The search in Vista will blow GDS away I think. It will be faster and always up to date. And it wont have to do the initial index. With mac punters already covered for search (Spotlight) I don't think anyone will need GDS.

Is this why Google keep adding lots and lots of features to GDS to make it more sticky?

What's so great about Vista's search?

It's available in Windows Desktop Search 3.0 for Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917013

Besides, not everybody will have Vista.

I think Google Desktop will be the client-side software for GDrive, so it will integrate more functions.

I'm with Sam Davyson on this one. :) Who needs GDS when you have Vista or Mac??

First of all, it doesn't work in Mac. Second of all, by the time Vista is launched, GDS will be much more than that.

I use Windows XP and I don't see ANY reason to upgrade to Vista. I don't want to buy new hardware, and most of the new features from Vista are already available in other programs (like GDS). Think about that.

I actually do use it, Ionut. But I still feel that people will not be as likely to download GDS if they have Microsoft Vista. It will have to be pre-installed by the manufacturer (i.e. Dell or Gateway) .

I use it a lot, but fink GDS is a bit slow...

I am split on this.. the Vista search long with the Aero interface is really neat.. I kinda had a peek into interface with the MSN guys in TO.

What will be interesting is wither GDS interfaces to their GDrive initative and can Vista cross over into the MS-LiveDrive initative ??

The bottom line would be can the same search expereince be transformed across all services and modules ?? Whoever does that seamlessly will win!!

I started making heavy use of GDS when they added the double-control feature. Since GDS keeps the list organized based on the things you've selected most recently, it's very rare that I have to type more than three letters for it to find the program I'm looking for. That means I can launch just about any program I want in six keystrokes, including the two cntrls and the enter. That's usually quicker for me than trying to find an icon somewhere, and much quicker than going through the start menu, which I haven't used in ages.

Another trick I like is to search for a file extension. Searching for "doc" or "tex" generally brings up the most recent file of that type that I've accessed, which is much quicker than finding it by other means.

Since I'm using two monitors, I also have enough space to show the sidebar most of the time. Having instant access to my todo list and system monitor is very handy. Since GTalk can integrate directly into the sidebar, it doesn't take much more space than just running GTalk alone. One last neat trick is to use it as a spell-checker. When not running Word, sometimes it's useful to just type a single word into the search box. GDS will suggest a correct spelling if you've spelled it wrong.

I'm not sure if I've ever used GDS for actual search, but I use it all the time for the program launcher and sidebar. I didn't know some of the things from that blog, though.

I've installed and deinstalled just every new version of the Google Desktop. It just isn't "it" for me. I'm very happy with my Copernic desktop search and for widgets, I use Konfabulator (Yahoo Widgets). Seems the only thing I use Google for is search and adsense.

I enjoyed Google Desktop for the search, but didn't have much use for the sidebar features after I played with it a bit. I finally had to disable GD because it conflicted with uTorrent.

My best GDS tip: hit <ctrl><ctrl> to pop up a box where you can type a couple kewyords and search Google or GDS. I love that.

Matt, Won't GDS (and other Google Software) come preinstalled on Dells ?

I'd have to agree with Matt, the <ctrl><ctrl> feature is by far one of my favorites.

Re: Erik K
You seem to use it mostly as an app launcher. For that purpose, and for many other search scenarios, I find the not so well known FindAndRunRobot fasteR, lighter and thus better.

yeah, but I want <ctrl><ctrl> to be trigger and I should be able to retrieve information from DT as well as Gmail even though i am not logged in.. how will this be accomplished ??

I think most search patterns deals with the intricate information which is residing either in your files systems (local) or within your gmail or for that matter of fact *my* groups etc etc..

that's the type of search which will help users.. an enabler of personal knowledge..

You have to select Index Gmail from your Google Desktop preferences.
Screen Pic:
http://picasaweb.google.com/topdawgnate/Web/photo#4971490227402309650

Then use these help pages:
http://desktop.google.com/en/features.html#advancedsearch
http://desktop.google.com/en/features.html#gmail

Hope this answers your question /pd

I use FindAndRunRobot as a launcher too, which uses the Pause/Break key as the trigger (what else is that key for?)

And I use PowerPro to assign <ctrl><ctrl> to something else (and <shift><shift>, <alt><alt>, and <caps lock><caps lock>).

And X1 for desktop search, 'cos all the others are toys by comparison ;)

Something cool from X1:

"Punctuation Rules
Punctuation is used to break up search expressions into smaller components. If the punctuation is within two characters of the start of the word, it is kept as a part of the word. Punctuation at the fourth character or later within a word acts as a space. For example, x1.com is searched as one word, but idealab.com is not. In the latter case, the search expression is split into two components: idealab and com. The first component is searched as an exact match, so idealab.com is actually searched as idealab= com. If there is more than one component (e.g., myfriendidealab.com), all but the last component are searched as exact matches (i.e. myfriend= idealab= com)."

I uninstalled it almost at once. It seems designed for people who have fast broadband connections, not slow dialup connections. There doesn't seem to be anything one can do with it that doesn't require an internet connection.

In general, I have very mixed feelings about desktop search utilities and, especially, Vista's.

1. They take up a lot of disk space (the index, that is)- and the more you have, the more space is needed for the index. Rule Number 1 about disk space is that the hard drive you buy is large enough for what you have for only a few months or a year at most. It always fills up way before you are ready to buy/add a new hard drive or replace your computer. No doubt I am old-fashioned, but between my directory structure, file naming connections and the pitiful, yes pitiful, search capabilities of Explorer, I've yet to find a need for an über search utility – and believe me: I have thousands of directories and tens of thousands of files.

2. It seems to me that the built-in search that comes with Vista is an open door to hackers. They won't have to do anything except hook into the search index to find sensitive data on your computer. That's the last thing we need.