Only yesterday I had made a post about coldwar between Google and Microsoft and surprisingly, today afternoon I found a relevant article called IS GOOGLE THE NEW MICROSOFT? in The Economist. Here are some fragments from the article.
"...During the mainframe era, IBM wore the crown. But it fumbled the transition to smaller machines in the personal-compuer era, and the throne was usurped by Microsoft. Now, at the dawn of the new era of internet services, Google is widely seen as the heir to the kingdom. As the upstart has matured into a powerful industry giant, the suggestion that "Google is the new Microsoft" has become commonplace in computing circles..."
The article continues, saying that Google has awesome power in its hands. "...Google provides the front door to the internet. For many online businesses, their position in its search ranking - the workings of which are closely guarded secret - is a matter of life or death. Too much power is thus concentrated in Google's hands, say critics, including Microsoft's Bill Gates. Microsoft and other big internet firms, including eBay, Amazon and Yahoo!, are now said to be negotiating various alliances in order to provide a counterweight to the new behemoth. Smaller firms feel even more vulnerable. As soon as Google says it is moving into a particular market, small fry in that market now dart for cover, unless they are lucky enough to be acquired by Google."
Right now, what Google is offering to its competitors can be compared to a raging hell. As a humble user of the Internet, I am myself hooked up with Google - so much so that I have never really used other search engines for a pretty six years now. In pre-Google days, I used to search for an item in all of the then search-sites like altavista, go, yahoo, msn, hotbot and sometimes even northernlights. But after I started to use Google, I have never felt the need to use another search engine. Of course, other search engines do provide results - but the thing is that, from Google, one gets more than sufficient explorable results for his search. Moreover, the search process has been made much more easier for users through its proprietary trademark software - Google Toolbar. If you're a collector of antique software, then you can visit this page where I have kept my collection of all the Google Toolbars to date, compatible with Internet Explorer.
Returning back to the article, there is an interesting comparision that usually goes un-noticed. "...Try to avoid using Microsoft's software for a day, particularly if you work in an office, and you will have difficulty; but surviving a day without Google is relatively easy." It says at the end of the article, "...Google may be the nearest thing to the new Microsoft of the internet era, and the two companies clearly regard each other as their main rivals..."
So what say you? Will this competition remain as a coldwar, or will it grow into a full-fledged, full-contact, face-to-face combat? But one thing is almost sure - the domain will not have another singular giant with monopolistic capabilities.
"...During the mainframe era, IBM wore the crown. But it fumbled the transition to smaller machines in the personal-compuer era, and the throne was usurped by Microsoft. Now, at the dawn of the new era of internet services, Google is widely seen as the heir to the kingdom. As the upstart has matured into a powerful industry giant, the suggestion that "Google is the new Microsoft" has become commonplace in computing circles..."
The article continues, saying that Google has awesome power in its hands. "...Google provides the front door to the internet. For many online businesses, their position in its search ranking - the workings of which are closely guarded secret - is a matter of life or death. Too much power is thus concentrated in Google's hands, say critics, including Microsoft's Bill Gates. Microsoft and other big internet firms, including eBay, Amazon and Yahoo!, are now said to be negotiating various alliances in order to provide a counterweight to the new behemoth. Smaller firms feel even more vulnerable. As soon as Google says it is moving into a particular market, small fry in that market now dart for cover, unless they are lucky enough to be acquired by Google."
Right now, what Google is offering to its competitors can be compared to a raging hell. As a humble user of the Internet, I am myself hooked up with Google - so much so that I have never really used other search engines for a pretty six years now. In pre-Google days, I used to search for an item in all of the then search-sites like altavista, go, yahoo, msn, hotbot and sometimes even northernlights. But after I started to use Google, I have never felt the need to use another search engine. Of course, other search engines do provide results - but the thing is that, from Google, one gets more than sufficient explorable results for his search. Moreover, the search process has been made much more easier for users through its proprietary trademark software - Google Toolbar. If you're a collector of antique software, then you can visit this page where I have kept my collection of all the Google Toolbars to date, compatible with Internet Explorer.
Returning back to the article, there is an interesting comparision that usually goes un-noticed. "...Try to avoid using Microsoft's software for a day, particularly if you work in an office, and you will have difficulty; but surviving a day without Google is relatively easy." It says at the end of the article, "...Google may be the nearest thing to the new Microsoft of the internet era, and the two companies clearly regard each other as their main rivals..."
So what say you? Will this competition remain as a coldwar, or will it grow into a full-fledged, full-contact, face-to-face combat? But one thing is almost sure - the domain will not have another singular giant with monopolistic capabilities.
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