would have to type “Shift”, release the key and then type “a”.  This key change will drive an unsuspecting victim crazy.  Sticky keys are enabled easily by pressing the “Shift” key five times in quick succession.

An evil prank that you should only play on someone that won’t beat you up is to cause their computer to shut down.  Right click on one of the icons on your victims desk top.  Type the following in the target box: %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 100 -c “Your Message Here”.  “Your Message Here” can be replaced with whatever message you like.  I use something like “That does not compute so I am shutting down” or “I’m sleepy. I think I’ll shut down and rest now.”

Whenever your victim double clicks on that shortcut, their program will not start.  Instead, your message will display for 100 seconds (unless you change the number in the target box.)  Then the computer will shut down.

These computer pranks are all designed for the Windows operating system.  Although they are non-destructive, you run the risk of aggravating the user and making him or her possibly want to harm you.  Use them at your own risk.

Remember, pranks are supposed to be for fun.  Use discretion when implementing them.  It would be nice if you fix their computer for them afterword, but who am I to tell you what to do?

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , , ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

APCUG Workshop (2025-02)

February 9, 2025 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Would you like to learn about Chromebooks and what they can do?  Are you ready to use Gmail like a pro?  Do you know all of the methods for backing up your computer?  Want to find out how a Raspberry Pie works?  Would you like to never spend another dime on computer software?  Want to find out how your smart TV works?  Want to learn how to use a Ham radio?  Want to find out how to research genealogical databases?

Some of these topics have been presented at CCCC workshops, but other haven’t.  You can attend them and many more with your club membership.  Almost every Wednesday of the year, the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG) has a “Wednesday Workshop”.  Even if the topics of the week aren’t of interest to me, I almost always attend.  I’ve found that I almost always pick up a useful hint or tip.

All that is required to attend is an active CCCC membership and the Zoom application.  All you have to do is sign up for the APCUG mailing list.  You can easily join by clicking the link in the Clicker Classified section of the newsletter.  Clicking the registration link will open a form in your web browser.  Just enter your e-mail address, first and last name.  In the final block enter “Cajun Clickers Computer Club”. The full name is required.

Joining the list gets you invitations to all of the associations workshops.  These informational presentations are on Zoom They are usually presented every Wednesday and on one Saturday each month.  When workshops are scheduled, you will receive an e-mail with information on how to register and get Zoom login credentials.

You can also view the videos on YouTube.  Just search for APCUG.  I recommend listening live if you can.  I find it hard to believe that more of our members aren’t utilizing this great resource.  Maybe it is the same reason they don’t attend club workshops.

That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

Is This The Year For Linux? (2025-01)

December 29, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

It’s that time of the year again.  People stop overeating.  Retail spending goes down.  Naysayers tell us the world is going to end.  People make predictions on what will happen in the New Year.

One thing that gets predicted every year is that this one is going to be “The Year of Linux”.  I’m thinking that this is the year it may finally be true.  This is largely because Window 10 will no longer receive security after October 14.  There has not been a big move to Windows 11.  This is only partly because of the new hardware requirements.  Microsoft has moved many of the programmers from Windows OS to Copilot and other projects.  It seems that they don’t do very much Operating System in‑house bug testing anymore.  Instead, they farm it out to the “insider program”.  Could this be part of the reason why there are often so many problems when updates are released to the public?

Meanwhile, Linux continues to get better.  Many of the distributions have evolved to where they are stable and mostly error free.  There are many programs that run on Linux.  Even most Microsoft software can be used on Linux with the Wine compatibility layer.

Linux is a very secure system.  I can make this statement because Linux is open‑source software.  There are thousands of eyes constantly examining for security issues.  Like any OS, there are Trojans, viruses and back‑doors.  These are far fewer in numbers than Windows.  This is probably because there are far less installations of Linux.  When found, they are usually quickly fixed.

Since Windows 10 was released, there have been many vocal complaints about Microsoft “spying” on users.  The fact is that both Apple and Microsoft have always collected telemetry on usage data for years.  If you are concerned about this, Linux collects nothing, unless you specifically allow it.  Considering the size of the Linux user base, not many profit motivated companies build tracking applications for Linux.  Of course, web browsers track data the same on all operating systems.

Linux is highly stable.  If you’ve spent any time around Windows forums, you know that after a while the system starts to slow down.  The OS often needs to be freshly installed so that it will run correctly.  You do not need to do this with Linux, which runs exactly as it did when first installed.  There are many tales of Linux distributions that have been running for years without rebooting the computer.  Add this to the fact that Linux runs on a wide variety of hardware.  Like many users, I got my start in Linux by running it on old computers that would no longer easily run Windows.  Now I use it almost daily.

Windows updates have become more nightmarish in recent years.  Maintaining Linux is easy.  All of the variants have their own software repository.  These archives are used to update both the system software and installed programs.  There is no need to update third party software individually.

Linux is completely free and users do not need to pay for anything.  All of the basic software required by a typical user and even an advanced user are available.  Linux is only for geeks isn’t true anymore.  It has become user‑friendly and has a good graphical user interface (GUI).  You will find almost all the functionality that Windows has.

Finally, maybe the biggest reason for switching to Linux.  You can brag on the internet that you’re a Linux User.

That’s all for this month.  Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

Christmas Gag Gifts (2024-12)

December 1, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

Bah!  Humbug!  It’s that time of the year again.  All of the retailers are busy trying to figure out how to get our last nickel.  The little ones are all being extra good.  Instead of a simple greeting of “hello” and “good-bye”, people think they have to yell “HO! HO! HO!”  There always seems to be a song that every radio station plays over and over.  Thankfully, for the past few years, it hasn’t been about Grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

It’s also time for everyone to make their gift lists.  If you’ve got someone on your list that likes technology, I’ve got a few suggestions for things you might consider buying them.  If you were planning to get me something, I don’t need any of this stuff.

This Bluetooth Beanie Hat will replace your your headset or ear pods and will keep your head warm at the same time.

A steering wheel laptop desk is the perfect gift for someone that spends a lot of time in their car.  There isn’t any information on whether this can be used with a self-driving vehicle.

This Pedestal Stand Holder is the perfect gift for the geek who spends a lot of time in the room.  I can just imagine someone reaching for some paper and knocking the darn thing over.

ThxToms Flashlights Gloves would be a good gift for somebody.  I’m not sure who, but somebody.

If you’re looking to buy something for a gamer friend, check out these Finger Gloves.  You’d think they would make a Pro Version, which would cover all your fingers.

It might get awful hot during a Louisiana summer.  You could give some Air‑Conditioned Cooling Pants.  Accessorize them with these Air‑Conditioned Shoes.  I suppose the next thing will be Air‑Conditioning Hats.

This 32gb Thumb Drive is pretty thumby.  Too bad there isn’t a choice of fingers.

Although it is not really techy, who wouldn’t want The Official BS Button?  This would be even better if it had a rechargeable battery.

Sometimes the Gift Box can be better than the gift.

Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker

Using Google Services (2024-09)

September 1, 2024 Posted by Tiny

Thoughts From a Clicker
By Tiny Ruisch

I’ve had my Google e‑mail account since February 11, 2011.  Other than receipts from the Play Store, I estimate that I’ve received about twenty important communications.  The only other mail I get is e-mail from a club member who for some reason doesn’t use my club e-mail address.  I also get test mailings that I send to myself when I set up new e‑mail accounts.

Although I have side loaded a few applications, I almost solely use the Play Store to install apps on my phone.  I occasionally use Google Search when Bing or Duck Duck Go doesn’t give me satisfactory results.  I have the Chrome browser installed on all of my devices, but I usually only use it for checking Gmail, accessing the Play Store, watching You Tube videos or testing code on my web site(s).

Is this because I’m wary of the company tracking me so they can advertise?  Not really.  All companies do this.  Many are much more nefarious.  Is it because I don’t like Google?  Not at all.  They have some fine services and most of them work very well.

So why don’t I rely on Google for many of my day to day needs?  The answer is simple.  The service might not be available in the future.  Am I concerned about nothing?  Probably not, but lets take a look at some Google services that are no longer available:

• Inbox by Gmail was an email service developed by Google.  It was officially released to the public on May 28, 2015.  Inbox was shut down by Google on April 2, 2019.
• Google+ was an Internet‑based social network that was launched on June 28, 2011.  This was Google’s fourth foray into social networking and it experienced strong growth in its initial years.  The service was discontinued on April 2, 2019.
• Picasa was an image organizer and viewer for organizing and editing digital photos.  There was an integrated photo sharing website.  It was originally created by a company named Lifescape.  In July 2004, Google acquired Picasa and began offering it as freeware.  It was discontinued on arch 15, 2016.  Picasa Web Albums, a companion service, was closed on May 1, 2016.
• Google Goggles was an image recognition mobile app developed by Google.  It was used for searches based on pictures taken by handheld devices.  It was discontinued on August 20, 2018.
• iGoogle was a customizable Ajax based start page or personal web portal launched by Google in May 2005.  It was discontinued on November 1, 2013.
• Google Reader was a RSS feed aggregator operated by Google.  It was created in early 2005 and launched on October 7, 2005.  Google Reader grew in popularity to support a number of programs which used it as a platform for serving news and information to people.  Google closed Google Reader on July 1, 2013.
• Google Health was a personal health information centralization service (sometimes known as personal health record services) by Google.  It was introduced in 2008 and discontinued in 2011.
• Google Cloud Print allowed users to print from web, desktop, or mobile to any Google Cloud Print-connected printer.  It was more than ten years old.
• Google Podcasts was a podcast hosting platform and a podcast listening app.  After less than six years, it was discontinued just six months ago.

This short list is only a few of the more popular Google services and programs that have been discontinued in the past.  There are hundreds of others, including web authoring, news readers, social networks, messaging applications, web analytic programs, etc.  I wasn’t able to find any sites with an exact total of how many were discontinued.  A web search will find links to several sites that list the Google services and applications that are no longer available.

Almost without fail, every time Google kills something you will find a lot of articles on how important it was.  There are always many suggestions on what to replace the Google product with.  They seem to forget that Google is a business and offered the services in exchange for user information which can be sold.  When the service is no longer profitable, it gets shut down, no matter how popular it is.  That is the main reason why I don’t use Google for things that are important to me.  What if someday Google G‑mail is no longer profitable?

That’s all for this month. Thanks for reading.

Read full article |Leave a comment
Tags: , ,
Categories: Thoughts From a Clicker
« Older Entries