Comments on: Microsoft vs. Google: Who's greener?

The two Internet companies work to reduce energy use and promote sustainability as product battle heats up.
Photos: Green companies

[Blito]

HHO fuel ROX!

Looks pretty good as far as having a very instant translation process from water to HHO. HHO is not as volatile as Hydrogen and doesn't produce excess heat.

http://www.waterfuelconverters.com/

[jazzcat]

Windows Not Efficient

Sorry, there's no comparison here. The excessive energy usage of the millions of PC's and servers that use Windows caused by Microsoft's inefficient code (and their need to add complexity for security and inefficient virus scanners) most likely far outweighs any effort they put forth to curtail energy usage.

[jeffgo4]

Datacenters not efficient

Windows has extensive power management capability, but many customers don't use it or application software disables the functions. Many times a computer has been set up to sleep after a certain amount of time, but the policy stops working.

A big concern too is the massive datacenters that both companies operate and continue to expand. These are not nearly as efficient as they could be, relying on a huge number of servers (think millions) running under their capacity, and with no active power management.

[jeffgo4]

Datacenters not efficient

Windows has extensive power management capability, but many customers don't use it or application software disables the functions. Many times a computer has been set up to sleep after a certain amount of time, but the policy stops working.

A big concern too is the massive datacenters that both companies operate and continue to expand. These are not nearly as efficient as they could be, relying on a huge number of servers (think millions) running under their capacity, and with no active power management.

[promiscuousrobot]

Good old solar...

It's just too bad that electricity-generating solar panels take more energy to produce than they can ever generate in their lifetime. Not to mention many components and chemicals in solar panels are highly toxic and horrid for our environment. Solar heating, sure. Solar electricity, no dice. Just one more reason for me to stick with my trusty Linux OS.

[rmiecznik]

Solar panels

Solar panels could be better, if the people who designed them realized that sun light is not needed to create electricity, that's for magnetic induction is for, if they doped the material with components that further reach to the sunlight to product electricity via induction, then they would produce a lot more voltage difference.

Just my 3 cents.

I love Linux and OS X too.

[James_U]

Apples & Oranges

The answer to this question is, "both." Google is clearly leading in the internet services space with an incredible advantage over Yahoo and Microsoft. Google will continue to use its lead position as the search king to add more new internet services and further secures its position on the Web. However, Microsoft is obviously leading in the area of business and consumer computing. Microsoft continues to grow by double digits year over year, and is entering new software markets all the time. IBM, Sun, Oracle and MSFT's traditional competitors continue to lose share to MSFT, so the grass is extremely green for MSFT's bottom line for quite some time to come.

Will Google create a web-based computing platform to usurp Microsoft? IMO, that is unlikely to happen within the next decade if ever. People like control over their personal information, and storing things "out there somewhere" is uncomfortable. Will Microsoft whip MSN into shape and create a division that slowly eats into Google's space over time. IMO, that is more likely.

So, while both company's futures are green I'd have to say Microsoft's is greener. History certainly is on their side.

Now, if they would just re-visit the SAP acquisition and consider a SalesForce.com acquisition as well, I'd really have to give MSFT the edge. They need to shake things up a bit and get people excited again. Steve, Bill, you out there?

James.

[techtrash7]

Cool High Tech Trash Video via Microsoft

http://www.on10.net/Blogs/TheShow/3567/

[ecotechwater]

Water Conservation

I don't see any reference to Google or Micrsoft doing anything about conserving water. Water Conservation is an important "Green" matter. Ecotech water is saving facilities between 50% and 70% on thier water consumption by using Ecotech Air Induced products. More information is available at www.ecotechwater.com.