Google stops development on Google Wave

[Safe-Keeper]

Just read in my local paper that Google Wave has been discontinued. Saw a couple of the vids on it on YouTube and was one of the ones who were underwhelmed (my response could be summed up as "OK, so it's a chat room?"). Anyone try it? Your thoughts?

 

[Salerio]

Just read in my local paper that Google Wave has been discontinued. Saw a couple of the vids on it on YouTube and was one of the ones who were underwhelmed (my response could be summed up as "OK, so it's a chat room?"). Anyone try it? Your thoughts?

I've been using it for 6 months. It's more like a solution looking for a problem. Without everyone getting involved I don't think it achieved enough critical mass to make it. The biggest downer for me was the inability to remove a person from a wave once they were added. That is absolutely crucial.

I'd like to think that the knowledge gained from the beta will allow Google to get it right next time. The concept was great, you could drag anything into a wave and just add users to share it. As it's been made Open Source I can see it really taking off now. Incorporating it into Outlook, Exchange, MAil, all the assorted IMs, Facebook it would be amazing. Just Google users it was never going to get the corporate market where it would be an amazing product to integrate with messaging.

 

[leon_heller]

I'd never heard of it until I saw today on the BBC News web site that it was being abandoned. It does look as if it could be quite useful for many organisations.

 

[SRW]

I tried it for a couple of weeks, it worked well enough but could not find much use for it. If it were incorporated into Outlook that would be a different story.

 

[rjh01]

It has been a short life for google wave. See this thread for when it started. http://www.internationalskeptics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160298&referrerid=6535

 

[HawaiiBigSis]

I actually used it -- and liked it. For limited uses, but it was pretty cool.

My family and I have been using it to plan and talk about their upcoming visit, and it was nice because it kept the discussion sorta organized. We'd previously done such chatting in a shared document, but the wave was nice because it showed new comments that were inserted into the main text, so if somebody had a new thought about something early in the wave, they didn't have to put a date stamp on it (which is how we used the document sharing feature before wave came along).

It also had the advantage over chat because we didn't all have to be in the wave at the same time -- and considering the distance between us, and our work schedules, etc., required a huge amount of coordination.

I'm gonna miss it. But fortunately, they won't take it away until after their upcoming visit, so we'll still be able to use it until then!

 

[Cuddles]

I actually used it -- and liked it. For limited uses, but it was pretty cool.

My family and I have been using it to plan and talk about their upcoming visit, and it was nice because it kept the discussion sorta organized. We'd previously done such chatting in a shared document, but the wave was nice because it showed new comments that were inserted into the main text, so if somebody had a new thought about something early in the wave, they didn't have to put a date stamp on it (which is how we used the document sharing feature before wave came along).

It also had the advantage over chat because we didn't all have to be in the wave at the same time -- and considering the distance between us, and our work schedules, etc., required a huge amount of coordination.

So it's basically just Facebook, but with a slightly more forum-like format for conversations. Hardly surprising that it didn't take off. Just another example of a company doing exactly the same as everyone else while trying to hype it as something new and revolutionary. I have yet to see anyone other than Apple actually make that work.

 

[rjh01]

I actually used it -- and liked it. For limited uses, but it was pretty cool.

My family and I have been using it to plan and talk about their upcoming visit, and it was nice because it kept the discussion sorta organized. We'd previously done such chatting in a shared document, but the wave was nice because it showed new comments that were inserted into the main text, so if somebody had a new thought about something early in the wave, they didn't have to put a date stamp on it (which is how we used the document sharing feature before wave came along).

It also had the advantage over chat because we didn't all have to be in the wave at the same time -- and considering the distance between us, and our work schedules, etc., required a huge amount of coordination.

I'm gonna miss it. But fortunately, they won't take it away until after their upcoming visit, so we'll still be able to use it until then!

Wait until after the forum upgrade. Then social groups would be able to do everything that you just said. Otherwise you can start your own private forum, which also can do the same job.

 

[qarnos]

just another example of a company doing exactly the same as everyone else while trying to hype it as something new and revolutionary. i have yet to see anyone other than apple actually make that work.

ftw!