According to Reuters, Google has asked a federal judge today to extend the consent decree that settled the antitrust case against Microsoft Corp. supposedly in order to address competition concerns involving the Windows Vista operating system.
Previously, Google has complained that Microsoft was unwilling to let Google outbid an OS function native to Windows since it’s early days to Google. Google would like to offer user’s more choice, by outbidding Microsoft at Dell and thereby shoving Google Desktop down user’s throats.
As I’ve said before, I think if Microsoft invents something new and even remotely novel, they should be allowed to incorporate it into the OS. Desktop search in itself, doesn’t give Microsoft an edge in any other arena.
If the case is pushed in favor of Windows, all companies can rejoice besides Microsoft. This means I can sue Microsoft because they don’t provide user’s a choice at the Default Icons, Linux might want to implement a Linux Kernel into Windows, and why not give user’s choice there?
At the end of the day, Google is no better than any other company. Why is it that other programmers have no problem earning hard earned cash by programming for Windows? It wouldn’t be popular if it wasn’t the most powerful platform to code for. By whining in federal court, I feel you loose much of your prestige, this is not the same as Netscape, as far as I can see (I’m not saying that there might be much I don’t see) I’ve seen Microsoft do nothing but be more than willing to spend money and resources on giving its competitors and equal footing everywhere they can possibly imagine.
When you go bitch to Microsoft about this Google, just remember, you are getting awfully close to a monopoly in Search and online advertising, and I am a true believer in you reap what you sow, just as Microsoft has been.
Let me try to reiterate this one more time. Google, Microsoft has been providing Desktop Search before you existed. When Microsoft showed off the power of instant search at the WWDC (or was it WINHEC?) over a half a decade ago, you and Apple and even the folks over at a certain Beagle Linux camp, scrambled to try and copy the technology as fast as you could. Even though you beat Microsoft to the punch, they invented this crap, and you didn’t.
By you claiming you want to offer users more choice in public, and then behind closed doors, you pay every cent you can to make sure your own choice gets stuffed down user’s throats, you are acting more evil than Microsoft. Now if you were going to bat for user’s, and you were pushing for something that would totally benefit users like a customization wizard when a new Windows profile was created, then you would be a holy warrior.
Until then you are loosing Karma and Goodwill brand name power. When you let your lawyers do the thinking for you, you risk alienating all of those developers like myself that do nothing but say good things about you. I knew some day you would become this thing and yet I always hoped you wouldn’t. Make all of your departments stand on the moral high ground just as your privacy group is doing, don’t force your product down user’s throat, fight for real choice.
How would you like it if someone offered a cookie on a Dell PC that would insert the results and ads from your competitors when they typed something into Google.com? I’m going to assume that you also like to improve Google products without your competitors whining to federal court. Just because the EU whines doesn’t mean you should be doing so, it sounds lame and you are the only one really doing it these days.
Just another note, I have never earned a cent from Microsoft, I don’t really consider myself a fanboy even, they piss me off all the time too, I just think the most sickening thing is folks who side against companies when they shouldn’t, I own Apple products, I am and avid Linux user and I simply just love technology and I hope that it keeps getting better and better faster and faster. I think it’s a justice to all involved in technology to have an intelligent conversation about the politics that can creep into the field. I’m not always right but I do try to call the shots as I see them, and I am constantly not agreeing with the crowd.
GeekSpeaker 