Google gripe

[cowpatz]

My partners elderly parents have been long time users of Google's Google desktop program. It has allowed them to add little widgets to google desktop which they find very helpful. Things like the ability to add many world clocks (for calling family overseas) and global city weather which has live updates. They can also get news updates. The beauty is that it is all avaialble with one click of the mouse. Google have decided, in their infinite wisdom, to now close down Google desktop at the end of the month stating that the cloud is the way forward. Maybe it is and maybe it isn't.....with the price of our data and data caps who wants to chew that up with downloading widget updates? So now they, and I am sure many others, are left high and dry with no alternative.
I thought that I might leave some feedback for Google but do you think that it is possible to contact them directly via email? Nope....zippo.
I'm all for progress but it has to be a positive change and one for the better. In this case there are no real alternatives for these elderly folk.
This BS is not just a Google issue. Take a look at Facebook. What an overly complex piece of garbage. It is all over the place like a mad woman's sh....well you know.
Perhaps if these software giants actually listened to their users rather than thinking they know what we want and therefore they know best, things might be somewhat different. Windows 8 is a classic case in point.
Whatever happened to customer focus? At the end of the day this is what will ultimately lead to their downfall.....arrogance.

[toprob]

It sounds like it's been made obsolete by Windows 8. For example, the normal Windows clock now allows me to display two extra clocks, which I use often to keep tabs on family overseas, and the weather app is pretty cool:)

[cowpatz]

Rob it has taken 2 years to get them 'comfortable' with Windows 7. Essentially for them staying in touch involves clicking on the Chrome icon and then that loads the iGoogle desktop page. Everything they need is there. They can also use skype. Basically anything that only needs 1 or 2 clicks.
Even I wont touch Windows 8 so there is not much hope for them I'm afraid.
Ironically with the demise of iGoogle the alternative sites are getting swamped IGHome (the closest in format) for example cannot cope and has had a 503 error for hours.
Funny how Google can just turn it's back on a significant user base and offer nothing to replace it.

[Chairman]

Maybe you could cobble together an html page with a few widgets / news feeds / clocks / whatevers and make that their start screen ?

[cowpatz]

Yeah not a bad idea. I might have to google around and see what widgets/feeds are available. Might be able to put something together.
IGHome seems to be a reasonable replacement that looks very similar to what they have although some of the widgets dont seem to work that well. The world clock just shows 1200AM and 1 Jan for every city.