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Has Google Peaked?

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the glory-days dept.

nile_list writes "Robert X. Cringely's latest column explores just what the heck Google could be doing. 'Google likes to play the Black Box game. What are they DOING in all those buildings with all those PhDs?' He concludes that it's likely Google has peaked as a company: 'What if everyone is mainly wrong? What if search and PageRank and AdSense are Google's corporate apex. Most companies would be content with that, but Google isn't supposed to be like most companies. But what if they are?' His conclusion is that 'Microsoft's clearest threat still comes from Apple, though not the way most people expect.' It's an interesting read."

10 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. Has Cringely Peaked? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I, Cringe writes "Robert X. Cringely's latest column explores just how inane and idiotic he can be.'I wilke to play the baseless speculation game. What can I THINK some company is doing based on my limited knowledge?' He concludes that it's likely he has peaked as a columnist: 'What if I am am mainly wrong? What if I, Cringely is my writing apex. Most writers would not be content with that, but I'm not like most writers. But so what if I'm not?' His conclusion is that 'My clearest threat still comes from people with brains, though not the way most people expect.' It's a boring read."

  2. Blah blah by TupperTrenine · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What if, what if, what if. This article could have been posted when Earth came out, or GMail, or even Desktop Search. There can always be speculation, why now?

    1. Re:Blah blah by tgrimley · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yeah, but goolge is much easier to type than microsoft.

      Apparently not! :)

    2. Re:Blah blah by Bogtha · · Score: 5, Informative

      Allow me to specify a set of web sites I NEVER want to results for.
      Allow me to specify that I never want to see another damn .doc or .pdf file again.

      You could add those to Google yourself with relatively simple Javascript (Greasemonkey, userjs, etc). Just append "-site:example.com -filetype:pdf" to each query.

      DON'T HIDE THE GOD DAMN DELETE FEATURE UNDER A MENU!

      Here's a Greasemonkey script to add a delete button.

      How about it could come with an integrated tool that stops other toolbars from being installed? That'd be fantastic then I could just put it on my family's computers and not worry about them installing more tool bars, or any software for that matter!

      I thought there was an option to disable BHOs in the latest Internet Explorer running on XP? In any case, Internet Explorer 7 will have a "safe mode". I don't think this is Google's problem to solve.

      Integrate a clock, people like clocks!

      Everyone has a clock.

      --
      Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
  3. Yes by Timesprout · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Next question the does not involve endless futile /. speculation please.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  4. This might not be so bad by Wingfield · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Google may be following the typical path, which is generally attributed to the growth of a company. The difference that I see between a company like google and Microsoft is that google generally does an awesome job on virtually everything they release(which, by the way, is all free.) G-mail is hands down the best e-mail service I've ever used, and although I haven't used the new IMing service, I hear that it's very streamlined. I like google. They give me what i need to surf the web efficiently. As long as they don't become bent on world domination like Microsoft, I don't see why them getting bigger would be a problem. In my eyes, it means more resources with which to provide us with better services.

  5. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  6. Re:OSS Google Killer? by trash+eighty · · Score: 5, Funny

    yeah thats a good idea, a free Google killer.

    having to pay to search on Google is a real bummer... oh wait!

  7. Re:Of course Google has peaked by WilliamSChips · · Score: 5, Insightful
    That's why they're busily copying every "portal" feature from their superior competitor.
    Maybe that part of Yahoo is better than what Google has, but in most places, Google's offering is better. Email, for example. How much space did Yahoo offer before Gmail? 10 megabytes. How much space does Gmail offer as opposed to Yahoo? Google has over twice as much. And feature-wise? Gmail wins hands-down.
    --
    Please, for the good of Humanity, vote Obama.
  8. He's right by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know, this guy who makes a living by getting his name in the press is completely, objectively correct. There's nothing Google can do with the FOUR BILLION dollars they raised in a (small) stock sale.

    There's nothing left to invent in the world. There's nothing more we want from computing. There are no more improvements possible. Rampant spam, spyware, crummy messaging protocols like email and primitive IM are all that we want. We don't need access to more information in other dimensions of our lives, and all the Ph.D.s in the world are not going to find ways to improve our lives through computing.

    Google, if you're listening, please understand: there are no more efficiencies possible in human society, at least through information management. The annual improvement of efficiencies of 4-10% per year noted by macro economists is all smoke screen. Stop making maps, phone-related lookup services, and archives of all the world's libraries. We simply don't want this information, or need it. Please stop trying. K THXS.

    Sincerely, B. Gates