Susan Potter

» Google Wave is just a simple XMPP extension shrink wrapped in hype

UPDATE: More complete thoughts are on my blog post, “Google Wave is not the answer, XMPP is!”.  The following was my knee jerk reaction to seeing what all the Google Wave hype was really about.

After watching the Google Wave presentation I have to say the only impressive parts of the demonstration application was the web integration, NOT the underlying Google Wave API, protocol or concepts.  The concepts demonstrated in the link are already pretty old (at least as old as XMPP/Jabber protocol).

The hype about Google Wave and people’s overwhelming positive (no thinking) response to it worries me.  Here is an internet behemoth that simply wants a way to control everything on the internet, however it can.  Standing on the shoulders of XMPP simply means they are getting a ridiculous amount of credit where it isn’t due.

One word of praise for Google though is that their web toolkit that allowed them to integrate the features so nicely really is worth position feedback!  To me that was the only nifty thing I saw in the Google Wave presentation, NOT Google Wave!

Let’s praise Google for what it is good at, but not give them credit where it isn’t due!  That is all I ask from people.