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October 16, 2001 at 11:25 pm #14349fstieglitzMember
Just curious if anyone has thought about Groove, the Peer-to-peer collaboration environment by Groove networks.
I’ve poked around in with Groove a little bit. Just so I stay on-topic here on BigBlueBall, Groove does include instant messaging and chat. It also extends things a bit with features such as shared collaboration spaces for projects, whiteboard, calendars, custom apps, etc…
Check it out at http://www.groovenetworks.com
Any thoughts out there?
October 16, 2001 at 11:28 pm #103001Jeff HesterKeymasterI loaded it once when it first came out, but haven’t looked at it in a long time. I do know that Microsoft recently invested $50 million in Groove.
Obviously Ozzie and the folks at Groove are doing something interesting. Sounds like it’s time for me to take another look.
Have you used it? What is it’s “niche?”
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.comOctober 17, 2001 at 5:59 pm #103005rustedtightMemberNiche? this P2P app’s niche is B2B.
A great addition to Microshaft cos its typical fatware, at 14 MB its already 10MB too fat.
Bill will love it.October 17, 2001 at 7:16 pm #103000Jeff HesterKeymasterQuote:quote:
Niche? this P2P app’s niche is B2B.
A great addition to Microshaft cos its typical fatware, at 14 MB its already 10MB too fat.
Bill will love it.Groove isn’t positioned as a competitor to AIM, Yahoo Messenger or other instant messaging products. It does allow chat, but much more. It is focused on the business market, but it has been used for much more. Ray Ozzie (Groove’s founder) said his son used it to create a workspace for his Quake buddies.
Groove has the online awareness and chat features of IM, but adds voice, file sharing, discussion forums, co-browsing, calendar features and more.
Is it bloatware? Maybe, maybe not. If you’re looking at it simply as a messenger, yes. If you’re looking at is as an easy way to setup a shared workspace for collaboration, then I’d say it’s pretty efficient.
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.comOctober 17, 2001 at 10:31 pm #103012chaspleenMemberTake a look at Magi Express (http://www.endeavors.com). Can be downloaded there or from CNET where there are reviews and ratings.
Much better than Groove in my opinion. More stable, the freeware is more functional and it doesn’t hog resources. Just make sure you’re configured for Web folders (see note at endeavors site where you download).
October 17, 2001 at 10:50 pm #102999Jeff HesterKeymasterFor anyone who is interested, I’ve created a shared Groove space. If you want to check it out, download Groove (it’s FREE), and reply here. I’ll send you an invite to join the shared space.
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.comOctober 18, 2001 at 6:36 am #103002FanaticMemberA good place for info on Groove (better than groovenetworks.com) is their online forums, at http://www.groove.net/forums/
Edited by – fanatic on 10/18/2001 01:39:08
October 18, 2001 at 9:42 pm #103006fstieglitzMemberI had installed and tried Groove several months ago. For a while, it sat dormant until I was reminded about it by a coworker.
Looking into it a bit more, I was compelled to upgrade my Groove to the latest release. I followed the upgrade instructions on the Groove web.
After numerous upgrade attempts, bizzare error messages, C++ runtime errors, three complete program un-installs followed by three complete program re-installs all involving numerous reboots, I was finally able to get the new version up.Now, my only problems are:
1) Because of all this thrashing around, the two project spaces I was using were totally erased
2) I now seem to have TWO duplicate identities on groove.netSo. Though I like what the Groove people have done in their P2P collaborative concept, I guess I’m not too happy with their ability to test and deliver something that makes upgrading easy on the poor user. There should be no reason why previous spaces are deleted, nor why your identity is not handled correctly.
Oh well. All that said, I am still very interested in Groove and the whole concept of P2P work methods.
Maybe I should consult BBB-Alice before I upgrade next time?
October 31, 2001 at 10:17 pm #102998Jeff HesterKeymasterGroove Networks has announced that Groove will work closely with Windows Messenger for XP. Currently Groove uses its own proprietary IM solution, and they hope this move will help them gain a foothold in the corporate market by leveraging a technology that millions are already familar with and using (MSN Messenger).
Here’s the full article from the Associated Press.
Looks like the $$ Microsoft threw at Groove Networks is yielding dividends for someone. Groove does do some cool stuff, and it would be great if it were integrated with MSN Messenger.
I’d like to see the new Alerts tab used for notification of Groove activity!
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.comNovember 2, 2001 at 1:53 am #103011chaspleenMemberNovember 9, 2001 at 11:57 am #103004rustedtightMemberQuote:quote:Have a look at Magi (http://www.endeavors.com) before you fall too much in love.Yeah, Chaspleen, I trend to agree. Magi certainly seems more stable, the download is simple and installation is trouble free.
Is it of interest to members?? hmmm, dunno, AOL it aint, MSN it aint.
Damn, guess its dead in the water then……November 9, 2001 at 6:22 pm #103010chaspleenMemberQuote:quote:Quote:quote:Have a look at Magi (http://www.endeavors.com) before you fall too much in love.Yeah, Chaspleen, I trend to agree. Magi certainly seems more stable, the download is simple and installation is trouble free.
Is it of interest to members?? hmmm, dunno, AOL it aint, MSN it aint.
Damn, guess its dead in the water then……November 9, 2001 at 6:31 pm #103009chaspleenMemberOoops. Sorry about above blan response.
I hope you’re kidding. Magi has lots more going for it than IM. File access control for one, which Groove doesn’t have in its free version. Also you can transfer any type of file. And you can print (not possible in Groove), email or fax files from Magi. Also can access with a WAP phone. The enterprise version looks very awesome, although that’s not free.
November 16, 2001 at 6:00 pm #102997Jeff HesterKeymasterOK, I took the bait and downloaded Magi, but was very disappointed. Chaspleen, do you work for Endeaver or something? Because your view is definately slanted.
First of all, a visit to the Endeavor web site was an exercise in patience. It was not clear where I could find Magi to download. I had to hunt for it.
Ok, I make it over that hurdle and began the installation. One of the dialog boxes in the setup program has a blatant typographic error! Didn’t do much to instill confidence in the product. It felt very amateurish.
But the icing on the cake came when I tried to run the program. I double-clicked the Magi icon in anticipation of God-knows-what… my monitor flickered once… and my computer restarted!
I’m not running on a lame PC either. It’s a 400 Mhz P2 with 128 MB RAM running Windows ME (which is supposed to meet the requirements for Magi).
Now I’m pissed off that I wasted time wandering around their web site, downloading an app that serves no purpose other than to automatically reboot my pc. Stable? Hah!!!!!!
One final note: This thread was meant to cover Groove. If you want to discuss Magi, you’re welcome to, but let’s start a new topic for that.
Jeff Hester
BigBlueBall.comNovember 22, 2001 at 1:38 pm #103008chaspleenMemberSorry Jeff. First I heard of that kind of problem intalling Magi. (Maybe Groove ruined your machine for Magi )
Certainly, judging by the Groove forums, that software is far from trouble-free, including on installation.
In any case, you’re correct that this is a Groove forum and I won’t intrude re Magi. (And, no, I don’t work for them. Just a satisfied user.)
In that respect, how is Groove working for you?
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