X1 Search Utility Phones Home
Hi, Fred. I just received your most recent LangaList Plus issue and
read with some interest your recommendation of the X1 search engine.
I went to the site you mentioned and downloaded the software. I then
poked around for some time trying to find out what it costs. I could
find NOTHING about how to buy it or what it costs, though I have the
distinct feeling it isn't free.
I then went to install the software on my computer, thinking that
perhaps I could find out that way what it will cost. Since it said I
was agreeing to their Privacy Policy, I clicked on that and found
that they may well collect all kinds of personal information about
me--name, address, phone number, credit card number, etc.--all of
which they may share with their "partners." They also plan to keep a
record of what searches I do, what sites I visit, etc. Perhaps they
should rename the software Big Brother!
After reading about all the information I'm agreeing that they can
gather and share, I decided to stay with Copernic Desktop Search,
which is amazingly good at what it does and is free. There are
things Copernic won't index, which is why I was interested in X1,
but their not being forthcoming about what the software costs,
coupled with an absurd amount of information they plan to gather
about me, I decided I didn't need X1. I'm a little surprised that
you said nothing about any of this in your description.
I love LangaList Plus. This was one of the few times I've been
disappointed, and "disappointed" is perhaps too strong a word.
"Puzzled," perhaps. Best wishes, ---Joan Korenman
You're right. Somehow the presentation of X1 Enterprise Client on the X1.com
Web site (
http://x1.com/ ) doesn't *feel* free, but X1 is, in fact, a totally
free utility. The company used to charge $74.95 for it, but started giving it
away in June. X1 makes its money mainly by charging for a range of server-
level enterprise solutions, plug-ins and professional services.
You're also right about the privacy policy, which is packed with language
about aggressive "phone-home" functionality (features that gather user and
usage data, then transmit it back to the company).
You're given the option both during and after installation, however, to turn
all this off. If X1 is already installed, choose Options from the Tools menu,
choose Basic Options in the left pane, then deselect three items: "Check for
new version at startup," "Upload daily usage statistics" and "Upload
application failures."
Just to be sure, I contacted X1 Product Marketing Manager Joe Longtin, who
assured me that by deselecting the items above, all "phone home" functionality
is, in fact, disabled.
X1 really is a nice utility. It searches a whopping 370 file formats and
supports quite a few e-mail applications, including Outlook, Outlook Express,
Eudora, Mozilla, Thunderbird, Netscape Mail and Lotus Notes. You can even
search attachments -while they're still attached.
Not everyone has heard of X1, but many are familiar with Yahoo Desktop Search
(
http://desktop.yahoo.com/ ), which is actually based on X1.
