Google recently released their own version of a Web Accelerator.
Google claims that it can significantly increase your browsing even if your using broadband:
- Sending your page requests through Google machines dedicated to handling Google Web Accelerator traffic.
- Storing copies of frequently looked at pages to make them quickly accessible.
- Downloading only the updates if a web page has changed slightly since you last viewed it.
- Prefetching certain pages onto your computer in advance.
- Managing your Internet connection to reduce delays.
- Compressing data before sending it to your computer.
I quickly went to the site and download a copy to try out but since it was just on a beta phase, it was limited to a few test users.
Giggling Madly Here – PT Barnum Would Have Been So Proud!
This is a great program for those users who don’t know anything at all regarding how computers and/or the internet actually works, and who just want to experience the “feel good illusion” of (not really) increased speed by having this entirely useless acceleration program on their hard drive.
I always laugh out loud whenever anyone proudly exclaims: “The program ‘says’ I saved 6.9 hours, so I’m very satisfied!” Big deal; the program could also say: “You’re now twice as good-looking” or perhaps even “Congratulations you’re a millionaire!” Without being able to verify any programs’ “claims” (or better put: assertions) it is just that: A totally unverifiable assertion!
Still you’ve got to admire Google’s chutzpa here! I’m guessing that it has to be the most hilarious bit of shell-game spyware ever invented by any company in the entire history of computer or Internet use and development.
Very clever really, when you consider that the trade off is that users “think” they’re getting “increased” internet speed; in exchange for revealing exact the name of every single webpage that you ever visit from the moment that you install Google Web Accelerator until (hopefully) the moment you wise up and remove it.
After Google Web Accelerator is installed it does absolutely nothing to improve browsing. Also Google Web Accelerator collects copies of web pages, (including prefetched pages that you did not even visit), in the Google Web Accelerator cache on your computer.
All this does in effect; is collect and store a gazillion MB of temp files every time you use it for a session of surfing. Try using something like CCleaner after running Google Web Accelerator and browsing the internet for a few hours and see the results for yourself!
And Google gets to know the exact the name of every single webpage that you ever visit for products, news, banking, whatever! This is very valuable information to have; not only does Google know everything you click on, but you get absolutely nothing in return for this info.
Finally, Google admits on their own support page that any and all passwords, e-mail addresses etc. you enter in a web form (e. g. when purchasing an item online) will be funneled via their systems. If you enter personally identifiable information (such as an email address) onto a form on an unencrypted web page, the sites will send this information through Google.
Had he lived long enough to see this, P.T. Barnum; the person who coined the phrase: “A Sucker is Born Every Minute” would most certainly consider those who download, install and leave this program on their computers to be suckers indeed!
ohhhh well, even on the voting process they have some bad nifty work. you can actually vote many times you want by changing the query id on the page if you logged in. well thats bad on their part. anyways thanks for reading my comment.
And also, transparently it wont work with secure apps. programs online, might as well try their luck hehehe…
Jolo,
The Admin Panel of the recent Phil Web Awards was actually viewable to the public since they launched it last year. Some bad programming on user authentication on their developer’s side. They must have fixed it eventually but the cache from Google could be an older version.
Anyway, I un-installed my Web Accelerator. Been having problems with sites that uses SSL or some other authentication (like cPanel). And then, been having some DNS error problems with other sites as well. Maybe that’s why they pulled it (the downloads) off last week.
Yugs, just want to point something on this post, I’m not against google web accelerator, but after mimicking on it well I found something strange. Look at this.
Its being cache with google, I don’t know why or how? I think about meta tags but I’m not sure, It’s publicly accessible, while when trying to get in with the login user without proper authentication is restricted. :)
Got a copy of the Web Accelerator here.
Yeah I received this news alert from ZDNet and its not just about privacy policy according to discussions. Spywares may take advantage of one’s browsing information just by checking the cache Google makes.
rain: I tried using Propel Accelerator before when I was on dial-up and it did do its job pretty nicely.
jolo: Yes, even with GMail using AdSense, it was already an issue back then.
There is an issue regarding your privacy and google’s web accelerator. You must be aware of this.
Used this a couple of days ago. It’s insanely useless on a dial-up (I know, it wasn’t intended for a dial-up in the first place).