Distributed Google

The Google Toolbar is a useful little app. Perform web searches, search within a site, Usenet searches, image searches and Directory searches all without going to the trouble of typing www.google.com into your browser. Ok, so maybe it doesn’t really

The Google Toolbar is a useful little app. Perform web searches, search within a site, Usenet searches, image searches and Directory searches all without going to the trouble of typing www.google.com into your browser. Ok, so maybe it doesn't really save you much effort – but heck, its cool and that's all that matters.

The newest feature of Google Toolbar is 'Google Compute', a distributed computing feature that uses your spare CPU cycles to process data for Stanford University's Folding@Home project. At least, that's what Google is saying.

As far as we can tell, Google Compute is yet to be implemented. Being unavailable in the Toolbar version we have installed at work, we thought perhaps Google Compute could only be used with the newest Toolbar. After downloaded the currently available version, we were disappointed to find no mention of Google Compute in either the toolbar itself or its configuration page.

While Folding@Home may not be everyone's first choice when it comes to distributed computing (Atomic HQ runs SETI, as do most of our home computers), Google Compute will support other deserving DC projects at some point in the future. Of course, that would require Google programmers turning the feature on in the first place, but we have no doubts Google will come through in the end. Go Google!