Microsoft Testing Its Own 'Google Base'

sheasie! writes "eWeek is reporting that Microsoft is readying an online marketplace, code-named Fremont, which is apparently in response to a similar feature that rival Google Inc. introduced a few weeks ago." From the article: "The software giant will enhance the Fremont listings with localized maps, and make them available through Microsoft's newly revamped Internet portal, now known as Live.com, according to the company."

Comments

Re:When is this going to end?

[tehshen]

Actually, both of these things (Base and now Fremont) seem more like everything2 than anything else.

Marketplace?

[Solokron]

Fremont is a district of Seattle here. It is more so known for its eclectic people than marketplace so I find it an interesting choice for a name. Check out the myths section @ http://www.fremont.com/

Microsoft's Craigslist

[BarryNorton]

Actually this is not so similar to Google Base, but a more direct (and small-thinking) rip off of Craigslist, as far as I can see. There is the similarity that Microsoft also have a search engine to directly map over this data, but eWeek are going much too far (also in http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1877217,00.as p, linked) in ignoring the fundamental differences between a community listing site, an auction site (where the role of the provider is much more hands-on) and the need for Google to get their engine to work with sites dynamically generated from a back-end database...

Re:Name one?

[SerpentMage]

Yes, Office... Microsoft was the first to bundle everything for the Windows desktop and create a single "application". That helped Microsoft immensely because at the time people liked the fact that they could share content using cut/copy/paste. With respect to the other "last" there, they are not the dominate player, with the exception being the Internet Explorer.

The monopoly for Microsoft is not Windows, but Office! Office keeps a good many people on Windows. I know that I don't use Linux because of Office (need Office for my daily work, and therefore bought an OSX box). OpenOffice is not a solution for more complicated documents that have automation, stylesheets, and versioning.