Googles Homage to Mac OS X Vanishes

Updated: Google X, a labs project that offered an alternative way to access search services, appears to be unavailable a day after being unveiled.

Within a day of its public debut, a Google Labs project that emulates some of the graphical elements of the Mac OS X operating system is nowhere to be found.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Web page for the project, called Google X, was unavailable. Visits to the Google X URL returned a note that the requested URL was not found on the server.

Google X is an experimental interface for accessing Googles various search services, which range from Web and image search to its local and groups services.

Late Tuesday, a Google software engineer had announced Google X through Googles Weblog. The project is one of the first public examples of Google introducing alternative interfaces into its search services.

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Google spokespeople declined to comment on the status of Google X. A cached version of Google X was still available here.

The project appeared to be a tribute to some of the design elements in the user interface of Mac OS X. In Google X, the blue links above Googles search query box were replaced with graphical icons in a bar similar to Mac OS Xs desktop dock.

According to users who visited the site before its disappearance, the icons magnified when scrolled over.

Google Xs tagline waxed poetic about the inspiration behind it: "Roses are red. Violets are blue. OS X rocks. Homage to you."

Google software engineer Chikai Ohazama wrote that he had created Google X because he "wanted a quick, fun way to access all of Googles services."

He wrote that he had shared the project with Google co-workers and others, and then it came to the attention of Marissa Mayer, Googles director of consumer Web products. She urged him to prepare it for posting on Google Labs, the companys site for prototypes.

"So, after some spit and polish from some enthusiastic Googlers and the keen eye of the UI team, Google X is here," Ohazama wrote.

Editors Note: This story was updated to include Google spokespeoples statement that they decline to comment on Google X.

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