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Google Ends Hello  (View post)

James Xuan [PersonRank 10]

Thursday, May 8, 2008
8 days ago984 views

Meh, nobody used it anyway, right?

David Hetfield [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

Hello --> Goodbye

:P

[put at-character here]James:
I never used it, though the domain name is cool as philipp said :)

Pau Tomàs [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

Is a great name for an start page, instead of iGoogle.

Zim [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

Come on James, don't break the mood. It must look like a sad, dramatic anouncement.
I used it only once. It wasn't popular.
For the domain... it's a nice name for iGoogle... you open your browser and it says 'hello!'

TOMHTML [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

[put at-character here]James : I've never seen someone using it too :-/

[put at-character here]David : we pardon you for this poor joke because today is your country day (-:

Philipp ask a good question: what will do Google with this domain name?

David G [PersonRank 1]

8 days ago #

This is indeed sad. I use Hello quite a bit with some close friends who all had it. It's a brilliant concept, and photo sharing isnt the same anywhere else.
I was waiting for it to get integrated within the Picasa application, or with Google Talk – but it seems that this won't be the case, unless it springs back up in a new guise....
I think part of the reason it never took off was it wasnt actually integrated with your google account – you had to have a new user name etc...

MX [PersonRank 1]

8 days ago #

The site is available on Web Archive – web.archive.org/web/2007081415 ... . No need to copy the page from google's cache – you can view the site from the web archive anytime!

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

MX, I know about archive.org but I copied the page anyway for two reasons:
- the more copies and diverse backups the bigger the chance the page will indeed by visible in the future
- the Archive.org Wayback Machine, as great as their service is, often shows errors when accessing pages instead of the page, or shows pages where some parts are missing

(As Archive.org is limited to HTML, I also made some image and video "backups" of Google for a kind of museum.
blogoscoped.com/archive/2005-1 ...
blogoscoped.com/archive/2006-0 ...)

David Hetfield [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

[put at-character here]Tom:
lolll

I know it's poor, but i had to say it.. :P

Glenn Allen [PersonRank 0]

8 days ago #

Hello always seemed, at best, redundant to me--a more stream-lined way to email a link to a photo, or bunch of photos. Just integrating your Gmail/Gtalk contact list with Picasa Web would be as effective, if not more so (similar to the way Reader allows you to do such).

Sohil [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

This is terrible...I loved using Hello...hope the technology will be integrated into GTalk.

[put at-character here]Glenn, Hello allowed for "instant" exchange of pictures, not just your average file transfer.

Pierre S [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

If anyone from Google is around, just a thought: it would be nice to opensource the client. It might not be of much use, but who knows. Some little pieces might be interesting for other opensource chat clients.

And just to put an end to abandonware. All software that are end-of-lifed should be released as GPL to tentatively give them a second life and so that we can run it on emulators in 20 years.

bradsucks [PersonRank 1]

8 days ago #

I hope this means they're planning to actually do something significant with Picasa.

Ben Allen [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

It's about time. It doesn't make sense to have two different instant messengers from the same company.

J. McNair [PersonRank 9]

8 days ago #

I'd hope the best features of Hello would be integrated into Google Talk or Picasa itself. I'd be willing to take using Picasa web as an intermediary, as long as it was clever and automatic. There's already an API for Picasa web, and like flickr, picasa is pretty speedy even for big photos. This could have been done if Google cared a little more, or maybe they're waiting on a third party to make something better.

Considering the future of the Google Talk desktop client is uncertain at best (vague promises of...something), who really knows where this clever little toy will go?

Now, is there an instant messenger like Hello for pictures, videos and music?

C'mon, Google, build me the future already. My programming skills aren't good enough yet to do it for myself :-(

Mrrix32 [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

I used to use Hello! to upload photos to Blogger, A long time ago!

It's a shame another Google Product is closing, but as many of you have said, it wasn't used by many people.

Floutas [PersonRank 0]

8 days ago #

It's the new name for rebranding GrandCentral.

Renê Fraga [PersonRank 1]

8 days ago #

Hello!

I found the download link... is working! :)

updates.picasa.com/hello/651/H ...

Thanks Philipp

Renê Fraga [PersonRank 1]

8 days ago #

You can access the old pages at:
www.hello.com/what_is_hello.ph ...

The secret is "https" :)

石岩杰 [PersonRank 0]

8 days ago #

再见,“Hello”!

Keith Chan [PersonRank 10]

8 days ago #

I always wished Hello would one day merge with Google Talk .. imagine how powerful a tool it would be .. sigh ..

deb C [PersonRank 0]

8 days ago #

savehello.blogspot.com/

Hello is something I use daily – there isn't anything like it in any messaging client available that I've seen.

I can coordinate a graphic design collaboration instantly. I can use it to help teach someone how to do something without having to render out a screen capture video (and upload it). I can pick up tips and tricks from people who serve as my mentors, and get instant feedback from clients; all of this without ever having to touch another program, wait on email, etc.

I can show pictures to Grandma, and see the latest nonsense from the family on the other side of the country. All without having to do customer support and teach people how to use it.

Hello gave me a spam-free, virus-free, porn-free platform to work, to play, and to stay in touch with friends and family. I'm devastated that it's going away and am writing Google to urge their reconsideration.

We might not be the most vocal piece of the internet, but there are MANY of us who use Hello every day. I urge every one of you who use it to tell Google how you use Hello – and ask them to reconsider this move.

deb

savehello.blogspot.com/

Robert H [PersonRank 0]

8 days ago #

Ummm.... I never heard of the service. That's probable bad, huh?

Doles [PersonRank 0]

7 days ago #

I setup several of my family members on hello and we used it all the time for years. It was a really convenient way to share full resolution JPG's between family members.

Vic Stapel [PersonRank 0]

6 days ago #

I AM VERY SAD to loose the amazing picture sharing tool.

I used it from day one, VERY often and worldwide.

Those who give negative or derogatory comments, obviously have not tried to enjoy and should refrain from being in the KNOW that not many used it.

I was able to send 1024x768 pic up to 600pieces per hour worldwide.
Without uploading ftp etc SO VERY PRACTICAL . Try that with ANY other software and tell me you can instantly talk about the pictures and
with saying look at page X or picture number xxx etc.

Especially the chat that links people with matching pop up pictures.
It was so convenient to say LOOK AT THIS ONE and knowing on the otherside of the world your chat partner will have the same one picture between (ay 600) popping up on his/her screen.

I was very good also to compare and read in connection with SKYPE
many pages documents and discuss them and than amend them in COLLANOS (an excellent OPEN SOURCE software, to share files & directories online).

GOOGLE if YOU read this!!!!!!!!!!

Tell us what is the reason behind all this? I hope HELLO will become either OPENSOURCE or resurface soon under a new name or linked to something within Google.

Don't tell me that SKETCHUP 6 will also one day simply be struck from the Internet Google map!!

A sincere Google Fan! (not so much today) snif :-(

For the few negative/sarcastic commentators above.
You will be missing nothing anyway
as visual creativity is never was and never will be your "Forte".

Rodney [PersonRank 0]

2 days ago #

The HELLO.com homepage now says that the new shutdown date will be June 11th.

I for one used HELLO every day all day for the past 3+ years. I put together an open letter/petition to hopefully get Google to change their mind about shutting down this unique instant messenger service.

Check out savehello.org

drtimofey [PersonRank 4]

1 day ago #

Hello.com would be a great domain name for orkut! BTW, where the heck did orkut originate from??

Ionut Alex. Chitu [PersonRank 10]

1 day ago #

From its creator: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut_B% ...

Philipp Lenssen [PersonRank 10]

1 day ago #

From Orkut Büyükkökten, "a Turkish software engineer who developed the social networking service called Orkut," as Wikipedia says:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orkut_B% ...

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