Comments on: Gates: Microsoft will keep Google honest

He concedes mistakes, but Bill Gates promises that Redmond's investments will enable it to catch its rival.
Photo: Gates, Jay-Z share a smile

[Bob Brinkman]

I knew it.

I complained earlier in the thread how I was a fan of Google, untill I recently noticed none of my sites are getting indexed. Looks like I'm not the only one.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/04/google_bigdaddy_chaos/

Just goes to show, no company is perfect folks.

[FutureGuy]

No one can beat Google?? Really..

Google might be the best search engine around, but it has its issues and is definitely beatable
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/05/04/google_bigdaddy_chaos/
If MS puts its money (and other resources) where its mouth is, that just a matter of time. MS has historically done just better then its competition, not a whole lot better, just better enough to be a major challenge. MS like to be challenged and does its best under competition, just ask Sony.

[Sea of Cortez]

The Hell with MS & Google monopolies - go Anoox

What is the difference between MS & Google?
Nothing. They are both monopolies, just monopolies with different stock symbols.
They are both run for the purpose of making most amount of profit and having highest share prices, which of course means at our costs.

What is needed is a search engine that is not a monopoly and will not be one. A search engine that is run free of profit motivation for the
benefit of the people (Small businesses).
Is there such a search engine?
Yes. It is: www.anoox.com
So if you are sick & tried of monopolies controlling our lives, whether it is Big oil regarding Gas prices or Big media regarding access to information, etc. Then seek, find and use companies like AnooX that
are run for the benefit of the people and not having highest share prices which means price gouging and entering one business after
another. OTN, check this out from Anoox where they even promise not to enter any other business but to be in search engine business only:
http://www.anoox.com/in-search-engine-business-only.jsp

Take that you filthy monopolies :)
A search engine who does not want to take business away from our businesses. A search engine that does not want to make the most money, as a result Adverrtising on Anoox is like 90% less than Google oe Yahoo. Way to go anoox :)

[mwa423]

The hell with people who don't understand what a monoply is

How are Microsoft and Google monopolies in terms of online businesses? If there are two companies that do the same thing, and compete, there is no monopoly. For there to be a monopoly, there can only be one company and it has to be next to impossible for somebody else to enter it.

For example, if there was a monopoly on internet search, you couldn't start Anoox.

"They are both run for the purpose of making most amount of profit and having highest share prices"

So, you just definied what a BUSINESS is. I'm not sure how running a business harms everybody else, in fact I think that watching the bottom line is something all companies should do. I consider companies that expand and add to the economy good things, it's called capitalism, it's a beautiful thing! If you disagree, take a good look at the communist countries throughout history and tell me that their economic system worked better then capitalism has.

[caudio_roma]

A real eye opener. But monopolies are tough.

Your point about Google & MS being to information what Big oil companies are to oil is really excellent.
A real eye opener.
What is really the difference between Exxon or Chevron or Mobil?
Nothing, but their stock prices:
Does one under cut the price of the other by 50%. NO.
Does one offer alternative fuel sources to Gas, as stations for example in Brazil do? NO.

So I agree with you that Anoox is the real alternative to Big media (Google & MS & Yahoo)
control of information & the resulting on-line Advertising. But the question is can a not-for-profit and hence small business like Anoox
compete against these mega Goliath monopoly (Wall Street backed) companies like Google & MS & Yahoo!
I have serious doubts.
But I am rooting for them.

[seankirk]

Microsoft Is An Excellent Company

Its really hard for me to understand the "loathing" of Microsoft. Here we have a company that has been around for over 20 years has shown steady leadership and management, has been scandal free and has never been shy or afraid to compete. It always makes me laugh when people bash Microsoft and they are posting their comments using Windows and IE. Microsoft is a market leader in Desktop applications, Google is a market leader in web search, just as Novell WAS a market leader in NOS (that's Network Operating System for u geniuses out there), Navigator WAS as the Web Browser market leader, and Word Perfect and Lotus WERE marekt leaders in office automation. Those companies are also rans right now except Novell which is piggy backing on the Linux wave. Remember Linux by the way, the Microsoft killer, Linux was so supposed have made Microsoft bankrupt by now, i am laughing so hard i have cola coming out my nose. Microsoft has shown a tremendous ability to re-invent itself and get with the times, and they pick their battles. Google is no slouch they are a young hip company riding high, but Microsoft had proven to be an nimble elephant. As for all the hoopla out there about apple, ahem.. apple has been the best PC out there for over 20 years but in all that time only 3% market share. I guess the market is really dumb....

[cranbers]

yeah

You know, I can't agree with you less. MS is not a excellent company. They were in the right place at the right time. They have gone out of their way to compete, as you put it in the most illega, unfair way. It is because of these illegal tactics they have been such a success. IE would not have won the browser war so easily had it not been bolted to the OS. It is a horrible browser, with the biggest security nightmare in history. The company is always slow to market, it can't keep a schedule. It is always trying to pry into new markets it hasn't "lead" yet. Why don't they invest money and time into their current products. Why do they have to compete with Google, I mean what are they thinking. Obvoiusly the investors are thinking the same thing, the second they heard that the stock droped the most in 5 years. They have enough money to do anything they want so, let them do it.

[Thomas, David]

Cola in Your Nose

An indication of your enlightenment.

Its obvious, the reason you don't understand, is because you
don't actually know anything. To understand something, you
have to find out why. To find out why, you have to ask real
questions. Read old reports, and news articles.

Did you know that your excellent company, used internal
malware to send false error messages about competing
products? Did you know your excellent company told (and
convinced), Intel to kill a two projects, and that if they didn' they
would pull support for their Pentium chip (the MX i think) being
rolled out at the time. Did you know that your excellent
company forced all PC vendors they could influence (oh and they
got them all to), not only have IE installed, but would pull
licensing if they included any other browsers on their PCs?

These are ALL facts. Not hearsay. They were found guilty. But
guess what. Even if you were to fine Microsft the biggest
corporate fine in history, its is pennies to them. This is not a
company who's riches are in their buildings, or other assets that
can't be quickly liquidated. They have the cold, hard cash, and
lots of it.

In the end, by gones are by gones. And all that's ever been
asked of them is to produce a quality, stable OS, and hey, re-
write it if necessary. But, as I have stated before, I've come to
suspect (Ballmer would be prime witness number one), is they
are far more concerned with dominance, than anything else.
That philosophy controls what happens in Redmond. As a
result, its gonna be a cold day in Hades, till Microsoft releases
their version of Linux ... which is what I suspect they are gearing
up to do.

[jeffhesser]

lower your standards

those 3 words will change your life! stop expecting the world from the mega giant. if you want inovation then do it yourself, and if you make something of value then sell out to microsoft. or you can try to sell it yourself and watch microsoft clone your creation and sell it for millions. call it what you will but those guys rock! haha

[Thomas, David]

sell out?!

Yes, your heros, and the vision of them in your eyes, indicates the
moral standard you wish to aspire to.

[mamamia350]

MSN Zone Gaming

Now I know why there will no longer be lobbies, MPlus's, zone friends, free card/board games,CD_ROM original versions - it's cause the money going to be spent ($2.4 billion even) on advertising online to compete w/Google and Microsofts own search engine. Who heck cares about the zoners? Noone at MS I guess. Well you know what - how many hundreds or thousands will u be losing due to this ugly change?????? Heck most people block pop-up advertising - it's a nuisance except maybe those who dont know how to, LOL.

[df561]

Google is a verb

as much money as Microsoft has, they still haven't realize that Google is a verb and because of this will continue to grow at their expense.

I routinely tell my children to "google it" when I don't have an answer to a question.

If you have something you don't want any more you "ebay it"

none of this is new, I'm just suprised that MS went with "Live" for new brand...so old school. they need a verb.

[seankirk]

Well Let's See

People like to blame Microsoft for the spectacular collapse of Netscape, less we forget that once Microsoft started to compete full tilt, Netscape stopped innovating with their browser. We are talking about the company that gave us SSL for crying out loud, what did they do since then, except cry that Microsoft used it's unfair advantage. Every single company in the world does it when they have the oppurtunity. Apple has a monopoly on digital music with itunes, and does not allow any other player except the ipod to sync music. If Microsoft did that the comments would not cease about how unfair they are. The reality is that as long as Microsoft leads with it's windows OS they will be accused of bullying. Your assertion that Microsofts products do not get better, tells me you just really hate Microsoft as a company. windows, Office, Windows Server 2003 (which by the way is the leading server software by sales volume beating Linux and Unix), SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 to name a few have all improved over the years. Microsoft has had to learn how to balance development advances and tying that into its applications while learning that in the internet age and the connected era that we live in, software development requires tighter security. They will get it right, but to think that there is a magic bullet that will stop all Malware and Virus writers is a fools arguement. Most windows exploits are highly technical in nature and no matter what happens, there will always be smart people who use their power for evil. As long as Microsoft leads in popularity on the browser and desktop areas they will continue to be a target. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, because whoever leads will have to deal with the same issues. If I am a virus writer, why waste my time writing viruses for macs and linux boxes when everyone on my block is using windows, probably unpatched with no protection. Is that Microsofts fault. That is like driving a recalled car without getting it fixed and blaming the car company when something happens. I want Apple's market share on the desktop to increase, so we can debunk these theories about how safe Macs are. Macs used a different processor and Architecture (power pc) from PC's in the past, which means I must really want to write a virus or exploit for a Mac to do it. What is my financial gain...zip, the world runs on windows my friend, until someone else takes over, the attacks will never stop. By the way, now that Macs use the same architecture as PCs, writing a virus or exploit has just gotten that much easier..... As for competing with Google, it makes perfect sense, everything is moving to the web, and to stay relevant, Microsft has to be a web player. It can't cede control to Google or Yahoo, the web has driven PC sales more than anything else in recent times. I mean, email, ebay, digital music, search, web video, IM, voip, are all web activities, should Microsoft leave Google to rule cyberspace, only a poorly managed company would do that, and yes Microsoft must invest to play catch up it's really that simple. Microsft is spending 2 billion out of a reported near 40 billion cash hoard...i don't see the problem.

[bhushan bhaagii]

Well, Let's See Now

I mean, email, ebay, digital music, search, web video, IM, voip,", Seankirk, you could go on adding to this list, and it's doubtful that you will find Microsoft linked with any of these innovations. I repeat Microsoft has set up an ecosystem that exploits what others have developed. If someone comes up with a standalone product that is new, innovative, you can be sure that Microsoft will copy and load it on to its desktop package. The lone entrepreneur obviously does not have the wherewithal, or the support system to battle Microsoft, and before you know it, his enterprise has folded up and Microsoft carries on, regardless. And you are left without a choice.

But more pertinently, till a couple of years back, Microsoft was hung up on the Desktop.The doctrine according to Bill Gates was that the Desktop was the centre of computing. And if anything was not connected to Desktop Computing, MS would work to make it so.

The doctrine was nothing but a cover to legitimise a monopoloy that many had started questioning. And Microsoft did make a serious effort to bend applications to fit into their network.
But the web had grown too big for Microsoft to be contained.

Maybe, 5 years down the line, Microsoft will become a genuine web-oriented comapny. But so long as Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are at the helm, you can discount that. These two are too wedded to their Desktop Monopoly to be really able to see things from a genuine perspective of the user.

[bhushan bhaagii]

Well, Let's See Now

I mean, email, ebay, digital music, search, web video, IM, voip,", Seankirk, you could go on adding to this list, and it's doubtful that you will find Microsoft linked with any of these innovations. I repeat Microsoft has set up an ecosystem that exploits what others have developed. If someone comes up with a standalone product that is new, innovative, you can be sure that Microsoft will copy and load it on to its desktop package. The lone entrepreneur obviously does not have the wherewithal, or the support system to battle Microsoft, and before you know it, his enterprise has folded up and Microsoft carries on, regardless. And you are left without a choice.

But more pertinently, till a couple of years back, Microsoft was hung up on the Desktop.The doctrine according to Bill Gates was that the Desktop was the centre of computing. And if anything was not connected to Desktop Computing, MS would work to make it so.

The doctrine was nothing but a cover to legitimise a monopoloy that many had started questioning. And Microsoft did make a serious effort to bend applications to fit into their network.
But the web had grown too big for Microsoft to be contained.

Maybe, 5 years down the line, Microsoft will become a genuine web-oriented comapny. But so long as Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are at the helm, you can discount that. These two are too wedded to their Desktop Monopoly to be really able to see things from a genuine perspective of the user.

[bhushan bhaagii]

Well, Let's See Now

I mean, email, ebay, digital music, search, web video, IM, voip,", Seankirk, you could go on adding to this list, and it's doubtful that you will find Microsoft linked with any of these innovations. I repeat Microsoft has set up an ecosystem that exploits what others have developed. If someone comes up with a standalone product that is new, innovative, you can be sure that Microsoft will copy and load it on to its desktop package. The lone entrepreneur obviously does not have the wherewithal, or the support system to battle Microsoft, and before you know it, his enterprise has folded up and Microsoft carries on, regardless. And you are left without a choice.

But more pertinently, till a couple of years back, Microsoft was hung up on the Desktop.The doctrine according to Bill Gates was that the Desktop was the centre of computing. And if anything was not connected to Desktop Computing, MS would work to make it so.

The doctrine was nothing but a cover to legitimise a monopoloy that many had started questioning. And Microsoft did make a serious effort to bend applications to fit into their network.
But the web had grown too big for Microsoft to be contained.

Maybe, 5 years down the line, Microsoft will become a genuine web-oriented comapny. But so long as Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are at the helm, you can discount that. These two are too wedded to their Desktop Monopoly to be really able to see things from a genuine perspective of the user.

[bhushan bhaagii]

Well, Let's See Now

I mean, email, ebay, digital music, search, web video, IM, voip,", Seankirk, you could go on adding to this list, and it's doubtful that you will find Microsoft linked with any of these innovations. I repeat Microsoft has set up an ecosystem that exploits what others have developed. If someone comes up with a standalone product that is new, innovative, you can be sure that Microsoft will copy and load it on to its desktop package. The lone entrepreneur obviously does not have the wherewithal, or the support system to battle Microsoft, and before you know it, his enterprise has folded up and Microsoft carries on, regardless. And you are left without a choice.

But more pertinently, till a couple of years back, Microsoft was hung up on the Desktop.The doctrine according to Bill Gates was that the Desktop was the centre of computing. And if anything was not connected to Desktop Computing, MS would work to make it so.

The doctrine was nothing but a cover to legitimise a monopoloy that many had started questioning. And Microsoft did make a serious effort to bend applications to fit into their network.
But the web had grown too big for Microsoft to be contained.

Maybe, 5 years down the line, Microsoft will become a genuine web-oriented comapny. But so long as Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are at the helm, you can discount that. These two are too wedded to their Desktop Monopoly to be really able to see things from a genuine perspective of the user.

[bhushan bhaagii]

Well, Let's See Now

I mean, email, ebay, digital music, search, web video, IM, voip,", Seankirk, you could go on adding to this list, and it's doubtful that you will find Microsoft linked with any of these innovations. I repeat Microsoft has set up an ecosystem that exploits what others have developed. If someone comes up with a standalone product that is new, innovative, you can be sure that Microsoft will copy and load it on to its desktop package. The lone entrepreneur obviously does not have the wherewithal, or the support system to battle Microsoft, and before you know it, his enterprise has folded up and Microsoft carries on, regardless. And you are left without a choice.

But more pertinently, till a couple of years back, Microsoft was hung up on the Desktop.The doctrine according to Bill Gates was that the Desktop was the centre of computing. And if anything was not connected to Desktop Computing, MS would work to make it so.

The doctrine was nothing but a cover to legitimise a monopoloy that many had started questioning. And Microsoft did make a serious effort to bend applications to fit into their network.
But the web had grown too big for Microsoft to be contained.

Maybe, 5 years down the line, Microsoft will become a genuine web-oriented comapny. But so long as Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer are at the helm, you can discount that. These two are too wedded to their Desktop Monopoly to be really able to see things from a genuine perspective of the user.

[Thomas, David]

KY with that View?

"People like to blame Microsoft for the spectacular collapse of
Netscape" .... funny, when is it called blame when Microsoft gets
pulled into court and their own internal documents prove this to
be true?

Apple has a monopoly on iTunes? They made the software to
make their iPods easier to use. And to top it off, they DID NOT
originally make it for windows. They only did so after so many
PC users complained about, they realized they had a far more
marketable product than previously expected.

You try to make it sound as if Microsoft didn't gain their
dominance by bullying. You would have to be insane to believe
that or under the age of 30 and never went to a library, and did
any study in computer science. If you did, then you would
actually know why Microsoft is disliked.

Apparently, since Microsoft can't get it right, you obviously feel
the need to tell us how tough they have it.

And since when, does being a virus writer "PAY"? I mean come
on, unless you work for a company like Symantec, Im pretty
damn sure it does not. Last I heard, you can end up in a federal
penitentiary. By the way, OSX is safer than Windows. This entire
stupid argument about user base, or XP on the same box, or I
might lay a golden egg theory is NUTS. Yet someone still feels
the need to regurgitate the nonsense.

You seem to think that because Macs are Intel based now, that
somehow that majically means they will be affected by the same
viruses.

Of course, you said it best, when talking about Google, the Web,
and Microsoft. "cede control". That's it in a nutshell. Microsoft
wanting control. Well you my friend can continue to bend over
and take in the rear, but the rest of us just can't take it anymore.

[concernedcitizen]

Right - And Terrorists Will Make The World A Safe Place

Um, a convicted criminal monopoly enterprise will keep other companies honest?

[Thomas, David]

YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH

You WANT me on that wall, you NEED me on that wall

eom