Okay, I will say this. When combined with Google Desktop, Google Talk is pretty cool. It just becomes a component of the Sidebar, meaning it doesn’t really add another client window to your crowded screen (Sidebar itself, of course, is an extremely obtrusive addition to your screen–but if you’re already using Sidebar, Talk makes for a minor addition to the chaos on your monitor). Although as of now that is completely theoretical, as I’ve yet to use the program to actually communicate with anyone (someone message me!).
In a week or two I will probably write up a better review of both Google Desktop and Google Talk, but in the mean time I will simply note (again) that I don’t really see any niche that Talk is filling and direct you to what I wrote about Konfabulator, which is Yahoo!’s preemptive response to Google Desktop’s sidebar.
Major caveat: there are those who believe Google is steadily increasing its deathgrip on the world and its private data–these new programs do nothing whatsoever to dissuade such people from donning their aluminum foil hats and anti-probe chastity belts.
Extremely related: A long and interesting discourse on this general subject as well as the future of computing by Jason Kottke.
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