Electronics & Computers Deals here!Why I'm passing on Google's 10th anniversary
If you're Eric Schmidt, you have to pray that Google is not going to need to hire an out-of-work comedian when it turns 30.
Happy birthday? You better believe it, pal.
Of course, Google has another couple of decades before reaching that milestone. By then, Schmidt will be kicking it in the Bahamas (or wherever it is that gazillionaires spend their golden, um, in this case, platinum years.)
It's been awhile, but I'm quite sure I did not write a piece marking the cosmic significance of Microsoft when it reached 10. (And I'm not going to bore you by writing about the metaphysical meaning of Google at 10, either. Here's the BBC report. )
Besides, there was a reason why Microsoft at 10 was hardly worthy of much note at the time. In 1988, you could have declared Microsoft to have been first among equals, though not much more than that. Yes, the company was growing fat and happy thanks to the incredible money machine that was DOS. And of course, each time a PC went out the door, Bill Gates and Co. received a royalty payment.
But Microsoft also had to contend with the likes of Lotus Development Corp., as well as WordPerfect, Borland, Ashton-Tate, Novell, and others. We know how the story ended. There were myriad reasons why history turned out the way it did--too many to recount in this space. But it's important to recall the way the computer industry's history actually unfolded. Microsoft's dominance wasn't guaranteed and the company had to claw its way to the top of the heap.
Schmidt knows this narrative through first-hand experience. He also knows that Google at 10 occupies a stronger position than did Microsoft at a similar point in its history. Neither Microsoft nor Yahoo have found a way to upend the search business. So that leaves the economy and the likelihood of a Martian invasion as Google's two biggest potential challenges. Can't do anything about the economy, though one has to believe (hope?) that the current meltdown eventually stops. As for the Martians, not to worry: California can call Schwarzenegger.
As for Google at 10, who cares? The better story is Google at 20. If past is prologue, that's going to be something to behold.
Charles is an executive editor with CNET News. He has covered technology and business for more than 25 years. A graduate of Queens College and Columbia University, Cooper began his career in journalism at the Associated Press before moving to technology coverage. Before joining CNET News, he worked at Computer & Software News, Computer Shopper, PC Week, and ZDNet. He received the Excellence in Journalism award from the Northern California branch of the Society for Professional Journalists for column writing. In addition to his blogging and podcast appearances, he is a co-host of the CNET News Daily Debrief. E-mail Charlie.
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1. Dominate everyone's lives because they have a total lock on everyone's data and movements. Which is what all their 'free' software and their mobile OS is all about. Think Orwell.
or
2. Have been smacked hard for its privacy violations and have learned to succeed with a business model that doesn't involve cataloging everyone. They will also have to learn how to write solid, relatively bug free code that is intended for consumer use. Their crap almost makes MS look competent. Almost. A good example is Google docs: under-featured, just plain bad, and buggy as hell; especially if two or more people are working on the same doc.
or
3. Got smacked hard, didn't learn its lesson and got sued into oblivion.
If people are clueless, how about writing an intelligent rebuttal about how Google is not a threat to privacy or have cursed the Internet with more and more ads.
I guess Google is paying you per post and not per word?
Correct.
Nothing outside search has made any money for Google, not even Youtube.
Microsoft continues to dominate the world's desktops with Windows, the productivity tools with Microsoft Office and IE still dominates web browsing. In Servers, Windows Sever and Exchange Server have a far higher market share than anyone else, with Windows Server growth actually outpacing that of Linux in 2007.
Google still dominates search, but in the past year alone, Google stock price is down over 40% as growth slowed down.
Microsoft sold DOS for the first 10 years. Google relied on an Internet, nonexistent when Microsoft started.They did & to great extent continue to sell different products and services to same users.
How many computers were in use in 1985 and what was the total market for software at that point? Both Google and Microsoft have accomplished great things, but to compare 2008 Google to 1985 Microsoft is absurd.
I wonder at what point in the near future these two giants will buy each other out ? And who do you think will buy who?
Till then wait and watch
--Santosh Shetgar
The world wide web did not.
Google might be thinking that,it will provide user an interface over internet in such a way that,Operating system may not required.
- why people need operating system ?? - can it be managed without OS!!!!
lets keep it for google to think and work on it! ;)
-Santosh Shetgar
Even if that changes, whatever you use to connect to all the web sites that hold your data hostage will still have some sort of OS on it.