SiliconBeat: Google's "GDrive" part of promise for infinite storage

GDrive

Greg Linden points to some slides from Google's Analyst Day that were subsequently removed by Google, but the text of which Linden has relocated. Note that something called GDrive is mentioned, although Google clearly doesn't see it as the entire solution.

With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including: emails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc). We already have efforts in this direction in terms of GDrive, GDS, Lighthouse, but all of them face bandwidth and storage constraints today.

For example: Firefox team is working on server side stored state but they want to store only URLs rather than complete web pages for storage reasons. This theme will help us make the client less important (thin client, thick server model) which suits our strength vis-a-vis Microsoft and is also of great value to the user. As we move toward the "Store 100%" reality, the online copy of your data will become your Golden Copy and your local-machine copy serves more like a cache. An important implication of this theme is that we can make your online copy more secure than it would be on your own machine. Another important implication of this theme is that storing 100% of a user's data makes each piece of data more valuable because it can be access across applications. For example: a user's Orkut profile has more value when it's accessible from Gmail (as addressbook), Lighthouse (as access lis... [...TRUNCATED...]

ZDNet's Garett Rogers comments:

The GDrive service will provide anyone (who trusts Google with their data) a universally accessible network share that spans across computers, operating systems and even devices. Users will no longer require third party applications to emulate this behaviour by abusing Gmail storage.

In a Windows environment, most users know how to use the typical C: in "My Computer". Network drives work exactly the same but are given a different letter and the files within are not stored on the computer. If my suspicions are correct and GDrive is simply a network share, most applications could take advantage of this service without modification.

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From: SiliconBeat
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I think this is really cool - as long as it solves the security issues. This is indeed the webtop trend that is threatening Microsoft. I look forward to the day that I don't have to carry my laptop around!

Helen Wang on March 6, 2006 1:07 PM
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So what happens when the Justice Department asks for personal information. Will US citizens have their personal data stored on servers in Venezuela, and Venezuelans have their data stored in the US so that the respective governments cannot go after their citizens' data?

If Google is going to launch this service, they should address how they will protect the data from government subpoenas.

I would rather lug my laptop around than have any government get access to it, and further curtailing my privacy and rights.

Paul Denlinger on March 6, 2006 2:39 PM
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The G-drive isn't new, or even original... at Stata Labs in 2003 I was in a meeting where Raymie Stata showed a very, very similar concept, then named "B-drive" (after Bloomba) to a big group of Google engineers and corporate development folks at Google. Stata Labs was acquired by Yahoo within a year, and Raymie is now a senior level search architect. Makes me wonder when we'll hear about the "Y-drive" project.

Aaron Burcell on March 6, 2006 2:57 PM
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correction: gmail drive (http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm) is the desktop utility.

gmail Space is the firefox add-on (https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/moreinfo.php?id=1593&application=firefox)

david on March 6, 2006 3:31 PM
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Google's GDrive mimics mi2g D2-Banking Innovation

London, UK - 8th March 2006, 10:30 GMT - Google appears to have copied one major strand of mi2g's D2-Banking software innovation, which is part of a decade long mi2g project -- christened "Operation Kitty Hawk" -- according to leaked blogs about its GDrive "Infinite Storage" initiative.

Announced to the world on 17th December 2003, the same day as the first centenary of the Wright Brothers' powered flight from Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, mi2g's D2-Banking -- Data custody and Digital banking -- service is the guaranteed custody of genomic maps and medical records; art, photo, music and video collections; personal files including wills, deeds and memoirs; and other intellectual property alongside traditional financial services in a remarkably similar fashion to Google's GDrive. The public announcement is available from here.

mi2g's Executive Chairman, DK Matai, said "We had contacted Google a number of times in regard to our D2-Banking software innovation in late 2003, post launch, and 2004 via their website and even furnished them with an executive summary marked for the attention of their CEO Eric Schmidt but received no response. We are surprised to note that they are clandestinely developing a service remarkably similar to the one we alerted to them as a new business initiative, which they solicited at that time on their website." A copy of the Executive Summary is available from here.

According to various media sources, Google is planning a massive online storage facility to encompass all users' files, the GDrive. The plans were allegedly revealed accidentally after a blogger spotted notes in a slideshow presentation wrongly published on Google's site. The GDrive, previously the subject of chatroom rumour, would offer a mirror of users' hard drives. Google has declined to comment on the reports but said the slide notes had now been deleted. In the notes, chief executive Eric Schmidt reportedly said Google's aim was to "store 100%" of users' information. The notes said: "With infinite storage, we can house all user files, including e-mails, web history, pictures, bookmarks, etc; and make it accessible from anywhere (any device, any platform, etc)."

mi2g reserves the right to run its D2-Banking services unencumbered. Further, it reserves the right to make a claim in the future that Google may have copied its innovation. mi2g has provided public domain evidence that it had announced its software innovation on 17th December 2003. mi2g is seeking legal advice in regard to next steps.

[ENDS]

mi2g Intelligence Unit on March 9, 2006 9:29 AM
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