BeauJangles
Lifer
- Aug 26, 2001
- 13,941
- 1
- 0
But you've got to remember that Chrome solely exists so that Google can push its ideas of what is necessary in future browsers into IE and Firefox. They don't care if anyone actually uses it.
I agree, the reason they are so successful is because they attacked the competition (Hotmail/Yahoo email, MapQuest, etc.) with competitive, free programs. If they had no benchmark to beat then their innovation would probably go down.
frostedflakes
Diamond Member
- Mar 1, 2005
- 7,925
- 1
- 81
Yahoo, MSN, and Ask.com together account for about 25% of search volume.
My understanding is that monopoly implies no consumer choice. There is competition and consumer choice, most people just choose to use Google.
There's also no barrier to entry into the market, it's not like Google is preventing competition. It wouldn't be difficult at all for somebody to get a web host and start their own search engine. The hard part would be creating a better service than Google offers and grabbing a good chunk of their market share.
ed21x
Diamond Member
- Oct 12, 2001
- 5,411
- 8
- 81
they're the best at what they do now, which is great except that when something better comes around, it is very easy to switch to a different web site, so it's not exactly a solid foundation unless they keep innovating. If Microsoft Live suddenly becomes becomes good, we can easily see a third of their 'marketshare' switch overnight.
frostedflakes
Diamond Member
- Mar 1, 2005
- 7,925
- 1
- 81
It's also interesting if you look at the history of search engines, it seems like some surge in popularity and then something new comes along and they are basically forgotten. IIRC Yahoo and Ask Jeeves were both huge at one point in time, but now get relatively little search volume compared to Google. Google may seem big now, but they are just one innovation away from being a small player in the search engine market.
I really cant wait for this. No more installing/updating/fixing this on work comps. All I want to do is install a TINY program on the comps that validates the subscription and have it work.
sunzt
Diamond Member
- Nov 27, 2003
- 3,076
- 3
- 81
Google is in a position where it is the dominant market share holder but not in a strong monopolistic position as Windows is. Google still has competition (although not that competitive), from yahoo and microsoft, which still keeps them innovative. So I would disagree that google is in the same position like microsoft was/is with windows.
And when they decide to update everything, breaking compatibility with your older documents, there will be an uproar and heads will roll. At least with software, if they update to newer software, you don't HAVE TO transition per se, at least not right away. Cloud computing is a terrible idea unless you do not value the time you spend on your computer or you're completely unware of the risks involved with cloud computing. (Think mergers, aquisitions, government takeover, FBI, CIA, homeland security, server software updates, server meltdown, loss of internet connection, nuclear holocaust, etc. etc.)
Still sound like a good idea? (Insert smart ass reply)
Riiiight, because office 2007 can't open office '95 documents, MS has such a track record of not being backwarkd compatible with office docs. :roll:
irishScott
Lifer
- Oct 10, 2006
- 21,562
- 3
- 0
Except that hotmail's search sucks ass. You have to know the exact term and can't even search the message body.
Maybe not entirely but for those who detest office 2007 such as myself, with cloud computing, you MUST use it even if the bugs haven't been ironed out yet. Even better, if there are software updates to the software and it's catastrophic, you don't HAVE TO install them but with cloud computing, everbody gets to enjoy the updates whether they make or break the software.
Umm I thought your first post was sarcastic... guess not
I have NEVER had an update with MS office that has "screwed everything up" or been "full of bugs." Cloud computing would make managing software in a business environment 100000x easier because the software is managed by the manufacturer on a rig with specific, known specs. I dont care if you like office 07 or not, you can learn to deal.
The fact you cite M&A activity as a con to cloud computing just shows how little you know about it. The IT problem in M&A is merging databases. You have to deal with them whether or not your software is on a server somewhere or on individual client machines. Cloud computing has little to no impact on M&A other than the fact that with cloud computing you already know that the other company's machines dont need software updates or w/e.
"government takeovers"
Might wanna check your tinfoil hat again. It may be letting some of the rays through.
If you detest office 2007 why would you use the online versionof it? You think thier online offering is going to be an older version of office? And yes, you can deny online updates, I still use the older html based version of Yahoo mail even though they wanted to shove thier Ajax bloated GUI down my throat over two years ago. Lots of websites allow the use of legacy interfaces.
Your alleged problems seem a little farfetched. It basically comes down to "if the website isnt working you cant use the website" well no shit. This is the inherent risk of doing ANYTHING online.
Throckmorton
Lifer
- Aug 23, 2007
- 16,829
- 3
- 0
Originally posted by: frostedflakes
It's also interesting if you look at the history of search engines, it seems like some surge in popularity and then something new comes along and they are basically forgotten. IIRC Yahoo and Ask Jeeves were both huge at one point in time, but now get relatively little search volume compared to Google. Google may seem big now, but they are just one innovation away from being a small player in the search engine market.
Weren't Yahoo and Ask Jeeves big before the big boom in internet usage? Now Google is firmly entrenched, so that even the casual word for "search" is "google", yet everyone understands it means go to google.com
IMO, it will never matter how good "Live" or whatever gets. Google is "it".
thescreensavers
Diamond Member
- Aug 3, 2005
- 9,916
- 2
- 81
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2248936
People lost the information they posted on that site and were FORCED to use the new interface and there was nothing they could do about it. When you deal with "cloud computing" you're basically at the mercy of the company hosting it.
are you seriously comparing fusetalk to Office? Dude get a clue.
edit: your link was about ocnverting from fusetalk to vbulletin... ok thats one app to another, not an update. Besides, it's pretty anecdotal
Fritzo
Lifer
- Jan 3, 2001
- 41,920
- 2,161
- 126
Google is a different kind of company...there's been nothing like them before. Essentially they found out a way to make a huge amount of self running income, then they hired a bunch of geeks to create anything cool they can think of and attach their revenue stream onto it.
For instance: Google StetchUp - no profit. Google StetchUp + ads - $$$$$
They can make anything they want, add their ad system to it, and make more money. It's an incredible idea, and nobody thought it would work. This is why Microsoft and Yahoo were caught so off guard.
So, in a sense, they may be a type of monopoly, but they're not really focused on forcing a single product. They're nurturing many talents to do anything that they're good at and then slapping a money generator onto the end product.
For instance: Google StetchUp - no profit. Google StetchUp + ads - $$$$$
They can make anything they want, add their ad system to it, and make more money. It's an incredible idea, and nobody thought it would work. This is why Microsoft and Yahoo were caught so off guard.
So, in a sense, they may be a type of monopoly, but they're not really focused on forcing a single product. They're nurturing many talents to do anything that they're good at and then slapping a money generator onto the end product.
please, people said the same thing about Apple, and Microsoft, and SUN, and Oracle, and Virgin, and Dell, and Yahoo. Amazon, etc. There is nothing special about Google.
Last time I checked chrome has a fraction of a percent of the browser share. Google isn't a monopoly yet, but it's getting there.
Fritzo
Lifer
- Jan 3, 2001
- 41,920
- 2,161
- 126
Name one other company that is doing what they are doing successfully?
I'm not aware of most of the other companies being called unique.
Apple, Microsoft, Sun, and Oracle are all software/hardware sales. They're all doing the same job- pushing a product or a service that has to be developed. They're bloated versions of street corner hacker stores from the 1970's.
Dell had more capital than Gateway, which both grew from custom ma&pa PC makers---nothing new there.
Amazon does online sales and was a pioneer in e-commerce. They too had enough venture capital to keep afloat while the smaller places closed. They took bits and pieces from the failed companies, learned their lessons, and were able to keep afloat until the cometition thinned.
Virgin is a conglomerate (like GM used to be). Richard Branson has more money than he knows what to do with, so he's spending it on innovative ideas and not caring if they make money or not. This company is the most like Google.
Google has a self running service---customers line up to use their ad engine, then they use that engine to fund a "geek fund"---they hire people and say "OK- make something cool. I don't care what, just as long as it's cool." The person makes a product, they slap ads on it, and boom---it makes money.
are you saying Google is the only company that does R&D? What google s doing (telling thier employees to invent stuff) was made famous by companies like HP and Xerox
Companies like IBM, Intel, and Microsoft dwarf Google in R&D budgets.
There is nothing new about what google is doing, and at some point in a lot of company's history, they were in the exact same position.
Google didnt even invent Adsense, pay per click advertising was around years before Google started doing it.
Companies like IBM, Intel, and Microsoft dwarf Google in R&D budgets.
There is nothing new about what google is doing, and at some point in a lot of company's history, they were in the exact same position.
Google didnt even invent Adsense, pay per click advertising was around years before Google started doing it.
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