Linux users may or may not be familiar with the popular product, Google Desktop, which seems to be somewhat of a staple on many Windows computers today. Regardless, Google Desktop now is supported on Linux and available for download.

In a nutshell, this powerful indexer allows you to search more than just file names, but file contents of not only the web, but many common file types as well. From the Google Desktop features list:

Google Desktop automatically indexes and allows you to search the full text of virtually all your files, including the following types:

• Gmail
• Text files and source code
• PDF and PS files
• HTML files
• Email from Thunderbird
• OpenOffice.org documents
• Image and music files
• Man pages and Info pages
• Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Of course, with the convenience comes the obvious price of system resources being consumed by the indexing process.