The Tool I Hate Most

My boss gives me an ultimatum - I have to come up with a five line article on the tool (Not the friendly neighborhood hack-saw! Software tool please) I hate the most. I say politely that the answer to that question will utmost take two words - not five lines and certainly cannot pass off as an article.

That's when I come to know that I need to offer an "explanation" on why I hate that tool. Now, come on! Some things we just hate. Don't we? Have you ever sat down and tried to figure out why you hate certain things? For example Nisha Kothari? Or Ricky Ponting?

Alright, I think I shouldn't be questioning the integrity of some people here or else I shouldn't be standing here I suppose. So let me just confine my rants to the software tool I am supposed to hate most - with a justifiable explanation.

To start with let me just list out the tools I hate most with no explanation whatsoever. It is surprisingly difficult, now that I think about it, to identify this list.

Windows Desktop Search:

ACDSee

As per the unwritten restriction that a list should have more than one member, I think this is a good enough list. Personally I don't like to hate any tool because every tool must have gone through a really boring phase called "Development". Branding it as "bad" will hurt all those worked on the tool.

But I have no way out, Have I? Boss orders. I shall follow.

Let me talk about Windows Desktop Search first. A little bit of digression here: Back in the late nineties when there was a burning need for search engines that scout the Internet for information fast and efficient, Yahoo and Microsoft took their own sweet time to come up with one. Google burst on to the scene with a wonderful product Google.com and snatched away the Search market from Yahoo and Microsoft almost overnight right from under their noses.

I thought Microsoft would learn from this debacle and be more proactive in identifying such opportunities in future. When users were asking for a better way to search the folders and files on their computer, before Microsoft could revamp its pathetic windows search function, Google simply ported with its immensely successful Internet search program to the desktop resulting in a highly efficient desktop search.

Google Desktop Search enables the user to find documents, photos and videos stored in the most inaccessible corner of your computer in a fraction of a second. The program has a small download footprint and installs in seconds. The one time initial indexing takes sometime but once it is done, you won't see it interfering with your work.

Windows Desktop Search was more of an afterthought. Now that Google has a solution, why not imitate it! - Seems to be Microsoft's mantra. When Windows Desktop Search was unveiled, Google had already had a sizable chunk of the desktops in its kitty.

I have used both search tools and while I am thoroughly impressed by Google's, Windows Search is disappointing. It has a larger memory footprint; is slow compared to Google and it uses its own windows to display the results. Google on the other hand uses the default web browser. From the user's point of view this offers a seamless integration between web searching and desktop searching. They need not worry about yet another program to learn.

However, it is not always that the best program will survive. (Remember Netscape browser?) It all depends on market dominance. Microsoft will continue bundling the Windows Search tool with its operating systems. So the users don't have to actually download Google Desktop Search tool anymore. Personally I don't see a future for Google Desktop Search but it will forever remain in the history books as a pioneer in this field.

More on ACDSee in my next blog. Till then, happy searching!