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Re: [FYI] Google kauft Usenet-Archiv von Deja.com
- To: debate@fitug.de
- Subject: Re: [FYI] Google kauft Usenet-Archiv von Deja.com
- From: "Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>
- Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2001 19:12:36 +0100
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- In-reply-to: <200102131526.NAA01465@ksnh100.ksnh>
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- Sender: owner-debate@fitug.de
On 13 Feb 2001, at 12:18, I wrote:
> http://www.heise.de/newsticker/data/jo-13.02.01-000/
>
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>
> Google kauft Usenet-Archiv von Deja.com
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/16851.html
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Netizens blinded by 'half-assed' Google stunt
By: Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco
Posted: 13/02/2001 at 07:28 GMT
[...]
In recent years Deja had tried to orientate the archive to being the
centrepiece of a shopping channel, with a number of tacky manoeuvres
such as inserting adverts into postings. But they'd never (almost,
but not quite) managed to break the main Usenet archive overnight,
which is effectively what Google has done. You'd almost think Google
wants to be thought of as a bunch of come-lately, VC-flushed
hooligans with no inkling of the history or the culture of the
Internet.
Something as simple as maintaining the Deja interface - Google
acquired the software as part of the deal - while signalling a change
of front-end and soliciting user input, could have avoided this PR
disaster for Google.
But perhaps something as valuable as Usenet - the words of ordinary
Internet users - is never going to be safe in private hands. Why not
return it to its roots? The Library of Congress could administer the
archive, and ensure it was a properly distributed system farmed out
to the best Universities, who could produce ever more cunning hackish
search tools? That's not as much fun as shooting lasers at rockets,
of course, but a lot cheaper.
Google hadn't returned our calls at publication time. ®
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