Will Google be the new Microsoft?
Well they say absolute power corrupts. On the other hand the two companies are quite different. The corporate ethos and the attitude towards creativity are almost complete opposites. For example, I never heard any Google execs reported as using expressions such a “embrace, extend and extinguish“…
And I think or at least I hope that the days of any one company dominating the industry are slowly but surely drawing to a close. The rise of Google together with astonishing developments within the open source community are a major factors in this. Of course, Google makes much use of open source – so who knows what effect that might have?
Lets’s ignore the very real Google threat to Micro$haft for a moment. If my experiences comparing the slug-like performance of Vista to the speed and agility of Ubuntu are any indication of the future then I believe that Micro$haft’s days as top dog really are numbered. Under attack from all sides, Micro$haft products will gradually become perceived as uncompetitive, insecure, under-performing or just plain obsolete. Indeed, some observers suggest this fall from favour is already happening.
We live in interesting times.