On the Lighter Side of Google's Chrome

A couple of you have been asking why I have not weighed in on Google's Chrome. Okay. I installed at about 4 a.m. 5 September. Why was I not the first geek in my block to install Google's Chrome?

Because I'm one of those funny guys, that actually reads those pesky little things known as Terms of Service (TOS).

The way things were originally released, section 11 gave Google "a perpetual, he revocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and nonexclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any content which you submit, post or display on or through, the services."

While Google's official blog at 11:22 a.m. on the fourth of September, says it will take a little time to propagate a change to the over 40 languages that Google's Chrome is available, there is a change to the terms of service. It now reads like this.

11. Content license from you

"11.1 you retain copyright and other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services,"

The blog continues to say, "And that's all. Period. End of section. And that the new terms are of course, retroactive.

The BBC quoted Rebecca Ward, senior product Council for Google Chrome said the problem arose because Google reuses hunks of its Universal Terms of Service across its offerings "in order to keep things simple for our users".

Personally, I'm delighted, and that Google recognized his error so quickly, and promptly issued a straight up "opps" we didn't mean that, and changed things. Maybe it wouldn't matter so much to you. And since I actually write for a living, the original EULA (End-User License Agreement) would have meant that Google would own my entries, including this article at TRCB.com

And while I exactly didn't consider this fair, by installing Google Chrome, I would've been agreeing to this. As the US legal system seems to operate by "innocent until proven bankrupt", and Google has more money than me, well I just avoided Google's Chrome.

So now that I have had Chrome installed for a few hours, I can say, yep, it's a beta product. It borrows some of the great features of Firefox, Opera, and Internet Explorer Version 8. It does seem to be doing a pretty good job interpreting the different websites.

Gudrun is reporting it's not happy with webinars. I suppose that will get fixed, almost as quickly as the TOS for Google's Chrome was.

Currently, my biggest beef is Google's Chrome is only available for Microsoft Windows. I personally do enjoy computers. And there is more to them than Microsoft Windows, alone. Oh, and it would not let me copy and paste this entry either.

Looking for a Job? TRCB Recommends this FREE Report

Getting Past The Gate Keeper: How to get the work you love and the money you want by Colin Daymude at The Job Genius. Download this FREE Report at www.TheJobGenius.com OR Simply Enter information below to gain immediate access:

First Name * Email *

• Article Word Count: 441
• |
• Total Views: 212
• |
• permalink