Slashdot Mirror
Google to Create a Private Internet Alternative?
dbucowboy writes "Times Online UK reports that Google is working on a project to create its own global internet protocol network, a private alternative to the internet controlled by the search giant, according to sources who are in commercial negotiation with the company. Should Google successfully launch an alternative internet, it is theoretically possible for them to block out competitor websites and only allow users to access websites that have paid Google to be shown to their users." We discussed this topic during summer last year.
I almost can't wait for Google's facade of goodness to slip. They're just like any other large company who are more concerned about their stock price and making money - than about taking care of their end-users. For example, they still don't have an email service that isn't plastered with advertising (even for a small fee) - which ought to be a clue that they're an advertising company first, functionality is secondary. If Google went dark tomorrow the extent would be to click Firefox over to using Teoma or Yahoo as the default search engine. I'd barely notice. As reluctant I am to admit it, Yahoo is still the single most important suite of web services to me, and I'd be lost without it (if I was stranded on a desert island and could only pick one website to bring with me, Yahoo would be it). (And now that I think about it, I wonder how many of these "Google is doing X" posts are purely to try and keep their stock price artificially inflated.)
-*The above statement is printed entirely on recycled electrons*-
Their arrogance and egos are growing even faster than their revenues.
Out of curiosity, how is this "arrogant?" If you had the talented staff, plenty of resources (financial, social, temporal, etc) and knew you had an approach to serving up vast amount of networked stuff while (I'm guessing here) truly dealing with some security issues, spam/noise problems, etc., and knew that you'd have a potential audience in the tens or hundreds of millions... wouldn't you pursue it? "Ego," in this sense, translates to "awareness of one's self and one's capabilities." They've got a definite self, and the horsepower to try thing like this. You don't have to do squat, or care, and they know it. That's not arrogance, that's them having the ability to try some things. Relax.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.