James_Douglas Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) Hi all, I have been going to a car club event called Friendship Day for a long time. For several years now it has been going on in a nice parking lot of a business park at 1400 Seaport Blvd. in Redwood City, CA. It is always held on the 3rd Sunday in May. The people that run the show for the club (http://www.mpotac.org/history.php) have told us that the show may not take place this year. Why, because the "new" owners of the business park will not allow it. This business park is at the end of a long road with salt ponds and other industrial business which line the route from the highway off ramp to the park. On the other side of the business park is San Francisco Bay. Basically, this is the perfect out of the way place on a Sunday to have a car show. There is almost zero traffic in and near this business park on a Sunday. So, who is the new Ebenezer Scrooge who will not allow the car show? Google. I am posting this to let people know who love old cars that Google does not love you back. As a "tech" guy, that makes me mad. I have removed all Google software from my computers and I will not use their search engine. I use Duck Duck go now. In the event that you feel as I do, then send them a note telling them, like I did, that I will no longer support anything they do since they do not support my Hobby and passion. Thank you for the soap box. James. PS. If you really feel strongly about this copy and cross post this on other car web sites! Edited February 25, 2015 by James_Douglas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 . . . I have removed all Google software from my computers and I will not use their search engine. I use Duck Duck go now. . . I like ixquick a bit better than Duck Duck Go. I removed all Google software from my computer and, a bit harder to do, from my Android phone but suspect that is a bit beyond the abilities and desires of most people. About like suggesting they avoid using a cable or satellite provider for their TV. What was the contact point you found for lodging a complaint with Google? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 I like ixquick a bit better than Duck Duck Go. I removed all Google software from my computer and, a bit harder to do, from my Android phone but suspect that is a bit beyond the abilities and desires of most people. About like suggesting they avoid using a cable or satellite provider for their TV. What was the contact point you found for lodging a complaint with Google? Did you format and reinstall a different software on your phone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobertKB Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 (edited) I believe this thread should be in the "Off Topic" Forum and the moderator who has already read it should have moved it. I personally like Google and do not plan on ridding myself of it. As the owner of the property, they can do what they want. I doubt it has anything to do with old cars and there may well be some car guys in Google. I doubt they are being Scrooge-like as Google hardly needs the less-than-pocket change from renting the space. We live in such a litigious society that I don't blame anyone for banning anything on their property. If they haven't already, maybe the people who organize the event need to take out event insurance and show that as proof of coverage. Even then, the property owner can still most likely be held liable if something does happen like someone is injured in an accident, a car burns up or explodes, or the event draws any undesirables who cause trouble. Stranger things have happened at car shows. Gotta love the legal system. Whole thing is an over-reaction and the organizers need to find somewhere else. Edited February 25, 2015 by RobertKB 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 dang...I have been on your side long many years before this happened..I do not now or in the past support google web search..it retruned too much junk that was just not relevant to the search..too much cross references and splinters of the search word...pure clutter in my book.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 I believe this thread should be in the "Off Topic" Forum and the moderator who has already read it should have moved it. I personally like Google and do not plan on ridding myself of it. As the owner of the property, they can do what they want. I doubt it has anything to do with old cars and there may well be some car guys in Google. I doubt they are being Scrooge-like as Google hardly needs the less-than-pocket change from renting the space. We live in such a litigious society that I don't blame anyone for banning anything on their property. If they haven't already, maybe the people who organize the event need to take out event insurance and show that as proof of coverage. Even then, the property owner can still most likely be held liable if something does happen like someone is injured in an accident, a car burns up or explodes, or the event draws any undesirables who cause trouble. Stranger things have happened at car shows. Gotta love the legal system. Whole thing is an over-reaction and the organizers need to find somewhere else. Okay, thread moved. The Mid-Peninsula Old Time Auto Club has held this meet, which happens to be the largest of its type in the area, at different venues over the years. It has only been at the Seaport Blvd location for maybe the last 4 or 5 years. Before that it was at Cañada College. And before that at Foothill College. As it is a large event they need a place with lots of parking and that has been the problem, not insurance which the need and have. The two college locations were fine until they out grew the Foothill location and Cañada built on what was parking areas. I think they are also cost constrained so that may play into it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Did you format and reinstall a different software on your phone? Yeah, rooted it and installed CyanogenMod. To get the Google Mobile Services (GMS) colloquially called "Google Apps" or "gapps" you need to actually separately install them afterward which I did not do. I am using F-Droid for many of my apps and stuff from the Micro-G or "no-gapps" project for other things like network location (some of the Micro-G stuff is available through F-Droid too). Since I run my own servers it was possible for me to setup shared calendaring, email, etc. using various open source bits and pieces (typically called "sync adapters") along with the built-in Android Open Source Project (ASOP) stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulu Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Google is evil but I still don't hate Google as much as I hate Dell. I'll get drunk some time and tell you all why. I kinda hate "smartphones" too and I don't own one. I spend my whole life with PC's and when I'm not on one I want to be offline. Totally off. Away and gone. 100% downtime. Incommunicado. I don't want to squint at a little tiny baby PC. I just don't get this idea where people want to be "always connected", while I'm trying so hard to "get away from it all". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Ulu, on 27 Feb 2015 - 1:48 PM, said: I just don't get this idea where people want to be "always connected", while I'm trying so hard to "get away from it all". Ok..this may be tricky...I get the feeling you are being held hostage and forced by knife or gunpoint to connect to this forum. Is this an attempt to signal to one of us? If you are in duress and need intervention...slip in a underscored entry if yes...help will be sent... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulu Posted March 3, 2015 Report Share Posted March 3, 2015 This is no hostage situation, but at this point I wouldn't turn down a fueled helicopter and a bag full of money if offered... Anyhow Here is not where I'm trying to get away from. It's where I try to get away to. ...but you won't catch me browsing the posts on a phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobT-47P15 Posted March 4, 2015 Report Share Posted March 4, 2015 I know.......the posts are kind of hard to read on a phone. But I do it sometimes on my I Phone 4 (a freebie for signing up for 2 additional years with the carrier). It is a good way to kill time while the Mrs is shopping in Goodwill, or some other store. I just try to located that chair or couple of chairs the store has semi-hidden for bored guys to sit in while waiting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayfarer Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Yeah, rooted it and installed CyanogenMod. To get the Google Mobile Services (GMS) colloquially called "Google Apps" or "gapps" you need to actually separately install them afterward which I did not do. I am using F-Droid for many of my apps and stuff from the Micro-G or "no-gapps" project for other things like network location (some of the Micro-G stuff is available through F-Droid too). Since I run my own servers it was possible for me to setup shared calendaring, email, etc. using various open source bits and pieces (typically called "sync adapters") along with the built-in Android Open Source Project (ASOP) stuff. ...is this some new form of English or just a foreign language that kinda looks like what English used to be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 its Cyber Greek...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 ...is this some new form of English or just a foreign language that kinda looks like what English used to be? You mean you didn't understand all of that? You need nerdier friends like I have. Basically you take your phone and install third party aftermarket software on it to rid it of google etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulu Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Well they tell you it gets rid of google, but don't be too sure. Google's got deep roots. Remember trying to get rid of Norton, after it became crapware? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Well they tell you it gets rid of google, but don't be too sure. Google's got deep roots. Remember trying to get rid of Norton, after it became crapware? I am pretty sure from the source of this one that it really does free you of google. Either way I'm about to do it not to rid myself of google but rather the 15-20 preloaded aps on my phone that I dont use and cant uninstall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulu Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Well that would sure be a blessing. Bloatware tops my list of reasons not to buy from some companies at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TodFitch Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 Well they tell you it gets rid of google, but don't be too sure. Google's got deep roots. Remember trying to get rid of Norton, after it became crapware? I am pretty sure from the source of this one that it really does free you of google. Either way I'm about to do it not to rid myself of google but rather the 15-20 preloaded aps on my phone that I dont use and cant uninstall. In my case, having relatively recently retired from 40 years of embedded system programming, I look at the source code if I have questions. Nice thing about alternatives like CyanogenMod is the source code is published so if you are a programmer you can go read it and see what it is really doing. Now there is a lot of code there and I haven't gone through more than a fraction of it. But given the nature of the open source software community, there are lots of independent eyes looking at that code for various reasons and communicating it. I am fairly confident that the things in there that give information to Google are being discussed in places that I'd hear about it. And, in fact, CyanogenMod does have at least one library installed that phones home to Google. But since the source code published so others can see where it is and what it does, there is another open source project that has created an easy way to remove it. My original reason for wiping the factory software off was exactly the one Young Ed mentioned: There were pre-installed apps that I did not use and were taking up space I needed and wanted for other things. But as long as I was in there I figured I would go for more privacy too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathbound Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 This is all very interesting & getting off topic from the original post, but it is in the OT forum. I'm not very computer savvy and getting rid of unwanted/never used preloaded apps is what I'd like to figure out how to do.....from a smart phone.....and laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulu Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 My programming experience falls completely outside these matters, so for me it's mostly a matter of trust. Or lack of it. I have a very hard time believing in Google. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulu Posted March 17, 2015 Report Share Posted March 17, 2015 This is all very interesting & getting off topic from the original post, but it is in the OT forum. I'm not very computer savvy and getting rid of unwanted/never used preloaded apps is what I'd like to figure out how to do.....from a smart phone.....and laptop. Mainly it's a matter of research. Look up the stuff on the web & find the instructions to dump it. Some stuff is harder than others of course, so it pays to do the homework. But if someone's figured out a way, it'll be posted on the web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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