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    Google vs Microsoft: Attack of the Chrome

    By Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 10:54am | Technology

    The NYT reports that Google is planning the most direct challenge to Microsoft to date: an operating system.

    The software, called the Google Chrome Operating System, is initially intended for use in the tiny, low-cost portable computers known as netbooks, which have been selling quickly even as demand for other PCs has plummeted. Google said it believed the software would also be able to power full-size PCs.

    As noted by dag reader, Nebton, Chrome's success hinges on whether Google can persuade computer retailers to bundle the OS on their netbooks and ultimately on their PCs. Microsoft is certain to fight bitterly to prevent that. Other companies over the years have tried to beat Microsoft at the OS game and failed spectacularly despite offering better products. The Windows OS is the linchpin of the Microsoft's business. They will commit everything they have to maintaining their near-monopoly in the space.

    I'm something of a Google-skeptic, not because I'm critical of the company but because I don't share others' confidence that it can achieve it's grandiose ambitions. In my opinion, the company has had two major successes--the search engine and online advertising platform--and two minor ones--gmail and google maps. These successes are certainly significant and have made Google into a $100B company, but they do not in themselves mean that Google will be the future of computing.

    That said, Google has a decent shot for the following reasons:

    1. Good software. With an emphasis on simplicity and originality, Google has repeatedly led the way in user interface innovations.
    2. Deep pockets. Not since IBM dumped OS/2 has a company this big challenged Microsoft on its home turf.
    3. Smart niche. The market for netbooks is growing rapidly, and Microsoft does not own it. Many netbooks currently run on Linux, with Microsoft lamely offering netbook makers its old Windows XP at a low price.
    4. Open source. That means more innovative software from developers and a likely source of Chrome evangelism.
    5. Free. Enough said.

    Microsoft is also weaker than at any time since it first launched Windows. The growth of web-computing has minimized the significance of Microsoft's Windows dominion, and the success of open source software has increased the competition in the application market. As of late, Microsoft's response to challenges has been sluggish, and its product improvements have been more timid than usual.

    Even if it ultimately fails, Google's foray into the OS world is welcome for the pressure it will put on Microsoft and possibly Apple to improve their own products. Consumers can expect to see price drops and feature innovations in future releases. If for no other reason, I say: You go Google.

    Game on. May the best code win.

    Topics: 
    Technology

    Comments

    Oh ye of little faith.

    Actually, I think it almost all rides on one thing: whether or not Google can convince hardware manufactures to bundle Chrome with the netbooks. That might be where the deep pockets (and brand familiarity) help.

    I, for one, welcome my new Google overlord.


    by Nebton on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 11:06am

    Oh Mighty Google (hereafter OMG!);

    Believe not the Nebton, in his nebulosity. His welcome is less than sincere.

    Nor the Genghroid, in his Genghrosiousness.

    The former counts cards, and the latter hums heresies. Proof of the heretic:

    "It's the eye of the tiger, it's the cream of the fight 

    Risin' up to the challenge of our rival

    And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

    And he's watchin' us all in the eye of the tiger."

    Crush them, OMG! 

    Écrasez l'Infâme!!


    by quinn esq on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 11:31am

    Nor the eskimo in his faux-fanatical quinntosity


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 11:41am

    Actually, I think it almost all rides on one thing: whether or not Google can convince hardware manufactures to bundle Chrome with the netbooks. That might be where the deep pockets (and brand familiarity) help.

    Yes, that was implicit. But I'll take your cue and make it explicit. I think the "free" part helps a lot with this too.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 11:35am

    As much as I like and enjoy using its products though I have been using Bing (faster) and Ask (more relevant) a lot more lately, Google is using its monopolistic position in advertising, search and general Web services to put Microsoft out of business.   And that is illegal. 

     

    Having a presence on the Apple board and working with Microsoft's customers (PC makers) against Microsoft, is conspiracy in the real sense and should bring a RICO allegation against Google and its collaborators.  What Google is doing sounds a lot like what Intel gets in trouble for a lot.  Where is the outrage against Google?

     

    Everyone loves Google.  Everyone loves Warren Buffet.  If Buffett started building cars, better cars maybe, maybe not and giving them away with the hope and goal of dominating the market for his insurance businesses, would that be fair competition to Ford?

     

    People refer to the "Microsoft tax”, give me a break.  When Google realizes its goal of dominating the Web experience, everyone, even non-computer users will pay a “Google tax” passed on to consumers by advertisers of all manner of goods and services because they will have pay the Troll whatever it demands to play in it’s G-Space.

     


    by Carl in Silicon... (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:04pm

    I think you have some valid points about Google using "unfair" tactics against Microsoft, but it's fighting fire with fire, IMO. The "Microsoft tax" is very real - manufacturers get charged a license fee for every box they build (if they accept the MS discount), even if that box doesn't have Windows on it, so there's a disincentive for them to install additional operating systems - even if those are free! (Mainly because there's no such thing as free, since there will always be support calls.)

    If they were competing against anyone but Microsoft, I'd share your indignation. In this case, however, they're using their deep pockets to level the playing field themselves, rather than waiting for the slow (and inadequate) march of the court system to help out.


    by Nebton on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:10pm

    Carl, I appreciate your honesty in telling us where you work (presumably not for Google).

    Your criticism of Google seems to be based on what you expect it to do once it "puts Microsoft out of business." Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself? Microsoft is big enough and rich enough to defend itself, and has never shied from using brass knuckles or a shiv on its often smaller rivals. So far, it looks like healthy competition to me.

    I question your objectivity when, in your first sentence, you both question Google's ethics and praise Ask and Bing. ASK? I haven't tried Bing, but I'm amazed you can say anything positive about Ask, which simply installs itself surreptitiously on your machine and is hard as hell to remove. That's not software, it's a virus.

    One last thing: I foolishly upgraded to Internet Explorer 8 recently. Balky, buggy piece of crap. Firefox, here I come!


    by acanuck on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 3:02pm

    What about Chrome? :)


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 3:18pm

    If I get your drift, Genghis, you're asking why, if I'm so pissed off at IE 8, I don't just dump Microsoft altogether. Because Chrome is untried, and XP does a passable job, and changing operating systems seems a bit riskier than switching browsers. Maybe down the road, if Microsoft tries to force me to buy Windows 7 or 8 by sabotaging its previous OSes, I'll move to some open-source system.

    But for now, not everything Microsoft puts out is necessarily crap. I use Outlook Express for email, though I did switch to Open Office for text. Google, on the other hand, supplies my home page (Google News), default search engine, web albums and photo archive (Picasa), and internet telephony (Skype). As long as they all play nice together and don't wage turf wars inside my PC, I'm cool with the eclectic mix.


    by acanuck on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 4:04pm

    Sorry, I meant the chrome browser: http://www.google.com/chrome. The chrome OS is not released and won't be for a while. I don't use the browser b/c I have a mac, but I've heard good things. Of course, firefox is also good. IE sucks. Dump it.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 4:19pm

    Right, the buzz over the Chrome OS sorta overwhelmed discussion of the browser. Firefox is more appealing to me because 3.5 builds on an already very solid base; Chrome is relatively untested.

    As for dumping IE, it's as good as done; I always knew it sucked, but I could tolerate previous versions. I think they rushed the release of IE 8 because of what their rivals were doing, and it's backfiring badly.


    by acanuck on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 6:36pm

    Chrome crashes once in a while and for some sites it doesn't play to video, but otherwise, I like the navigation a lot.


    by Orlando on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 9:45pm

    Not entirely sure, but I think you may mean OS/2 in your second bullet point.  OS/2 wasn't even a direct challenge to Microsoft by IBM, but began as a collaboration between the two.  It was only when relations between the two fell apart that IBM began pushing OS/2 (and it's descendent, Warp) in competition with Windows.  It's also no mere coincidence that this schism occurred right before Microsoft started pushing Windows 3.0.

    This is just to say that there have been few, if any, bona fide challenges to Microsoft's desktop operating systems.


    by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:06pm

    Thanks for the correction. OS/2 was certainly the strongest challenger, but I would also call Linux a "bona fide" challenger. That still counts as "few" though.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 1:23pm

    I'm going to come out and predict it now: I think this entry might attract as many new visitors as Genghis' "heresy" against MJ and/or North Korea.


    by Nebton on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:12pm

    Yep. Eye-of-the-tiger-boy went and used the magic word. Free.

    by quinn esq on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 12:19pm

    It appears that my prediction might have doomed this thread.


    by Nebton on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 2:03pm

    I guess that breaking operating system news can't compete with hysterical North Korean threats. Go figure.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 2:36pm

    Or with the death of beloved pedophiles, either.

    Er, I mean alleged pedophiles.


    by Nebton on Wed, 07/08/2009 - 2:50pm

    I'm going to add another comment just to help Nebton's prediction.  Good luck.


    by DC Bound (not verified) on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 1:23pm

    Yeah, I'm pretty sure we're past that point. My prediction sunk the thread. Sorry, Genghis.


    by Nebton on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 3:03pm

    It's just plain silly for Google to claim that they can compete in the OS market.  C'mon.  They can hardly keep up with the non-advertising and non-search challenges that they've alraedy tried to take on.  Google sites are a mess...you can't even search within them.  Chrome is still only avaiable for PC...and cross-platform is a key selling point of their proposed OS. Frankly, I am hearing echos of similar claims made by Adobe ("Air") or the various phone OS projects: might be nice as a delivery platform, but not a full-fledged OS.


    by DC Bound (not verified) on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 1:27pm

    I take it that you're not a Google stockholder. :) These are fair points. Google is already overstretched.

    I do want to add this: Nebton rocks. He's figured out that there's a bug on dagblog that lets him edit other people's comments.


    by Michael Wolraich on Fri, 07/17/2009 - 2:04pm

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