Comments on: Google – trying to be too clever http://blog.thestateofme.com/2009/06/05/google-trying-to-be-too-clever/ IT mixology and other thoughts about tech, life the universe and everything Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:33:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: @ndy http://blog.thestateofme.com/2009/06/05/google-trying-to-be-too-clever/#comment-942 @ndy Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:21:39 +0000 http://thestateofme.wordpress.com/?p=108#comment-942 I think this has become worse of late. It used to be that whether I visited google.com or google.co.uk I always got redirected to google.co.uk. Now it always seems to forget. All the new AJAXification they seem to have done over the last few weeks also confuses my browser (Firefox 3) no end. If I refine my search from the results page it's a lottery as to whether it'll actually "notice" and reload the page. Don't get me started on the "bar at the right". Doesn't that go against all their UI analysis to date? I think this has become worse of late. It used to be that whether I visited google.com or google.co.uk I always got redirected to google.co.uk. Now it always seems to forget. All the new AJAXification they seem to have done over the last few weeks also confuses my browser (Firefox 3) no end. If I refine my search from the results page it’s a lottery as to whether it’ll actually “notice” and reload the page.
Don’t get me started on the “bar at the right”. Doesn’t that go against all their UI analysis to date?

]]> By: Chris Swan http://blog.thestateofme.com/2009/06/05/google-trying-to-be-too-clever/#comment-280 Chris Swan Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:39:47 +0000 http://thestateofme.wordpress.com/?p=108#comment-280 I'm clearly not alone on this one - http://zakwilson.posterous.com/lay-off-the-geolocation-already I’m clearly not alone on this one – http://zakwilson.posterous.com/lay-off-the-geolocation-already

]]> By: John Davies http://blog.thestateofme.com/2009/06/05/google-trying-to-be-too-clever/#comment-224 John Davies Fri, 05 Jun 2009 09:06:11 +0000 http://thestateofme.wordpress.com/?p=108#comment-224 This is typically American, how for example can you determine the language in Switzerland (where there are four official languages), French in Alsace may prefer German, Belgium is effectively split in two with their languages. I totally agree with you, I spent over an hour trying to access my Google Blogger in Hebrew while in Tel Aviv, it's a real pain. While it's perhaps clever to default into local majority languages Google really must respect user preference. The other annoyance I have is that the Google toolbar search in FireFox always defaults to Google.com which then re-directs to the local version. Search for something in Paris and your result come back on Google.fr, try it in the Virgin lounge in Heathrow and they come back in German as they use T-Mobile, extremely annoying. Now of course you can change the .de to .co.uk but why can't I default to .co.uk in English (or one of the other 3 languages I speak) but at least my choice, not Google's guess. -John- This is typically American, how for example can you determine the language in Switzerland (where there are four official languages), French in Alsace may prefer German, Belgium is effectively split in two with their languages. I totally agree with you, I spent over an hour trying to access my Google Blogger in Hebrew while in Tel Aviv, it’s a real pain. While it’s perhaps clever to default into local majority languages Google really must respect user preference. The other annoyance I have is that the Google toolbar search in FireFox always defaults to Google.com which then re-directs to the local version. Search for something in Paris and your result come back on Google.fr, try it in the Virgin lounge in Heathrow and they come back in German as they use T-Mobile, extremely annoying. Now of course you can change the .de to .co.uk but why can’t I default to .co.uk in English (or one of the other 3 languages I speak) but at least my choice, not Google’s guess.

-John-

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