13th FITAG TIMES

Dear Fitagians,

Greetings !!

This time FITAG Times is

being published late by 15

days. Rather let's put it in such a

manner that we are rearranging

the publishing cycle of FITAG

Times on 1st of every month.

Hence forth every edition of

FITAG Times will be published

on 1st of every month.

It is our continues effort to

reach out to maximum number

of people with every edition of

FITAG Times. Somehow, we are

not able to increase our reader-

ship of the newspaper. Some

people have an apprehension

that due to it's e-edition format,

less people are reading it. Others

have a feeling that due to lan-

guage problem people are

refraining to take advantage of

such a wonderful magazine. I

am not convinced with both the

v e r s i o n s ,

but will

my ulti-

mate wish

is to make

F I T A G

T i m e s

reachable

to all

m e m b e r

a s s o c i a -

tions.

I would welcome your sug-

gestions on email about both the

ideas. Kindly find the questions

being posed at all of you as

below.

1 FITAG Times should be pub-

lished as a print edition?

2 FITAG Times should be pub-

lished in Gujarati language?

3 Both.

Send your suggestions to

[email protected] as well as presi-

[email protected] .

From this edition onwards

we will have a new session of

cartoons from the world of infor-

mation technology. I am sure

this give us opportunity to laugh

at our selves and be little stress

relieved.

Enjoy the latest edition of

FITAG Times!!

Mr. Kaushik PandyaEditor

Best WishesTVS Solution,

Ahmedabad9824332745

- Editorial

www.fitag.inMonday Ahmedabad, Gujarat

01 09 2014Vol. 2, Issue No. 1, Pages 8

Monthly Edition

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HowHow Computing WorksComputing Works

Let's say you're an execu-

tive at a large corpora-

tion. Your particular

responsibilities include mak-

ing sure that all of your

employees have the right hard-

ware and software they need to

do their jobs. Buying comput-

ers for everyone isn't enough -

- you also have to purchase

software or software licenses

to give employees the tools

they require. Whenever you

have a new hire, you have to

buy more software or make

sure

your current software license

allows another user. It's so

stressful that you find it diffi-

cult to go to sleep on your

huge pile of money every

night.

Soon, there may be an

alternative for executives like

you. Instead of installing a

suite of software for each com-

puter, you'd only have to load

one application. That applica-

tion would allow workers to

log into a Web-based service

which hosts all the programs

the user would need for his or

her job. Remote machines

owned by another company

would run everything from e-

mail to word processing to

complex data analysis pro-

grams. It's called cloud com-

puting, and it could change the

entire computer industry.

In a cloud computing sys-

tem, there's a significant work-

load shift. Local computers no

longer have to do all the heavy

lifting when it comes to run-

ning applications. The network

of computers that make up the

cloud handles them instead.

Hardware and software

demands on the user's side

decrease. The only thing the

user's computer needs to be

able to run is the cloud com-

puting system's interface soft-

ware, which can be as simple

as a Web browser, and the

cloud's network takes care of

the rest.

There's a good chance

you've already used some form

of cloud computing. If you

have an e-mail account with a

Web-based e-mail service like

Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or

Gmail, then you've had some

experience with cloud comput-

ing. Instead of running an...

CloudCloud

Contined on page 2...

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Monday 01 09 2014FITAGTimesFLOURISH KNOWLEDGE NETWORKING POWER PROTECTION

Articals

e-mail program on your

computer, you log in to a Web

e-mail account remotely. The

software and storage for your

account doesn't exist on your

computer -- it's on the service's

computer cloud.

What makes up a cloud

computing system? Find out in

the next section.

Cloud ComputingArchitecture

When talking about a cloud

computing system, it's helpful

to divide it into two sections:

the front end and the back end.

They connect to each other

through a network, usually the

Internet. The front end is the

side the computer user, or

client, sees. The back end is the

"cloud" section of the system.

The front end includes the

client's computer (or computer

network) and the application

required to access the cloud

computing system. Not all

cloud computing systems have

the same user interface.

Services like Web-based e-mail

programs leverage existing

Web browsers like Internet

Explorer or Firefox. Other sys-

tems have unique applications

that provide network access to

clients.

On the back end of the sys-

tem are the various computers,

servers and data storage sys-

tems that create the "cloud" of

computing services. In theory,

a cloud computing system

could include practically any

computer program you can

imagine, from data processing

to video games. Usually, each

application will have its own

dedicated server.

A central server administers

the system, monitoring traffic

and client demands to ensure

everything runs smoothly. It

follows a set of rules called

protocols and uses a special

kind of software called middle-

ware. Middleware allows net-

worked computers to commu-

nicate with each other. Most of

the time, servers don't run at

full capacity. That means

there's unused processing

power going to waste. It's pos-

sible to fool a physical server

into thinking it's actually multi-

ple servers, each running with

its own independent operating

system. The technique is called

server virtualization. By maxi-

mizing the output of individual

servers, server virtualization

reduces the need for more

physical machines.

If a cloud computing com-

pany has a lot of clients, there's

likely to be a high demand for

a lot of storage space. Some

companies require hundreds of

digital storage devices. Cloud

computing systems need at

least twice the number of stor-

age devices it requires to keep

all its clients' information

stored. That's because these

devices, like all computers,

occasionally break down. A

cloud computing system must

make a copy of all its clients'

information and store it on

other devices. The copies

enable the central server to

access backup machines to

retrieve data that otherwise

would be unreachable. Making

copies of data as a backup is

called redundancy.

What are some of the appli-

cations of cloud computing?

Keep reading to find out.

Cloud ComputingApplications

The applications of cloud

computing are practically lim-

itless. With the right middle-

ware, a cloud computing sys-

tem could execute all the pro-

grams a normal computer

could run. Potentially, every-

thing from generic word pro-

cessing software to customized

computer programs designed

for a specific company could

work on a cloud computing

system.

Why would anyone want to

rely on another computer sys-

tem to run programs and store

data? Here are just a few rea-

sons:

Clients would be able to

access their applications and

data from anywhere at any

time. They could access the

cloud computing system using

any computer linked to the

Internet. Data wouldn't be con-

fined to a hard drive on one

user's computer or even a cor-

poration's internal network.

It could bring hardware

costs down. Cloud computing

systems would reduce the need

for advanced hardware on the

client side. You wouldn't need

to buy the fastest computer

with the most memory, because

the cloud system would take

care of those needs for you.

Instead, you could buy an inex-

pensive computer terminal.

The terminal could include a

monitor, input devices like a

keyboard and mouse and just

enough processing power to

run the middleware necessary

to connect to the cloud system.

You wouldn't need a large hard

drive because you'd store all

your information on a remote

computer.

Corporations that rely on

computers have to make sure

they have the right software in

place to achieve goals. Cloud

computing systems give these

organizations company-wide

access to computer applica-

tions. The companies don't

have to buy a set of software or

software licenses for every

employee. Instead, the compa-

ny could pay a metered fee to a

cloud computing company.

Servers and digital storage

devices take up space. Some

companies rent physical space

to store servers and databases

because they don't have it

available on site. Cloud com-

puting gives these companies

the option of storing data on

someone else's hardware,

removing the need for physical

space on the front end.

Corporations might save

money on IT support.

Streamlined hardware would,

in theory, have fewer problems

than a network of heteroge-

neous machines and operating

systems.

If the cloud computing sys-

tem's back end is a grid com-

puting system, then the client

could take advantage of the

entire network's processing

power. Often, scientists and

researchers work with calcula-

tions so complex that it would

take years for individual com-

puters to complete them. On a

grid computing system, the

client could send the calcula-

tion to the cloud for process-

ing. The cloud system would

tap into the processing power

of all available computers on

the back end, significantly

speeding up the calculation.

While the benefits of cloud

computing seem convincing,

are there any potential prob-

lems? Find out in the next sec-

tion.

Cloud ComputingConcerns

Perhaps the biggest con-

cerns about cloud computing

are security and privacy. The

idea of handing over important

data to another company wor-

ries some people. Corporate

executives might hesitate to

take advantage of a cloud com-

puting system because they

can't keep their company's

information under lock and

key.

The counterargument to

this position is that the compa-

nies offering cloud computing

services live and die by their

reputations. It benefits these

companies to have reliable

security measures in place.

Otherwise, the service would

lose all its clients. It's in their

interest to employ the most

advanced techniques to protect

their clients' data.

Privacy is another matter. If

a client can log in from any

location to access data and

applications, it's possible the

client's privacy could be com-

promised. Cloud computing

companies will need to find

ways to protect client privacy.

One way is to use authentica-

tion techniques such as user

names and passwords. Another

is to employ an authorization

format -- each user can access

only the data and applications

relevant to his or her job.

Some questions regarding

cloud computing are more

philosophical. Does the user or

company subscribing to the

cloud computing service own

the data? Does the cloud com-

puting system, which provides

the actual storage space, own

it? Is it possible for a cloud

computing company to deny a

client access to that client's

data? Several companies, law

firms and universities are

debating these and other ques-

tions about the nature of cloud

computing.

Contined from page 3...


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reaches to

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Fitag TimesFitag Times

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Articals

FITAG is now on Facebook. Please like Fitag page

https://www.facebook.com/Fitag23How will cloud computing

affect other industries? There's

a growing concern in the IT

industry about how cloud com-

puting could impact the busi-

ness of computer maintenance

and repair. If companies switch

to using streamlined computer

systems, they'll have fewer IT

needs. Some industry experts

believe that the need for IT

jobs will migrate to the back

end of the cloud computing

system.

Another area of research in

the computer science commu-

nity is autonomic computing.

An autonomic computing sys-

tem is self-managing, which

means the system monitors

itself and takes measures to

prevent or repair problems.

Currently, autonomic comput-

ing is mostly theoretical. But,

if autonomic computing

becomes a reality, it could

eliminate the need for many IT

maintenance jobs.

To learn more about cloud

computing and other related

topics, see the links on the next

page.

How CloudComputing Works:

Author's NoteThis article was part of a

suite of pieces about cloud

computing, cloud storage and

the future of personal comput-

ing. When I wrote the article,

cloud computing was a buzz

phrase that only computer sci-

entists, engineers and a few

tech journalists used. It's now

well on its way to becoming a

household term. We see cloud

computing applications every-

where. Smartphone apps use

cloud computing technology to

let you store and access data

that normally wouldn't fit on

your handheld device.

Research institutions use cloud

computing to house massive

libraries of information. And

video game companies are

experimenting with ways to let

you access state-of-the-art

games without requiring a

hefty investment in a gaming

rig. It can be difficult to tell

when a particular computing

model will take off, but I think

we can make the note that

cloud computing is a huge suc-

cess.

Cloud Computing:Cheat Sheet

Stuff you need to know:

• Cloud computing systems

generally have a front end,

which is what the user sees,

and a back end, which does

all the work.

• Cloud computing shares

some similarities with an

older model of computing

called timesharing. A time-

sharing computer system

connects multiple users to a

single computer processor

through dumb terminals,

which have a keyboard and

monitor, but leave the com-

puting to the central

machine.

• While cloud computing

promises to offload tasks

like data storage and pro-

cessing power, the model

raises questions about data

accessibility and security.

How can you insure that

you can get to your data

and keep it safe if it's on

someone else's

computer?<

Contined from page 2...

The world’s largest social network

for cricket, CricHQ, comes to india

The social network for cricket,

CricHQ, was made available to

Indian users on May 3, 2014. The Indian

launch of the app was timed to coincide

with the beginning of a programme called

‘Meet Your Heroes’, which gives Indian

cricket fans a chance to meet cricketers

from various countries. The programme

is open to users who register on CricHQ

to create their own profile.

In addition, CricHQ also has a

partnership with Nokia

(Microsoft), which

has made the app

available on the

Nokia X and

Lumia platforms.

The ‘Meet Your

Heroes’ programme, though, is

available to all fans registering on

the social network, either on their

website, the mobile site or the app.

The CricHQ social network not only

allows fans to create their profiles and

enjoy cricket related features, but also

hosts cricketers. This gives fans the

unique opportunity to follow cricketers’

lives by adding them on the net-

work. According to Simon Baker,

CEO, CricHQ,

“Up until

now, it

(CricHQ) has

mostly been for the

administrators; but

now with the

social media

stuff, thers’s

more for the

fans.”

4www.fitag.in


Articals

Linux is a wonderful

operating system and

comes with almost

everything that a user

might require. However,

sometimes you might just

have to use MS Windows,

even though you’d prefer

not to -- for instance, if your

office primarily works with

Windows, or you are a gam-

ing fan and prefer to retain

MS windows to play the lat-

est action games. But did

you know that even in such

cases you can use open

source softwere as alterna-

tives to closed source pro-

prietary options?

Using open source tools

and sofware on Ms win-

dows serves a dual purpos:

on one hand, you get the

satisfaction of supporting

open source and freedom,

and on the other hand, you

can also save a good deal of

money by not relying on

highly overpriced propri-

etary tools.

so let’s acquaint our-

selves with some of the

common and most popular

open source alternatives to

proprietary softwere.

1. Libre office {an alter-

native to Microsoft

Office}If you are looking for an

office and productivity suite

that does not burn a hole in

your pocket, look no further

than Libre office.

Much like Microsoft

Office, Libre Office, too,

comes loaded with many

tools, including a word

processor, adrawing tool,

spreadsheet software, a

database management

application, and so on,

However, unlike Microsoft

Office is totally free and

open source.

Libre Office is cross-

Platform, and it runs equally

well on Linux, Mac and, of

course, Windows!

Website:

http://www.libreoffice.org/

2. Inkscape {an alterna-

tive to Adobe IIIustrator

and CorelDRAW)Inkscape is a powerful vec-

tor graphics editor that

offers a wide array of fea-

tures, including alpha blend-

ing, markers, and so on.

If you are someone who

works often with Scalable

Vector Graphics (SVG), you

probably rely mostly on

Adobe Illustrator and

CorelDRAW. While both

these programs are handy

tools, Inkscape offers an

equally powerful and intu-

itive solution; yet, it is total-

ly open source and free.

website:

http://inkscape.org/

3. The GIMP {an alterna-

tive to Adobe Photoshop}The GNU Image

Manipulation Program, or

the GIMP as it is commonly

called, is a very capable and

roubst image editor. An

easy-to-use photo editor, it

can double up as a versatile

image retouching tool for

advanced users, offering

features such as batch

image processing, image

format conversion, etc.

As with most open

source software and unlike

Adobe Photoshop, the GIMP

is free. It is also cross-plat-

form and supports various

operating systems, includ-

ing MS Windows.

website:

www.gimp.org

4. Blender {an alternative

to 3DS Max and

LightWave 3D}When it comes to ren-

dering 3D objects and for

animation, Blender is one

tool that can outshine costly

proprietary alternatives in

every aspect.

As a 3D content creation

suite, Blender supports

modelling, animation, ren-

dering , and even comes

with a detailed and powerful

game engine. Several

movies and other projects

have been created using

Blender, and the software is

in no way weaker than its

proprietary counterparts.

website:

http://www.blender.org//

5. BRL-CAD {an alterna-

tive to AutoCAD}BRL-CAD is a cross-plat-

form open source modelling

tool. It has been under active

development for well over

two decades.

As a modelling tool, BRL-

CAD offers geometric analy-

sis, ray tracing, interactive

editing, image processing,

and several other features.

Website:

hattp://brlcad.org/

6. Mozilla Thunderbird

{an alternative to

Microsoft Outlook}

If you use a desktop mail

client to manage your email,

opting for the rather costly

and bulky Microsoft

Outlook isn’t your only

option. You can try Mozilla

Thunderbird, a free desktop

email client that is fully

open source.

As a matter of fact,

Thunderbird is way better

than Outlook in several

aspects, such as being light-

weight and offering better

contact management tools.

If you haven’t done so

already, you should by all

mens give Mozilla

Thunderbird a spin!

website:

http://www.mozilla.org/en

/-US/thunderbird/

7. Chromium and/or

Mozilla Firefox {alterna-

tives to MS Internet

Explorer, Opera and

Safari}Let’s face it - when it comes

to browsing the Web, the

world has already dumped

Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Other closed source

browsers such as Safari,

There are a number of applications in the open source world that are free to use.

Many of them perform better than their proprietary counterparts. In this article,

the author gives a list of alternatives to proprietary software, covering office pro-

ductivity tools, browsers, vector art and image editing tools.


5www.fitag.in


Articals

Click here to Register yourself to get Free copy of Fitag Times http://fitag.in/subscribe.php

too, are not the most popular options out there.

The world’s leading web browsers, for that

matter, are open source. Chromium {the brows-

er that server as the base for Google chrome}

and Mozilla Firefox are web browsers that

should definitely be on your system. Whatever it

is that you want - data sysnc, faster web brows-

ing or a better overall online experience - these

two web browsers will not disappoint you!

websites: hattp:// www.mozilla.org/en-

US/firefox/

http://www.chromium.org/Home

8. 7-Zip {an alternative to WinZip and

WinRAR}7-Zip is a file compession tool that comes

with a GPL licence. It supports numerous file

formats, and offers a compression ration that is

roughly 10 per cent better than that of WinZip.

7-Zip has been localised into 70+ languages

and it offers AES-256 encryption. Besides, 7-Zip

integrates well with the Windows shell, so you

can use its features easily.

website: http://www.7-Zip.org/

9. Dia {a alternative to Microsoft Visio}Dia is lightweight diagram editor that is

available for both Linux and Windows. It sup-

ports various standard formats, such as EPS and

SVG. Dia offers a no-nonsense intercace that lets

you work on your drawings with ease.

website: http://dia-installer.de/

10. VLC Media Player {an alternative to

Windows Media Player, Real Player, Zoom

Player, etc)VLC is a free, open source and cross-plat-

form multimedia player that plays almost every

media file. It works with DVDs, CDs

and multimedia files, and offers

advanced features such as

video/audio encoding, file

format processing,

and so on.

Also worth a

look is Miro

{ h t t p : / / w w w .

getmiro.com/} for videos

and Kantaris {http://kan-

taris.org}for audio.

website:

http://www.videolan.org /vlc/index.html

Irrespective of the operating system

that you are running, you can always make

use of handy open source tools and software

that are not just robust and powerful but also

offer an intuitive and esay -to use interface.

These open source tools are invariably well

supported by an active community and helpful

documentation. Thus, even if you are an MS

Windows user, you should give some of the

open source tools a try. You certainly will not be

disappointed, and you’re definitely not going to

miss the proprietary alternatives! END

Contined From page 4...

IBM unveils technology that

tackles big data challenges with

open server innovation model

IBM recently announced its

new scale-out POWER-8

based power systems servers at

the open innovation Summit in

san Francisco. Built for an era of

Big Data, the new scale-out

IBM Power Systems servers are

the result of a US$ 2.4 billion

investment, over three years of

developmen and the ability to

tap into hundreds of IBM

patents -underscoring IBM’s

singular commitment to provid-

ing higher- value, open tech-

nologies to clients. Recognising

Linux as a driving force for

innovation, last year, IBM com-

mitted US$ 1 billion to new

Linux and other open source

technologies for IBM’s Power

Systems servers. Major invest-

ments included new products, a

growing network of five Power

systems Linux Centres around

the world and the Power

Development Platform, a no-

Charge development cloud for

developers to test and port x86-

based applications to the power

platform.

IBM is offering the latest

release of Ubuntu Server,

Ubhuntu Openstack and

Canonical’s Juju cloud orches-

tration tools on the new Power

systems and all future

POWER8- based systems. This

complements the existing sup-

port form IBM for Red Hat and

SUSE Linux operating system

distributions on its complete

line-up of Power Systems.

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NEWS CORNER

FITAG is now on Facebook. Please like Fitag page

https://www.facebook.com/Fitag23

Device Type 2013 2014 2015

Traditonal PCs (Desk-Based 296,131 276,21 261,657

and Notebook)

Ultramobiles, Premium 21,517 32,251 55,032

Pc Market Total 317,648 308,472 316,689

Tablets 206,807 256,308 320,964

Mobile Phones 1,806,964 1,862,766 1,964,456

Other Ultramobiles (Hybrid 2,981 5,381 7,645

and Clamshell))

Total 2,334,400 2,432,927 2,591,753

WORLDWIDE PC, TABLET, ULTRA-

MOBILE TO GROW 4.2% IN 2014Worldwide Combined Shipments of Devices (PCS, TABLETS,

ULTRAMOBILES and Mobile Phones) are Projected To Reach 2.4

Billion Units in 2014, A 4.2 Percent Increase from 2013: Gartner.

WORLDWIDE DEVICE SHIPMENTS BY SEGMENT (THOUSANDS OF UNITS)

Unlicensed Software Use at 43%

Computer users cite the risk of security threats from malware as the top reason

not to use unlicensed software. Among their specific concerns are intrusions by

hackers and loss of data. Yet a striking 60 percent of the softwere installed on per-

sonal computers in India in 2013 was not properly licensed.

These and other findings released today in the BSA Global software

Survey underscore the need for effective softwere management prac-

tices, especially in business settings.

“We have often seen cases where enterprises may not even be aware

that they are using unlicensed software. With software licensing becom-

ing increasingly complex, Compounded by fast-paced cloud adoption

and proliferation of devices through BYOD [bring your own device],

organizations require a fresh approach in the way they manage licenses,”

said Vipin. Aggarwal, BSA India Committee chair,

Mozilla has gone ahead

and updated its popu-

lar Firefox Web browser for

Windows, Mas OS, Linux

and Android, bringing it to

version 29 in its latest effort

to offer a simplified inter-

face to users. Firefox 29 is,

according to Mozilla, “...

the most customisable

Firefox ever,” boasting of

an elegant new design and is

currently available for

download.

Firefox 29 brings along

key changes to the menu

pane and offers numerous

customisation options.

Users are now met with

sleek new tabs and an over-

all modern look that places

greater emphasis on the cur-

rent tab while fading away

other tabs in the back-

ground. the redesigned and

customisable firefox menu

now features all the controls

in one place, and lets users

add or edit features, add-ons

and tools. Users can now

access the Firefox add-ons

Manager through the menu

pane itself.

In addition, Firefox 29

comes with a new and

improved Firefox Sync

service that lets users access

their ‘Awesome Bar’ brows-

ing history, as well as their

saved passwords and

bookmarks across desktop

and mobile platforms.

“We reimagined and

redesigned Firefox to

reflect how you use the Web

today and we are excited to

introduce many features

including an elegant and fun

design, a new menu, cus-

tomisation mode and an

enhanced Firefox Sync

service powered by Firefox

Accounts,” Mozilla’s offi-

cial blog announces.

Mozilla launches Firefox 29 India to be the next electronics Mgf hub

As per M.N. Vidyashankar, President, IESA (India Electronics &

Semiconductor Association), India is poised to become the next

electronics manufacturing hub and we seek government’s support help

us taking the country to the next level. IESA believes that the electonics

industry can create an ecosystem in India, including High Tech manu-

facturing of Electronics subsystems, Electronics Manufacturing

Clusters, Semiconductor fabs and ATMP Units, which can provide

employment to 27 million people in the next 10 years we believe India

is moving in the right direction and appreciate the government’s initia-

tives to enable India as the manufacturing destination with continued

focus on building more greenfield and brownfield electronis manufac-

turing clusters and incubation centres to create the ecosystem and pro-

mote the idea of entrepreneurship and innovation.

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What you can do with “Google”What you can do with “Google”Ten years ago, Google went

public, offering its shares for

USD 85. The company sold more

than 22 million shares on its first

day of trading, leaving it valued at

USD 27.2 billion.

Today, Google is worth almost

15 times as much, about USD 397

billion, thanks to its thriving

search advertising business.

Google controls about 68 percent

of the global desktop search mar-

ket and about 91 percent of the

mobile search market, according

Amit Singhal joined Google

14 years ago and is now senior

vice president at the company in

charge of its core search ranking

group. In a post on Google+, he

shares what he considers to be the

10 most significant search devel-

opments over the past 10 years.

Autocompletion of search

queries has saved billions of key-

strokes. But it could cost Google

in legal fees: Earlier this month, a

Hong Kong court allowed Albert

Yeung Sau-shing, a local busi-

nessman, to sue Google for

defamation because autocomplete

suggests his name is associated

with organized crime groups

called "triads."

Translations Singhal notes that

Google handles billions of transla-

tions a day in 80 languages. It's

not perfect but it's very good as a

basic way to explore languages

that would otherwise be baffling.

And you know it will get better.

"Search used to be just about

webpages, but our amazing Maps

team made it possible to search

the real world too," says Singhal.

Getting to this point, however,

wasn't easy. Google ran into its

share of roadblocks: public resist-

ance, security concerns, regulato-

ry skepticism, and a WiFi data

gathering scandal. If only Google

had a map that could show it the

way to launch a product without

alienating people.

Before Google implemented

universal search, it maintained a

variety of distinct "vertical"

search engines, such as Video

Search and Book Search.

Universal search brought those

links together so they could be

searched from the Web Search

box. It was a major improvement

and a blow to specialty search

companies that focused on a par-

ticular industry, such as travel and

local search. Universal search

demoted every specialty search

engine to a feature it could add at

any time, perhaps with an acquisi-

tion or two.

Search used to be desktop

product. Now it's mobile, too. But

search beyond the desktop

requires alternative modes of

input. Google is already on that,

with Voice Search.

No one likes typing on mobile

devices. Luckily for Google and

for its users, its speech recognition

and natural language comprehen-

sion keeps getting better.

Google's Search app can per-

form a limited number of actions,

mostly using Android devices.

You can tell it, for example, to

remind you of something when

you're in a particular location,

with the assistance of Google

Now.

To help Google Search move

beyond finding keywords in docu-

ments to understanding questions,

Google built (and acquired) the

Knowledge Graph. But as Picasso

reportedly said, "Computers are

useless. They can only give you

answers." (Then again, IBM's

Watson can phrase answers in the

form of a question, Jeopardy-

style.)

Google Search, if you let it,

can access your Gmail, to provide

answers about flight reservations

or package deliveries. It's a perfect

example of the tradeoff between

privacy and convenience. If histo-

ry is any guide, never bet on pri-

vacy.

With Google Now and

Google Search, you can get

updates about relevant infor-

mation, such as traffic jams

or upcoming appointments,

without even asking. The

endgame: Make purchases

without even thinking.

"We've come a long way in

10 years -- on Google and so

many other general and spe-

cialized search apps, it's now

so much better than just the

10 blue links of years past,"

Singhal concludes. That is,

when those blue links of

years past haven't been

erased under the "right to be

forgotten."

Autocomplete

Translations

Info just for you

The

Knowledge Graph

Actions

Directions and

traffic

Mobile and

new screens

Voice search

Universal

search

Answers before

you have to ask

Google's 10

search innovations

Google's 10

search innovations

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