I've been looking to do something like this for my group at my work, but we're not comfortable with storing confidential company docs on a public server. However, having something like GDocs suite for a group of 15 people who constantly share docs would be an incredible time saver.

Does anyone know of a way to accomplish something similar with local hosting of the files?

Google needs to come out with an office appliance already, I'll be first in line. You hear that Google?

I wish Gmail offered IMAP. I currently use IMAP with my domain, but the webmail (Squirrel) is very weak.

@monkeyboy: IMAP would really be a kick ass, but however I doubt that Google will ever launch it.

Oh my. Where I work we were just discussing yesterday about migrating to the gmail service for our email needs. And today I see this post. Thank you very much I think this will help sway our boss.

Such an unrelenting and uncritical promotion of Google and its various and sundry services and applications forces me to wonder:

Is there some sort of secret financial arrangement here?

The lack of anything but glowing tributes and flowery paeans to Google is misleading and appears self-serving. Where is the talk of Google's lack of any guarantee of service or warrant of merchantability? There's no promise that tomorrow it will read anything you wrote today; no promise that it will be compatible with other major commercial applications; and simply no promise that it will actually still be here tomorrow.

How about a discussion of Google's history with personal security and privacy? There is no legal restriction of Google taking anything you create with their software and selling it - either for commercial development or selling your info for profit. Last I knew, anything you left on Google servers (including temporary files) belonged to Google. Including intellectual property.

In fact, Google has a horrible reputation of doing things like this in the past. Yet, I never see mention of that - or even use as a caveat - in any of your many (many!) recommendations.

@imajoebob:
from Google's TOS:
11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive licence to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This licence is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

The rest is a standard disclaimer saying they can use your content for advertising their services and redistribution purposes (so no dimwit decides to sue Google because they are serving his blogger blog). It also says that their uses of your content might be even further restricted depending on the service.

As far as the question of lifehacker receiving compensation from Google for their recommendations, they seem responsible enough to disclaim such actions. (I remember seeing such disclaimers on other posts where the product being discussed if from a sponsor, etc. Speaking of which they also list their advertisers every week.)
The reality is that a lot of people use Google services (actually, I'm not... is a better place to go for such commentary.

Now, back on topic. Until Gmail supports IMAP, I don't think I'll take the full plunge. I really prefer a dedicated email client that can fully sync with a webmail client for those few times I need to use it.

I did this several months ago, and it's one of the best things I've done for my family, computer-wise. Highly recommended--plus you get best-in-breed antispam and antivirus on your email!

It definitely meets personal preferences; my wife gets her email on her mac whereas I use GMail exclusively. Distribution groups are also supported.

You can implement multiple domains; I have about three domains MX'd to Google. I'm also using subdomains so that, for example, [anything]@spouse.familyname.com all goes (directly) to spouse@familyname.com; [anything]@daughter.familyname.com goes (directly)to daughter@familyname.com.

On IMAP: Google does offer a migration tool, but not native IMAP implementation.

So for some reason linking to the consumerist snips a post? Here's what my last post should have said at the end.

The reality is that a lot of people use Google services (actually, I'm not one of them... I just have a gmail account to have one, I barely even use it). Lifehacker's role is to provide tips, tricks and hacks to people, not necessarily provide political, legal or social commentary on companies practices or actions. Their sister site, The Consumerist (http://consumerist.com) is a better place to go for such commentary.

Google's Motto: Don't Be Evil...

Wait... you don't trust that?

@imajoebob

1) Lifehacker isn't promoting Google. They are promoting Scott Hanselman's article, noting it is a "great reference" if you have decided to move to Google apps.

2) Scott isn't promoting Google either. He is just saying what he did.

3) Scott Hanselman might have the same objections to Google as you do. He says, "I trust them (more or less)."

If you want to educate the world about everything bad about Google, why don't you get your own blog? Document the cases that you see. Provide some background for Google's "horrible reputaion."

Accusing Lifehacker of promoting Google for financial reasons isn't going to convince anyone.

@Alan Thomas:

I've been toying with doing that for some time. Any tips, how-tos on implementing GAfYD for family use?!

Would appreciate any help on this from Lifehackers!

@imajoebob:

What history would that be Bob? Did Google sell a bunch of users docs or spreadsheets? Did Google have some massive security breach? No to both.

Was it Google that rolled over to the US Government when the Justice Department wanted user searches or was it AOL, Microsoft and Yahoo? Give ya a hint; it wasn't Google.

Who provides any kind of uptime assurance for a free service? Hotmail? No. Yahoo? No. AOL? No. Zoho? No. That's right Bob, nobody gives you any kind of assurance with a FREE service. You get what you pay for. I can tell you that on their paid version of their Apps service you do you get assurance that you will have availability. Can't tell you what it is because I have never had to use it. My service has always been up.

I love it when someone speaks as an "expert", Bob, when clearly they haven't a clue about the facts.

Conspiracy theories aside, imajoebob does present some valid concerns. The service is free and comes with no guarantee of uptime. While I'm sure GOOG is doing their best to secure the data and that Google's best is probably better than most, nothing is 100% secure.

The article is actually about moving your FAMILY to Google apps.

Now if your business can accept the risks, then by all means go for it.

But the way people rely on e-mail these days, and the fact that if you lose your Internet connection, you lose even internal communication and access to the entire suite of apps, it's probably only suitable for a small business made of decentralized teleworkers who all provide their own connectivity most of the time.