Google has killed off Wave despite initial buzz that the experiment was going to change communication. The problem: Wave just didn’t garner much of a following. Props to Google for ditching efforts that fall flat (Techmeme). But since we’re housecleaning at Google, here are a few more projects that should be put out of their misery.
Note: This article originally appeared as an entry in ZDNet’s Between the Lines blog.
1: Buzz
Annoying and just not quite right. Like Wave, it had some early juice and then just sort of fell flat.
2: Orkut
AOL had Bebo. Google has Orkut. Perhaps there’s a following here, but at the risk of sounding downright antisocial, I’d nuke Orkut too.
3: Friend Connect
Build a real social network or go home. Google is still trying.
4: Google Desktop
Can be handy, but mostly it’s a resource hog.
5: Google Base
You may be surprised to hear that this is still around (and in beta, of course).
6: Google Checkout
Is Checkout a mere distraction? It’s a valid question, considering there are other dominant payment forces out there like PayPal. Update: A few folks pointed out that Checkout is important to Google’s mobile ambitions. Knol got a write-in vote to replace Checkout on the kill list.
7: Google Toolbar
Why? Toolbars suck — all of them.
8: Google Latitude
A few folks seem to like it, but the product inflates the search giant’s creepiness factor.
9: Google Pack
If we want a Google app, we’ll download them individually.
10: Photo Screensaver
This screensaver is part of Google Pack, but it can be downright annoying.
Honorable mention: Picasa
Jason Hiner suggested this one, and Sam Diaz and I shouted him down. Who’s right?
Larry Dignan is editorial director of TechRepublic, as well as editor in chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet.
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