One thing I've had a hard time getting used to with Google Docs and other Google services is that functionality comes and goes. The latest victim? In Google Docs, the "Save" and "Save & Close" buttons are no longer there in the upper right-hand corner of the page. Google, please, pretty please put those buttons back.Often the changes are so subtle that you don't notice them. Buttons and features appear and disappear. Some are missed, others are not. This weekend, I launched a Google Document, and, much to my horror, the two buttons I use the most are no longer there. To be fair, Google replicated the "Save" button in the form of a little floppy icon (**see tangent below) on the far left side of the tool bar, similar to the one in Microsoft Word. And of course, Google Docs auto saves pretty much every minute. I did notice that the buttons are still in the Spreadsheet program, but they are gone from Docs.

And this means I have to change my behavior now, and that ticks me off. When I am done with a document, I always, always hit the "Save & Close" button, so that I am reassured the latest version has been saved. I also like that it automatically closed the window, so you could take care of two actions in one. That is no longer the case. Now I have to save by clicking the button on the opposite side of the screen. I still find myself going to where the button used to be. After saving, then you can close the window/tab manually in your browser. This takes extra time and slows me down. Google, what was the impetus behind this latest Docs upgrade?

I interviewed Google for an article over a year ago about Google Docs. I remember the spokesperson was very excited to note that new features are added almost daily and users always get the latest and best version for free and the upgrades are taken care of automatically. While that holds water most of the time, instances such as this -- that force the user to change behavior -- can be negative.

**Tangent Why is a little floppy disc still an appropriate icon for "saving" data? Floppy discs went the way of the dinosaur, people. Is it just that ingrained in the computer-using public that a picture of a floppy signifies "save"? Most information is saved on hard drives, USB drives, servers, and optical media these days. None of these look anything like a floppy disc. And what about younger users who have never even seen a floppy drive/disc? How is that icon appropriate to them?